How to avoid the BT price hike as it adds up to £48 a year to bills from Sunday
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MILLIONS of BT customers will be paying more for their TV and Sport packages from this Sunday – but what can you do if you are unhappy with the price hike?
The telecoms giant is putting up prices from July 28 with some subscribers facing an increase of up to £48 per year on their bill.
When BT announced the changes last month, the company said customers will see things go up by between £1 and £4 per month depending on the TV and Sport deal they are signed up to.
Those on the full HD Max plan will have their purse strings yanked the hardest and will fork out an extra £4 a month.
If you are signed up to the Classic, Essential, Entertainment, Entertainment Plus, Sport Starter deals or just the BT Sport app, your bill will be going up by £1 a month.
BT confirmed their telephone and broadband services will not be facing price hikes.
So what exactly can be done about the increases if you are a BT customer?
Here we reveal what you can do.
Check when BT notified you
BT began notifying customers about the price changes shortly after the announcement and depending on how long ago you received this notice, you might be able to cancel your TV or Sport package.
You will be able to remove your subscription if it's been less than 30 days since you received the message from BT.
The price change announcement was made on June 18, so it's best to check your letters and emails to see if you are still within the timeframe.
It's worth noting that you will not be able to cancel your telephone or broadband services if you are still tied into the terms of your contract.
Of course if it is outside your contract period, you will be able to cancel whichever services you please.
The BT customer service line can be reached on: 0800 800150.
It’s always worth haggling
While no means a guaranteed way to get a cheaper deal, it doesn’t hurt to give BT a call to try and haggle down the price.
Their cancellation telephone number is: 0800 783 1401.
It is worth expressing your outrage over the price increases and telling them you want to switch to another provider.
If you find a better deal, make sure to tell them about it and the price you are happy to pay.
Price comparison websites such as or will allow you to see what other deals are around in your area.
In most cases you simply just need to pop your postcode into the website search and it will come up with the cheapest deals.
Guy Anker, deputy editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said the success rate for haggling can be surprisingly high.
He told Sun Money: “In our most recent haggling poll, 73 per cent of BT customers who tried to haggle told us they were successful in negotiating a better deal, showing what's possible.”
Why switch?
Ernest Doku, tech expert at uSwitch.com, told us price rise announcements are often a good moment for customers to assess whether they are really getting value for money for their service.
If you are out of contract especially, it could be worth shopping around.
He said: “BT’s legion of customers will be hit hard by these rises, with just a few pounds a month very quickly adding up and potentially proving costly in the long run.
“BT has to be wary of any complacency when it comes to its users’ loyalty.
“So if you have had enough of the price hikes, and are out of contract, it could be worth shopping around – especially if you are a casual fan and don’t want to have access to all the games.
“NowTV offer a range of daily, weekly and monthly passes which may better suit the less ardent of fans.”
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Here's how customers reacted when BT first announced the price increase.
It was a similar story for Virgin Media subscribers when the telecoms giant also revealed bill hikes.
But the news was looking better for Vodafone customers earlier this month when the phone provider turned on its UK 5G network.
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