MORE than a million mobile customers will soon pay more as the provider has announced it’s hiking its prices.
The majority of Sky Mobile’s phone tariffs will soon increase, so you likely will see a rise.
1
From February 14, bills for Sky’s the average out-of-contract customer will see their monthly bill go up by 3%.
The majority of our data tariffs of 20GB and below are increasing by £1.
Tariffs of 25GB or above are increasing by £2, while some customers will see a £3 increase.
While this may seem small it means customers face an annual rise of between £12 and £36.
Around 71% of out of contract customers will be affected by the rise, according to Sky.
This equates to around 1.3million people seeing an increase of around 3% – 0.9 percentage points below the current rate of inflation of 3.9%.
Most mobile phone providers increase their prices slightly at the start of the year, although this is the second time in six years that Sky has raised the prices on any of its mobile plans.
Last year, the firm increased prices by an average of 9%.
The hike will come into effect from February 14 – this means that if you pay your phone bill on the 20th of every month, you’ll pay the extra amount from February 20.
Those still in contract will not be affected.
If you’re worried about the price rise don’t worry because there are moves you can make now to avoid paying more.
These increases only apply to out of contract customers, customers can make changes to their contract by contacting Sky’s customer care team and taking out a new one between now and February 14.
A Sky spokesperson said: “To continue investing in our network and to provide the best service for our customers, out of contract customers will see an average 3% increase to their Sky Mobile monthly bill.
“This equates to the majority of our tariffs seeing a £1 monthly increase, maintaining our position as one of the best value mobile providers on the market.”
Major firms and providers are also expected to announce increased customer bills in the next few weeks.
Many telecoms providers increase their prices annually based on the rate of inflation plus an extra 3.9%.
December CPI inflation or January Retail Price Index (RPI) is normally used to decide these rises.
The most recent figures we have are CPI inflation at 3.9% in November, and RPI at 5.3% in November.
We don’t yet know the December CPI inflation rate, as that will be announced next week.
January’s RPI rate will be out in February.
Most customers will see their bills increase from April 1, although some firms like Sky, may bring this forward.
If you’re unhappy, then you can leave penalty-free
If you’re not happy with the change you could leave.
Only out of contract customers are affected, so that means you’ll be able to leave penalty-free if you wish.
You’ll be able to leave at any time leading up to or after February 14.
Of course, do shop around for the best deal – these can be found on comparison websites such as MoneySupermarket and Uswitch.
You could also check on Smartphonechecker which lists all phone deals currently available.
How to haggle your bills
It’s also worth trying to haggle with Sky to see if it’ll give you a better deal.
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer with your provider.
Get in contact with your provider to see if they can match this rate – if not, you might want to switch instead.
For more ways to cut your phone bill, we’ve got eight tips for slashing costs.
Plus, here’s the full list of providers who increased bills last year.
Also, here is the full list of household bills set to rise by up to £370 in 2024 – and how to avoid paying more.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.
