Millions of BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Vodafone customers to be hit with price hikes of up to 9.3% – here’s what you can do about it

These changes affect most broadband, home phone, mobile and TV customers, though the exact impact varies depending on which brand you come under, what product you have, and when you signed up. The BT Group, which all three brands come under, says the average increase is £3.50 a month (or £42 a year). Last year, BT and EE upped prices by a smaller 4.5%, while it was a 4.6% hike for Plusnet users.

Here’s what’s happening:

– BT broadband customers who signed up between before 1 September 2020 and are in contract after March 2022: These prices with rise with CPI inflation only published each January.

– ‘BT Home Essentials’ customers – these prices won’t rise. This package is for those receiving benefits such as Universal Credit, pension credit, jobseeker’s allowance and income support.

– ‘BT Basic’ or ‘Home Phone Saver’ users – these prices won’t rise. BT Basic is for those receiving benefits such as Universal Credit, pension credit, jobseeker’s allowance, income support and employment support allowance, while Home Saver is a landline-only package.

– BT Sport Monthly Pass and Channel Only (BT Sport on Sky without Broadband): your prices won’t increase.

• Signed up to your current deal with BT between 11 January 2019 and 31 August 2020? Most face a 5.4% rise from 31 March 2022. That’s because these terms and conditions only allow for an annual increase pegged to the previous December’s CPI as announced in January. An exception to this is those who took out a SIMO or Family SIM between 17 January 2020 and 31 August 2020, who will see their price increase by just CPI published in January each year.

• Signed up to your current Plusnet deal on or from 7 October 2020? You’ll face a hike of 9.3% from 31 March 2022. That’s because the firm uses a calculation of CPI + 3.9 percentage points to determine hikes.
• Signed up to your current Plusnet deal before 7 October 2020? Some will see hikes of 9.3% from 31 March. If you signed up to a fixed price contract and are still within your minimum term, you won’t see prices rise, apart from call rates, until your minimum contract period ends. Then, prices will rise in March each year using December’s CPI as announced in January + 3.9 percentage points. If you’re out of contract, you will also face the price hikes.