Mid Contract Price Rises

Most broadband and mobile phone providers in the UK increase their prices around the time of the new financial year, which means in March or April customers see a rise in monthly payments. But who’s putting their prices up and by how much? Keep reading and we’ll talk you through what price rises are happening and what you can do about it.

What can I do when my broadband price increases?

If the mid-contract price hike has come as an unwelcome surprise, you might be wondering if you can cancel your broadband and look for a cheaper deal elsewhere. It depends on the provider and whether or not you’re still in contract.

If the minimum term of your contract is up, you’re free to shop around for a new deal. But if you’re still within that fixed period, you probably can’t switch to a different provider without paying a penalty.

When you’re comparing broadband deals, make sure you check how much your contract will go up by. Thanks to a ruling from Ofcom in September 2024, all broadband and mobile providers must let you know what price increases will happen across the length of your contract before you sign up.

This information will be in the terms and conditions of the contract, too. This makes it really easy to know what you’re signing up for. But since you’re made aware when you sign up, your provider won’t accept price rises as a reason to exit your contract early without paying a fee.

It’s worth noting that not all broadband and mobile phone providers put their prices up mid-contract. Altnets, like Community Fibre, Cuckoo and Hyperoptic are offering deals that don’t come with price rises. And some SIM only networks, like SMARTY, Lebara and iD Mobile are also offering contracts that won’t go up in April.

BT broadband price increase

BT’s price increase for broadband customers who are still in contract as of 31 March 2026 is £4 per month, according to BT’s website.

Meanwhile, BT SIM only plans are increasing by £2.50 a month and handset deals will be £4 extra a month. EE TV subscriptions are going up by £2 a month and landlines will be an extra £1 monthly.

Plusnet price increase

Plusnet’s price increase for broadband as of 31 March 2026 is £4 per month, according to the Plusnet website. This applies if you signed up or re-contracted after 5 August 2025. If you signed up between 11 July and 4 August 2025, you’ll see a £3 increase to your monthly bill.

Your increase will be in your contract with Plusnet, so you can’t leave before the end of your minimum term without paying an exit fee.

Virgin Media price increase

If you signed up to your Virgin Media broadband contract on or after 2 October 2025, your price increase from April 2026 is £3.50. If you signed up after that date, you’ll see a £4 monthly increase. The same applies to SIM only customers with Virgin Media O2. Or if before 9 January 2025, your price will be adjusted based on the UK government’s Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation plus 3.9%. You can find more information on Virgin Media’s website.

Because Virgin’s price rises are in the terms and conditions of customer contracts, you can’t cancel without paying a fee unless the minimum term of your contract is up.

Talk Talk price increase

TalkTalk is implementing a flat increase of £4 a month for its broadband customers who signed up after 16 November 2025, according to TalkTalk’s website.

If you joined between 12 August 2024 and 15 November 2025, your broadband bill will go up by £3 a month.

If your contract was signed before then, you’ll be on the older system where prices go up by the CPI plus 3.7%.

Sky broadband increase

Sky broadband is increasing by £3 a month from 1 April 2026, according to Sky’s website. Some of its TV products are going up by £1-£3 a month, while Sky Mobile customers will end up paying an extra £1.50 a month.

Should I get fixed price broadband?

Yes, getting a fixed price broadband deal that doesn’t come with any mid-contract price rises can make it easier to budget and you won’t see your bill shoot up in April. When you’re looking for broadband deals with us, you can filter to only see deals that don’t come with mid-contract price rises.

At the time of writing, we have 20 providers offering fixed price broadband without annual price increases:

• Airband
• BeFibre
• Brsk broadband
• Community Fibre
• Connect Fibre
• Fibrus
• 4th Utility
• Hey!Broadband
• Hyperoptic
• LightSpeed
• Rebel
• Rise Fibre
• Quickline
• Toob
• Trooli
• Truespeed
• YouFibre
• Zen Internet
• Zzoomm

See our fixed-term broadband deals for more details. Or alternatively, you can check out our 12 month broadband deals, which are less likely to come with price rises.

What’s the average cost of broadband in the UK?

The average starting cost of a broadband package bought through Go.Compare is £26.06 per month. Unsurprisingly, customers in the fastest speed category (450Mbps and over) pay the most for their broadband. The minority who still don’t have access to superfast broadband, with speeds of under 30 Mbps, pay the least.^[1]

Can I switch broadband mid contract?

Most broadband providers charge a fee if you want to leave before the fixed term of your contract is up. You have the right to leave your broadband contract, but they have the right to levy that penalty unless you can prove that your provider isn’t delivering the speeds or service you were promised when you signed up. To find out more, read our guide on how to complain to your broadband provider.

Switching is now a simple process thanks to the One Touch Switch system. You don’t have to contact your existing provider to cancel. They’ll find out from your new provider and then charge you whatever exit fees are due.

Some providers will offer to pay something towards your early exit fee if you switch to them. So it’s worth checking out what providers are offering before assuming it’ll cost too much to switch.

How to get cheaper broadband?

The best way to get cheaper broadband is to use a price comparison site like ours to compare deals. Put your postcode into our address checker to see what deals are available for your home. Then you can sort the results by price to find the cheapest plans.

• Move to a new provider: New customers often get exclusive deals that cost a lot less. Use a comparison site to find cheap deals in your area
• Haggle with your current provider: Do a quick search for cheap broadband deals available in your area and call your provider, armed with the prices you’ve found. Here are some tips for haggling with your provider.
• Reduce your speed: Our research suggests that a third of people are overpaying on their broadband by choosing faster speeds than they need. So unless you’re a competitive gamer, you might be able to reduce your broadband speeds without noticing a difference in service
• Don’t pay for extras: Make sure you don’t add on TV channels or a landline if you’re not planning to use them
• Switch to a social tariff: If you receive Universal Credit or other benefits, you might be eligible for a cheaper social tariff, which can get you broadband for as little as £15 a month
• Consider fixed-price broadband: Not all broadband deals have mid-contract price rises. You can use our filters to see plans that will keep your price the same for the duration of the contract

How to avoid broadband price increases

If you’re out of contract, now is the time to bag yourself a new deal. Don’t be put off by fears of messing up your broadband connection. Those days are gone, thanks to One Touch Switch. All you need to do is sign up for a deal you like the look of and your new provider will handle all the admin, which should mean minimal downtime.

If you’re still within the fixed term of your deal and the price increases were clearly communicated in your contract, you can’t switch without paying a penalty fee. This is usually more than you’d save by switching to a cheaper deal, but you can still check by comparing offers. Some providers offer to pay towards your early exit fee, so it’s well worth taking a look to see what’s out there.

Our guide to avoiding broadband price increases has more information.

FAQs

When do broadband prices usually increase?

Broadband price increases usually happen around the start of the new financial year on 6 April. So March and April are the most common months for providers to hike their prices. This year, most providers are implementing their price rises from either 31 March or 1 April.

Has Ofcom banned mid contract price rises?

No, Ofcom has not banned mid-contract price rises. Instead, it’s banned mid-contract price rises that are linked to inflation. Broadband and mobile providers now have to be upfront about how much they’ll put their prices up in pounds and pence before you sign up for your contract. So you’ll know how much you’re paying before you commit.

Providers now have to tell you about price changes in pounds and pence, not using percentages and not using any unknown metrics like inflation.

The rules apply to contracts from 17 January 2025. Most providers are still using the old method for contracts that started before that.

Can I negotiate prices with my broadband provider?

If you’re out of contract or coming to the end of your contract, it’s a great time to haggle with your broadband provider and see if you can get a better deal.

If you’re still within contract, you have much less leverage unless you can find a deal with a provider that’ll pay your early exit fee. If you can’t find one, check when your contract ends and start shopping around about a month beforehand.

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[1] Average headline cost of broadband-only packages sold through Go.Compare between 1 October 2025 and 22 March 2026.