£1 billion double whammy hitting out-of-contract broadband customers – Uswitch data
Seven million broadband customers are suffering a double sting this spring — overpaying because they are out of contract and also facing inflation-busting price rises[1], according to Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Out-of-contract households overpay by £162 compared to those with a broadband deal on average, making a total overpayment of £1 billion[2]. And while there has been a lot of coverage of mid-contract price rises for telecoms customers, many out-of-contract customers will not realise that they too are facing yearly increases.
Annual price rises for out-of-contract broadband customers vary between 5.4% and 9.3%, and depend on when the original deal was taken out and which provider they are with. This means that many consumers will be in the dark about how much extra they will have to pay.
By switching to a new deal, households could currently save significant amounts on their broadband, with the cheapest deal currently available being Vodafone Superfast at £19 a month[4].
Table: Ten best broadband deals
| Provider | Product Description | Monthly Cost | Upfront Cost | Voucher Value | Contract Length |
| Vodafone | Vodafone Superfast 2 | £19 | £0 | £0 | 24 months |
| Virgin Media | Virgin Media M100 Ultrafast Fibre broadband only | £24 | £0 | £0 | 18 months |
| BT | BT Fibre 2 Broadband | £32.99 | £0 | £120 | 24 months |
| Virgin Media | Virgin Media M200 Ultrafast Fibre broadband only | £28 | £0 | £0 | 18 months |
| Sky | Sky Superfast Broadband & Talk | £26 | £0 | £100 | 18 months |
| TalkTalk | TalkTalk Unlimited Fibre 65 and Phone Line | £23.50 | £0 | £50 | 18 months |
| Plusnet | Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra & Phone Line | £24.99 | £0 | £70 | 18 months |
| NOW Broadband | NOW Broadband: Super Fibre & Anytime Calls | £20 | £5 | £0 | 12 months |
| Vodafone | Vodafone Pro Ultrafast 500 | £32 | £0 | £150 | 24 months |
| Cuckoo | Cuckoo Fast Broadband | £29.99 | £0 | £0 | 1 month rolling |
Source: Uswitch.com, data correct as at 3pm 09/03/2022
Uswitch.com is urging bill payers to check if they are out of contract and do a quick online comparison to see the cheaper deals that could help beat inflation.
Adelana Carty, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “There has been plenty of coverage of mid-contract price rises this year, but broadband customers who are out of contract may not realise that their deal will be increasing too.
“These customers face a double whammy of extra costs, as they are both paying over the odds due to being out of contract and seeing their bills increase by up to 9.3% as well.
“If you are out of contract with your broadband supplier, there has never been a better time to save yourself money. Do a comparison today and see what deals are available.”
Find out more about how to save money on your broadband bill here.
