BT and Virgin won’t match broadband price promise – time to switch?

Most of these increases will hit bills in the spring and it really couldn’t come at a worse time for consumers who are already facing massive increases in energy and food bills.

If the thought of paying even more for access to the web has made you angry then it’s worth shopping around as there are some suppliers who promise never to add extra money to bills during the term of the contract.

For example, Zen Internet says its “Price Promise” means there are no price rises for the life of the initial contract. That means if you sign up for the firm’s basic £30 per month speeds you’ll know that price will stay the same for the next 18 months.

Another firm that says NO to price hikes is Hyperoptic. This full fibre company, which supplies the web to limited areas across the UK, currently has 50Mbps speeds for £20 or faster 150Mbps for £25 per month. Once you join, those prices will stay the same for a full two years.

“We don’t raise prices during commitment periods,” Hyperoptic confirmed on its website.

READ MORE: BT, Sky and Virgin Media RATED! Is your broadband the worst in the UK?

If you happen to live in London, another firm worth considering is Community Fibre. Not only does this ISP promise to keep prices the same during the term of the contract but it also says that things will only increase by a maximum of £2 once the initial deal comes to an end.

Community Fibre is currently offering superfast 300Mbps for £25 per month or 900Mbps downloads for just £27. At that rapid rate, a full HD movie would take just 30 seconds to download.

If you can’t switch your deal or are limited by who is in your street then it’s still worth calling your current ISP as getting your price down now will mean a smaller increase when the rise kicks in.

CONFIRMED BROADBAND & TV RISES

BT • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

EE • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

Plusnet • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

Vodafone • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

TalkTalk • 10.5% CPI + 3.7% = 14.2%

Shell Energy • 10.5% CPI + 3% = 13.5%

Virgin Media • Average 13.8%

Speaking about its upcoming changes, Nick Lane, MD Customer Services, BT Consumer said: “For those customers who will be affected by the price change it’s important to put our price change in context. Telecommunications as a sector provides incredible value for money when you think that our customers are using as much as 50 per cent more data every single year. In fact, customers in the UK are some of the highest data users in Europe. At the same time, the cost of their combined fixed and mobile services are among the lowest in the region.”

And a Virgin Media spokesperson added: “We know that price rises are never welcome, particularly right now, but like many other businesses we are experiencing significantly increased costs while investing to keep pace with growing demand, as broadband usage rose more than 10% last year and speeds increased by 40%. We’re committed to supporting customers in this tough climate and are freezing prices for vulnerable customers including those taking our social broadband tariffs.”