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Are you tired of seeing your broadband bill go up year after year? You’re not alone.
Millions of customers across the UK are being hit with unfair price hikes, often mid-contract, making it harder to budget and forcing many to overpay for a service that should be affordable and reliable.
Broadband Genie has had enough.
We think a contract should work both ways! That’s why we’re championing the move to get mid-contract price hikes for telecoms banned for good.
The broadband price hike problem
Broadband providers have a habit of increasing prices, sometimes by as much as 14% in a single year! And if you’re locked into a contract, you’re regularly powerless to do anything about it. These mid-contract rises are buried in the fine print, with no easy way out, leaving many customers feeling trapped and frustrated.
The rising cost of living is already stretching household budgets, broadband should not be yet another essential service where consumers are taken advantage of.
A stable and affordable internet connection is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for work, school, and staying connected with loved ones. And for pensioners and low-income families, these hikes make staying connected even harder. No one should have to choose between broadband and other essentials.
Didn’t Ofcom already ban mid-contract price rises?
No. Don't be fooled into thinking price rises aren't going to happen. The messaging from the communications regulator was confusing, but all Ofcom in fact banned was mid-contract price rises linked to inflation.
Providers are still within their rights to apply broadband price hikes, as long as they’re upfront about increases and display price changes in pounds and pence.
Some providers are now waiving this spring's price rise for customers who sign up this year, so now is a great time to switch and avoid one price hike during your contract. Add your postcode in to our deals checker and check our table results to find these offers.
But remember, you may still receive a price rise next March or April. Make sure you're clued-up on the small print before you sign a contract.
Did banning mid-contract price rises based on inflation help?
We firmly believe it did not. In fact, we think it made matters worse for the customer. In some cases, it’s now leaving many poorer than when inflation-based price hikes were applied. Particularly for those on cheaper monthly deals, where the proportional percentage increase has ended up being much higher.
Let’s do the maths…
- On a 18-month contract, Virgin Media's £3.50 price rise, will mean that towards the end of an agreement period, customers will be paying 15% more on its cheapest packages.
- Similarly, Vodafone's cheapest and most popular package costs around £25 per month. So its £3 annual price rise represents a staggering increase of almost 12% before the end of the contract.
Fixed price rise cost vs inflation-linked price rises
Below is a table showing providers by their average deal monthly cost and their fixed price rise for 2025.
On average, fixed cost price rises will cost 10% on top of your existing bill, far beyond the rate of inflation-linked price rises (usually 6.4%). Customers receiving a fixed cost price rise can expect to pay 55% more than bill payers on an inflation-linked price hike.
| Provider | Average cost | Fixed price rise | Price rise (% of cost) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Utility | £26.33 | £3 | 12.1% |
| Virgin Media | £30.79 | £3.50 | 11.6% |
| Vodafone | £29.20 | £3 | 10.5% |
| Fibrely | £29.79 | £3 | 10.4% |
| Plusnet | £29.99 | £3 | 10.2% |
| Onestream | £29.03 | £2.75 | 9.8% |
| BT | £33.13 | £3 | 9.4% |
| Origin | £35.20 | £3 | 8.9% |
| Three | £24.50 | £2 | 8.3% |
| EE | £37.49 | £3 | 8.3% |
| TalkTalk | £37.32 | £3 | 8.3% |
We asked the most popular UK broadband providers why they have chosen to increase customer bills beyond inflation. Here's what they said to us.
Vodafone
“From 2 July 2024, Vodafone introduced a clear, fixed-rate price adjustment — no longer linked to inflation — to give customers greater certainty and transparency over their bills, in line with Ofcom’s requirements.
"Vodafone continues to offer strong value, with average bills lower than many competitors and some of the UK’s most affordable social tariffs. Customers on Vodafone Essentials, VOXI For Now, and those registered as financially vulnerable are exempt from any price increases.”
BT, EE, TalkTalk and Virgin Media
Declined to comment.
Why do providers keep raising prices?
Broadband companies often justify their price hikes by pointing to inflation, increased operational costs, heightened business pressures and network improvements, as seen in this update from Devesh Raj, the chief operating officer of Sky.
Here's what we say on the matter:
“It is sadly unsurprising that some broadband providers have seemingly used this legislation to rake in extra profits. Ultimately, the spotlight is on Ofcom.
What we are seeing comes as a direct result of crude regulation that has clearly been ill-thought-out and the implications of it not given enough consideration.
As ever, we believe the only solution is for Ofcom to finally abolish price rises entirely, once and for all. It’s possible for some providers to offer fixed prices, why can’t the ones with the biggest profit margins follow suit?”
- Pete Ames, Head of Marketing at Broadband Genie.
What can you do about price rises?
The good news is, you don’t have to take these price rises lying down. Here’s how you can fight back:
- Check your contract: if your provider has raised prices mid-contract, you may have the right to cancel without penalty.
- Switch to a better deal: compare broadband providers to find a cheaper and more reliable option. Many providers offer discounts to new customers.
- Negotiate with your provider: call them up and ask for a better deal. Many customers find that simply threatening to leave can unlock significant savings.
- Support regulation changes: the UK’s telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is looking into ways to make broadband pricing fairer. Have your say and support efforts to ban unfair mid-contract price rises.
Find more tips and suggestions in our dedicated guide to mid-contract price increases.
Join the fight against unfair broadband price hikes!
We believe broadband customers deserve better.
- No more hidden price increases
- No more unfair contract terms
- No more paying more for the same service
- No more mid-contract price hikes
Make your voice heard, download our template letter (click 'File>Download' to save and add your own details) and send it to:
Ofcom
PO Box 1285
Warrington
WA1 9GL
or email [email protected].
Let’s make even more noise!
Staying connected should NOT come as a premium.
#StopBroadbandPriceHikes