Sky customers are facing an average 8.1% rise in their broadband and TV bills. But the company has warned that some subscribers could be hit with a bigger increase, depending on the package they have.
The telecoms giant says the increase of 8.1% will add £5.60 to the average monthly bill - or £67.20 extra over 12 months. It plans to notify customers of their rises from next Thursday, February 16, and the changes will come into effect from April, the Mirror reports.
Customers who are on a Sky social tariff - cheaper rates for households on benefits - won't be affected by the increases. And there will be no rises for Sky Glass and Stream customers while their existing contract is still in place.
A Sky spokesman said: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We have tried to minimise the impact to customers with an average price increase across all our broadband and TV customers of 8.1%, which is below levels of inflation again this year.
The spokesman pointed out that Sky's rivals had also put up prices, and by a higher percentage. They said: “Competitors’ average increase over the last two years has been nearly double Sky’s average increase over the same period.”
If you are not happy with the price rises and you are outside your contract, you will be able to leave Sky without paying an exit fee. Sky broadband and home phone customers who are in contract can also leave penalty-free within 30 days of being informed of their rise.
Those tied into a Sky TV contract will not be able to leave without an exit fee - but they could still try haggling for a better deal.
The latest increases come after Sky announced it would increase prices for its out-of-contract mobile phone customers this month.
The company is the latest TV and broadband provider to confirm price rises for this spring - with other providers including BT and EE increasing costs by up to 14.4%. Telecom companies are allowed to increase prices mid-contract in line with inflation, plus roughly 4% extra on top of this.
The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation for December or Retail Price Index (RPI) are normally used to decide these price rises. CPI inflation was 10.5 per cent, and some companies will increase bills by this amount, plus an additional 3.9 percentage points on top.
You can see a full list of broadband and phone price rises here. Some tips for minimising your extra costs include:
- If you're out of contract, you're free to leave and go elsewhere - or maybe you want to haggle down your current provider.
- There is also no harm in trying to haggle if you're still in contract.
- The first thing you should do, is compare prices elsewhere to see what other deals are available.
- You'll normally find SIM-only plans are the cheapest for your mobile.
- You can compare prices by using comparison websites such as MoneySupermarket and Uswitch.
- Take a look at how many minutes, texts and how much data you currently use, so you can find similar plans that suit your needs.
- You may find you're actually paying too much right now for allowances that you're not using.
- When haggling, explain the better deals you've seen elsewhere then ask if the company can match or beat that price.
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