{"id":42618,"date":"2025-07-28T13:24:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T12:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=42618"},"modified":"2025-07-28T19:02:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T18:02:26","slug":"broadband-isps-bt-ee-and-plusnet-to-raise-uk-mid-contract-price-hikes-to-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/07\/broadband-isps-bt-ee-and-plusnet-to-raise-uk-mid-contract-price-hikes-to-4.html","title":{"rendered":"BT, EE and Plusnet to Raise UK Mid Contract Price Hikes up to \u00a34 UPDATE"},"content":{"rendered":"

BT<\/a> (inc. Plusnet<\/a> and EE<\/a>) is expected to reveal a change to their existing mid-contract pricing policy, which means that new customers who sign-up for a broadband package on or after 31st July 2025 (5th August with Plusnet<\/a>) will be subject to a +\u00a34 price rise on 31st March 2026 and then +\u00a34 again on 31st March 2027 (up from the previous \u00a33 increase). Mobile plans will also increase, by different amounts.<\/p>\n

Just to recap. At the start of 2025 Ofcom<\/a> began requiring telecoms providers to adopt a new approach to mid-contract price hikes, which did away with the old percentage and inflation-based model \u2013 replacing it with one that must now set out such price rises \u201cclearly and up-front, in pounds and pence, when a customer signs up<\/em>\u201d (here<\/a>). This made annual price hikes clearer and more transparent, but not necessarily cheaper.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The Consumer Price Index (CPI) level of inflation started the year at 3% (Jan 2025), but has since crept up to 3.6% in June 2025. Some forecasts suggest it could peak at up to 3.8% this summer, before falling again.<\/div>\n

In response, many providers did as BT<\/a> has since done by setting out a new pricing policy that would increase the price that customers pay by \u00a33 extra per month from March or April each year (this will vary a bit for other providers). The first one hit this year and BT<\/a> (including Plusnet<\/a> and EE<\/a>) had been on course to apply the same level again from 31st March 2026 and onwards.<\/p>\n

However, ISPreview understands that BT and its associated ISPs are due to replace the +\u00a33 policy with a larger rise of +\u00a34, although this will only apply to new customers who sign-up on or after 31st July 2025 (we assume this will also include re-contracting customers after this date too). We’re currently attempting to get a comment from the operator, although the change is likely occurring to help balance the provider’s risk now that inflation has remained higher for longer than expected.<\/p>\n

The above comment reflects the fact that Ofcom<\/a>’s new approach naturally increases the risk for providers that previously adopted the CPI\/RPI + 3-4% model for annual hikes, especially those that offer longer contract terms. The provider now has to balance that greater risk through their pricing (i.e. static pricing is harder to set over a longer period of time than one set against a dynamic level of inflation, which may go up or down).<\/p>\n

A BT Consumer spokesperson told ISPreview:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We are very supportive of Ofcom<\/a>\u2019s requirement to show upfront pounds and pence charges. EE<\/a> was the first provider to introduce this pricing model, offering EE customers a predictable long-term view of their contract terms. Our pricing approach is designed to be clear for our customers.<\/p>\n

We continue to invest in our business, building on 11 years as the best network to better serve our customers with a reliable and quality connection as we roll out the fastest speed technology to 30m homes by the end of the decade. We\u2019re focused on providing value and customer satisfaction, making new technologies available to our customers such as 5G<\/a> standalone and WiFi<\/a> 7.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Historically, when BT leads on pricing policy changes, others tend to follow. Put another way, BT’s decision to tweak their mid-contract rises upwards by an extra \u00a31 per year is likely to be followed by other providers over the next few months.<\/p>\n

UPDATE 6:57pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

We’ve added a comment from BT above, and the provider has also confirmed the price increases for their other products.<\/p>\n