BT price increases 2024: Details and how to avoid them

Dan Howdle | February 2nd, 2024

Yearly price rises are something you can expect from almost any telecoms provider, whether that be for mobile, broadband or TV. This year is unlikely to be as bad as the 15%-ish rises we saw in 2023 thanks to a reduction in he rate of inflation. However, rises are coming, BT included.

This year, as usual, BT's price rises will come into effect on 1 April, and will affect its pricing across the board. Although providers like BT will state by how much their prices are rising, it can be quite difficult to pin down exactly what is going up and what is not, since providers do not simply levy this percentage across the range, preferring instead to hike the price of some packages and not others. Let's take a look at exactly what to expect this year.

BT's 2024 price rises: The full skinny

BT's price rises will hit both current BT customer and the price of packages for new customers on April 1 of this year. And like the price rises announced by other major providers in 2024, it ain't pretty, with BT announcing an average increase of 7.9% across its broadband and TV product range.

Virgin Media and Sky are yet to announce their annual price rise percentages, while TalkTalk has announced a slightly lower rise of 7.9%.

If you're a BT broadband or TV (or both) customer though, you can't just whip the calculator out and add 7.9% to calculate what you'll be paying after the price rises come into effect. Some packages are going up by a lot more than 7.9%, while others aren't going up at all. 7.9% just is the average across the price range. Nevertheless, it's useful to see how that 7.9% would affect typical packages from BT, even if these rises aren't literally about to be applied in this way.

BT price rise examples

BT price rises: Who is affected?

When it comes to BT's price increases, it's important to understand the potential impact on different customers and packages. While the changes will eventually affect everyone, the focus of price rises typically revolves around the packages and products that enjoy widespread popularity. You're more likely to see noticeable price hikes on BT's more popular stuff, such as Superfast Fibre 2 or the standard TV and broadband bundle. In contrast, their premium flagship bundles, which BT ideally wants every customer to have, may experience less dramatic price adjustments.

Though not guaranteed, it's highly probable that your specific services will be subject to price increases.

Existing BT customers

If you're an existing BT customer, you would have already received notification regarding any price adjustments to your services. Depending on whether you're currently within or outside of your contract period, the options available to you may vary. We'll discuss these in the subsequent section.

New customers planning to join BT

Determining price changes for BT packages aimed at new customers can be complex, even for broadband comparison platforms like Cable.co.uk. BT has a penchant for running extended sale-price offers, periodic flash sales, and cashback incentives specifically tailored to new customers. These incentives are most often reward cards, either pre-paid Mastercards you can spend anywhere, or a coucher card for a specific retailer such as Tesco or M&S.

Reasons behind the 2024 broadband and TV price increases

It's no secret that inflation rates in the UK and globally have soared, impacting the cost of various goods and services, including broadband and TV. Understanding the factors behind the current high inflation in the UK provides insight into why prices are on the rise. It should be noted though, that prices are rising considerably less than they did in 2023.

One contributing factor to the high inflation is the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains. This disruption has resulted in shortages of certain goods, leading to price increases. Additionally, as economies reopened, there has been a surge in demand for goods and services, putting further upward pressure on prices.

These overall inflationary pressures have influenced the price of broadband and TV packages. Broadband and TV providers have faced higher costs for essential components and equipment, like routers and cables, used in delivering their services. As a result, providers pass on these increased costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Furthermore, the high inflation rate has created upward wage pressure, prompting providers to potentially offer higher wages to attract and retain staff, which can further impact the cost of providing broadband services and potentially lead to higher prices for customers.

To gain a clearer perspective on how inflation has specifically affected the price of broadband packages, examining the past five years of price increases compared to inflation reveals a striking contrast. This year's price rise, in particular, stands out as astonishingly high when compared to previous years' increases.

Let's take a look at the average price rise of BT packages over the past several years to see how this year's compare:

Source: ONS/BT

How to avoid BT price rises

If you're simply not down with these price rises being levied, there are a number of things you can do about it. Sitting on your hands and waiting for your provider to improve its offering however, simply isn't going to work. All of these methods require action on your part.

Cancelling or switching away to another provider

If you're out of your contract you can switch to another provider, if you can find another that can match what you already have. You just have to not mind rendering your existing bits and pieces useless – your router and so on. There are always better deals out there than the one you have and BT is notorious for not throwing better offers at you when you determine its time to leave. More on that next.

Haggling with BT

Good. Bloomin'. Luck. BT is notorious for not budging when you call them for a better deal. If you're with BT it's usually better just to switch. Never say never, though. And you may be able to make some headway if you're out of contract and agree to renew.

Renewing your contract

If you're outside of your minimum contract term and are thinking of switching, call BT and see what they can offer you for signing up for another two years. You may get some traction.

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BT price rises compared to other providers

BT's 7.9% (on average) price rise due 1 April 2024 remains significant. But it would be useful to put it in the context of how it compares to the other major providers. So that's exactly what we've done.