Price increases
What has to be disclosed before you sign, the five foreseeable reasons a bill rises, the five deliberate ways to bring one down, and what to do when nobody will fix it.
Sections on this page
The facts
- Mid-term rises
- In pounds and pence, before signing
- Exit charges
- Itemised before you commit
- Roaming ceiling
- Published
- Split contracts
- Both elements shown separately
What it means for you
Since January 2025 any mid-contract increase has to be stated in actual money before you sign, rather than tied to a formula nobody can calculate in a shop.
- Read that line at the point of sale.
- Photograph it, so there can be no argument later.
- Ask for the whole-term total in writing.
- Note the date any introductory discount ends.
Do those four things and an increase can never be a surprise again.
The facts
- One
- A disclosed mid-term increase
- Two
- An introductory discount ending
- Three
- Going past your allowance
- Four
- A term ending with no action
- Five
- An add-on renewing
What it means for you
| Reason | What was behind it |
|---|---|
| Mid-term increase | Disclosed in cash terms at the point of sale |
| Discount ending | Its length was stated when you bought |
| Past your allowance | Only possible where no spend cap was set; roaming is the usual source |
| Term ended | Not really a rise — a fall that never happened |
| Add-on renewed | One-off purchases sometimes repeat automatically |
The facts
- Biggest single saving
- SIM-only after the term ends
- Second
- Right-sizing the allowance
- Third
- Add-on instead of upgrade
- Fourth
- Settling device credit early
- Fifth
- Leaving
What it means for you
| Move | Effect |
|---|---|
| SIM-only when the term ends | Strips out the phone payment entirely |
| Cut the allowance | Where three months of usage shows the tier is oversized |
| One-off add-on instead of upgrading | Covers a heavy month without repricing the year |
| Settle device credit early | On a split contract, leaves only airtime |
| Leave | Exit cost itemised before you commit; do it with a PAC already in hand |
The facts
- Method
- In writing, not by phone
- Include
- Dates, facts, the outcome you want
- Keep
- The reference number
- Escalate free at
- Eight weeks or a final response
What it means for you
Phone calls leave nothing behind. A written complaint creates a record and a reference, and a reference is what somebody reviews later.
At eight weeks unresolved — or immediately if you receive a final response — the case goes free to the Communications Ombudsman. Its decision binds the network and does not bind you, so you lose nothing by using it.
Still unsure after reading this?
Ring the desk and we will go through it with you. There is nothing to buy at any stage.