Virgin Media has revealed that millions of its loyal users will have to pay more for their internet access - with price hikes on broadband and TV making their way to billpayers over the coming months.
While some customers will see broadband and TV bills going up by an average of 13.8 per cent as of April 1, others will be faced by record-breaking rises in May.
The news follows on from an announcement from competitor BT last week, who announced that they would be rising their prices by more than 14 per cent as of March.
Read more: Virgin Media gives advice to internet users to give them faster internet speeds for free
The Daily Express reports that Virgin says it will start telling customers how much extra they will pay and when to expect their bills to rise in the coming weeks but with budgets already stretched, due the cost of living crisis, this news can't come at a worse time for millions of homes.
There are some users who won't be affected by the hike with Virgin confirming that the most vulnerable users will not see their prices change in 2023. This includes those on our Essential Broadband packages (for people receiving Universal Credit), as well as Talk Protected landline customers.
The upcoming rise isn't the only change that Virgin is making to its broadband plans with the company also confirming that it is switching its terms from next year. Virgin currently decides its own price rises but from 2024 it will follow firms such as BT by linking the cost increases to the current Retail Price Index.
That could be good news if the RPI drops over the next 12 months but if it stays the same or rises then users can expect even bigger bills to pay. Speaking on the revelation, a Virgin Media spokesperson said: “We know that price rises are never welcome, particularly right now, but like many other businesses we are experiencing significantly increased costs while investing to keep pace with growing demand, as broadband usage rose more than 10 per cent last year and speeds increased by 40 per cent.
"We’re committed to supporting customers in this tough climate and are freezing prices for vulnerable customers including those taking our social broadband tariffs."
Here's how Virgin bills could be affected:
Price now - £20 • From March 31 £22.76
Price now - £30 • From March 31 £34.14
Price now - £40 • From March 31 £45.52
Price now - £50 • From March 31 £56.90
Price now - £20 • From March 31 £68.28
Of course, BT and Virgin are not the only Internet Service Providers who are hiking prices with many of the biggest firms ramping up the cost of the bills. EE, Vodafone, Plusnet and TalkTalk have all revealed their increases with Sky now the only main ISP not to confirm how much extra it will soon charge.
Confirmed broadband rises:
BT 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%
EE 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%
Plusnet 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%
Vodafone 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%
TalkTalk 10.5% CPI + 3.7% = 14.2%
Shell Energy 10.5% CPI + 3% = 13.5%
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