Bad news BT fans – your broadband packages are about to see a price hike starting on January 7, 2018.
BT tends to bring in a price bump for its broadband and telephone services every 12 months or so, but its last price hike was in April, so the telecoms firm seems to be getting its increases in earlier next year.
By ramping up some of its broadband prices, customers could end up paying an extra £30 a year, while those with BT Sport will see an extra £36 added to their yearly bill.
The price increases range from £2 extra a month for standard broadband to £3 more a month for BT Sport through the Sky TV service. Customers with BT Sport delivered through BT TV will not face any price increases.
Costs of landline calls will also go up in the new year; for example, the unlimited anytime package rising from £8.99 to £9.50 a month, and calls will increase from 12p per minute to 13p.
BT is allowing customers that become disgruntled with the price increases to leave their contacts penalty-free, meaning they have scope to seek out cheaper broadband and call deals without being stuck at BT’s mercy. However, if customers have paid upfront for a year and wish to leave BT then they can wave that money goodbye as BT won’t be offering any refunds.
BT claimed the price hikes will give it the scope to improve the delivery of its services.
“We know that no one likes price changes, but this allows us to upgrade our services and give you more. Every customer will see improvements to their products and services alongside these changes,” the telecoms company said.
Time will tell if BT does improve its services in any meaningful ways, but for people looking to switch broadband packages, BT may have just got a lot less appealing.
Related: BT Smart Hub review
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
