An expert has shared a "secret" for benefit claimants to cut money off their broadband bills.
Some reports are saying broadband hikes will rise by up to £113 next year based on today's inflation rates of 10.1%. For many this is unaffordable but in today's modern world, broadband is a necessity rather than a luxury meaning that people feel that they need to pay the ever growing bills.
But before rushing off to cancel your internet subscription, you should first have a word with your provider as you may be entitled to a bit of a discount. Financial Times consumer editor, Claer Barrett, appeared on ITV's Lorraine to tell Ranvir Singh all about the "secret" that millions of benefit claimants won't be aware they are entitled to.
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She said: "But what a lot of people don't know, what millions of people don't know is that if you're on benefits like Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you can qualify for what's called a 'social tariff' from your broadband provider. It's a terrible name but it basically means you get a discounted rate because you're on a low income.
"It could be as low as 10, 15, 20 pounds a month." Ranvir added: "That's quite a lot though." The expert said: "Yeah, so you could save hundreds of pounds a year.
She advised that Ofcom's homepage has a really good table for all of the providers with their rates and charges. She added: "Even if you just phone up your provider and say I'm in receipt of Universal Credit or another benefit and just see what they could do. They're not supposed to charge you exit fees for moving to a new tariff and that could save you money today."
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