A MAJOR mobile firm is hiking bills for up to one million customers within weeks.
Sky Mobile is increasing both pay monthly and SIM-only contract prices on February 14.
All customers who are out of contract will see their monthly bill rise by a fixed amount of £1.50 a month, translating to an annual increase of £18.
According to the latest data from Ofcom, 37% of all pay monthly mobile customers are out of contract.
Given that Sky Mobile has approximately three million customers, it is estimated that up to one million customers could see their bills increase.
However, customers who are still within their contract term will not experience any change in their bills.
You can check your contract status by asking your provider – over the phone or livechat – or by logging into your account online.
Sky usually sends a reminder 10 to 40 days before your contract ends, and then an annual reminder once you’re out of contract.
However, customers can also text “INFO” and their date of birth to 85075 to find out if you owe anything for the remainder of your plan.
If you don’t, it can be assumed that you are out of contract.
A Sky Mobile spokesperson said: “We always aim to provide an outstanding service alongside some of the best value plans on the market.
“To ensure we can continue to invest in our services and deliver a great experience, the majority of our out of contract customers will see their monthly bill increase by £1.50 in February.”
OTHER CHARGES RISING
Sky Mobile is also hiking a several selected fees and charges from February 14, The Sun can reveal.
The cost of calls to the EU and EEA is increasing by 4p to 25p per minute.
Calls to the rest of the world will also be increasing from £2.50 per minute to £3.50.
The cost of sending text messages to the rest of the world will rise from 75p to 95p.
Calls to chargeable service numbers (starting 084, 087, 09 and 118) come with an access charge set by Sky.
This will increase from 75p to 95p in February.
The cost of sending picture messages to UK phone numbers will also rise from 80p to 95p.
Finally, if you have the International Saver Plan, the plan will increase from £3 to £4 per month effective from February 14.
Most other mobile networks implement their mid-contract price increases around April 1, making Sky Mobile an exception.
Sky Mobile has traditionally issued its price hikes in fixed amounts of pounds and pence, unlike other networks that tie their increases to inflation.
However, as of January 17, all telecom firms are required by the regulator Ofcom to display mid-contract price increases in pounds and pence.
Under the new rules, the maximum permissible price rises will be capped at between £1 and £3 per month.
INFLATION-LINKED PRICE HIKES
TELECOM firms have come under fire for above-inflation mid-contract price rises on fixed contracts for the past four years.
Due to clauses in contracts, providers can impose annual rises, usually in April.
The hikes are tied to either the Consumer Price Index or Retail Price Index inflation rate, which has soared during the cost-of-living crisis.
It means millions of customers faced hikes of up to 8.8% this year — adding as much as £50 to bills.
Firms argue that they need to be able to increase prices to keep up with rising costs.
But consumer experts argue that a fixed contract should live up to its name — and stay fixed.
OTHER FIRMS HIKES
BT, which also owns EE and Plusnet, said in April that it would no longer raise prices mid-contract based on a percentage linked to inflation.
All BT and EE customers who took out a new contract after April 10, 2024, are affected.
From March 2025, the price of mobile contracts will rise by £1.50 a month and broadband tariffs by £3 a month.
EE TV customers will have to pay an extra £2 a month.
The provider has said those vulnerable customers on EE Basics or BT Home Essentials contracts will be exempt from any price rises.
Plusnet will also increase its broadband price by £3 per month from the end of March.
Vodafone mobile phone customers will see their bills rise by £1.80 a month while Home Broadband customers will see prices hiked by £3.
Vodafone has said that price increases will not be applied to customers identified as financially vulnerable or those on social tariffs.
Since August 12, 2024, customers joining or re-contracting with TalkTalk will see the monthly amount they pay for their broadband increase by £3 annually in April.
Three has said new and upgrading Three customers will see their annual price rise determined by pound and pence from April.
Broadband increases are capped at £2 and mobile rises between £1 and £1.50 depending on the data allowance.
Tesco Mobile said someone on a £14.99 a month a deal would see their monthly contract price increase by 90p in April.
Customers on a £30 a month deal will see their basic monthly price increase by £1.80.
These increases suggest that the typical cost of a customer’s contract will rise 6% from April 2025.
CUT YOUR TELECOM COSTS
SWITCHING contracts is one of the single best ways to save money on your mobile, broadband and TV bills.
But if you can’t switch mid-contract without facing a penalty, you’d be best to hold off until it’s up for renewal.
But don’t just switch contracts because the price is cheaper than what you’re currently paying.
Take a look at your minutes and texts, as well as your data usage, to find out which deal is best for you.
For example, if you’re a heavy internet user, it’s worth finding a deal that accommodates this so you don’t have to spend extra on bundles or add-ons each month.
In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available.
It’s a known fact that new customers always get the best deals.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, allowances and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
However, if you don’t want to switch and are happy with the service you’re getting under your current provider – haggle for a better deal.
You can still make significant savings by renewing your contract rather than rolling on to the tariff you’re given after your deal.
If you need to speak to a company on the phone, be sure to catch them at the right time.
Make some time to negotiate with your provider in the morning.
This way, you have a better chance of being the first customer through on the phone, and the rep won’t have worked tirelessly through previous calls which may have affected their stress levels.
It pays to be polite when getting through to someone on the phone, as representatives are less inclined to help rude or aggressive customers.
Knowing what other offers are on the market can help you to make a case for yourself to your provider.
If your provider won’t haggle, you can always threaten to leave.
Companies don’t want to lose customers and may come up with a last-minute offer to keep you.
It’s also worth investigating social tariffs. These deals have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits.
