Broadband prices are increasing in April… here’s what you can do
Broadband price rises are on the horizon, but there are ways to keep your monthly bills down
Life has become a lot more expensive over the course of this decade.
New and used car prices are up 25 per cent since the start of 2020, food prices have risen by almost 40 per cent and electricity prices are almost 60 per cent higher.
These are sobering figures for the millions of people experiencing stagnant or falling income, with even ‘inflationary’ wage increases failing to keep pace with soaring price rises.
That’s before we consider the impact of taxation, where a combination of fiscal drag and increasing levies is making many small businesses economically unviable.
All of this filters through to household spending, and even a modest price increase from a service provider may be unaffordable.
As such, next month’s broadband price rises are arriving at a particularly poor time…
The price is right up
Every March (or more commonly April), ISPs are entitled to increase their fees.
Since the start of 2025, industry regulator Ofcom has insisted that these increases are clearly denoted at the start of any fixed-term broadband contract, as we’ve previously reported.
Mid-contract price rises must also be in specific sums – pounds and pence – instead of the opaque percentage increases which were levied in previous years.
Nonetheless, transparency doesn’t change the fact that many of the UK’s biggest ISPs are going to increase monthly broadband costs by £4 as of April 2026.
They include Virgin Media, BT, EE and TalkTalk.
If you live in a mansion and have to decide which car to take to the golf club each morning, a £4 rise is a mere trifle.
On the other hand, if you currently have more household members than items in your fridge, a £4 monthly increase probably can’t be funded from spare disposable income.
Almost a quarter of respondents in a recent Opinium survey said a £4 monthly mid-contract price rise for broadband would be financially unmanageable, even if it was well publicised.
It’s also worth considering these increases in percentage terms.
A £4 rise slapped onto a £40 broadband package represents a ten per cent price hike, at a time when the UK’s Consumer Price Index stands at just 3.2 per cent.
Indeed, it’s been reported that some broadband customers will face increases of over 13 per cent on their monthly bills from April onwards.
Combating broadband price rises
While this is a dispiriting situation, consumers can exercise some control.
If you’re not tied into an existing fixed-term broadband contract, changing ISPs has never been easier, thanks to the introduction of one-touch switching services.
It’s also worth noting annual price rises are discretionary, and some smaller ISPs are choosing not to levy these extra charges.
There are local and regional fibre broadband providers who haven’t imposed a single price increase on existing customers in the last five years.
If you’re out of contract and concerned about locking into an ISP contract which could impose future cost hikes, a number of 12-month contracts are currently being advertised on BroadbandDeals.co.uk.
Other ways to negotiate a lower broadband ball include asking your ISP if they can waive the proposed increase, either as an act of goodwill or by reducing your service provision.
Accepting a slower maximum internet connection or returning unused SIM cards (often supplied as part of a triple-play or quad-play contract).
After all, you don’t necessarily need a 500Mbps symmetrical broadband connection if you mostly use home internet to send emails and browse social media.
Finally, it’s important to remember ISPs are having to upgrade older networks to full fibre, and achievable line speeds are routinely increasing as a result of infrastructure investments.
Price rises aren’t always imposed in the interests of shareholders rather than customers, though this is scant consolation if your household finances are already stretched to breaking point.
