Mid-Contract Broadband Price Rises Explained

Having your broadband bill go up while you are still tied into a contract feels unfair, and for years the way providers calculated those increases was genuinely difficult to follow. The rules changed in January 2025. This guide explains what a mid-contract rise is, what your provider has to tell you before you sign, and what your options are when the notice arrives.

What a mid-contract price rise is

It is any increase applied while you are still inside your minimum term. Sign a 24 month deal in June and a rise the following April lands with 14 months still to run, at a point where leaving would mean paying an exit fee.

This is not the same as what happens when a contract ends. At that point you roll onto a standard tariff, and that jump is usually much bigger, often £10 or more a month. Both are worth watching. Only one of them happens while you are locked in.

What changed in January 2025

Until recently most large providers raised prices by inflation plus a fixed percentage. CPI plus 3.9% was the common formula, with RPI plus 3.9% at a few others. The flaw was obvious once you thought about it. Nobody knows what inflation will be a year ahead, so customers were agreeing to an increase that could not be worked out at the time of signing.

Ofcom put a stop to it. Since 17 January 2025, any price rise written into a new contract has to be stated in pounds and pence before you sign, along with the month it takes effect. Providers can still put prices up. They just have to tell you the exact amount first.

Contracts signed before that date can continue on the old inflation-linked terms until they expire. If you have been with the same provider for a few years, it is worth checking which set of rules applies to you.

What providers do now

Three patterns have emerged since the rule change.

A fixed amount each year. Most of the large providers add a set sum to the monthly price, generally between £2 and £4, in March or April.
No increase during the contract. Several of the smaller network builders hold the price for the full term. What you pay in the first month is what you pay in the last.
Older inflation-linked terms. Still running on some contracts signed before the change, until those contracts end.

Here is where each provider we cover currently sits.

When the increases land

Late March and early April, in most cases. Providers usually write to customers about a month beforehand, and that notice often arrives by email where it is easy to overlook. If you think you may have missed one, searching your inbox around February and March is a reasonable place to start.

Can you leave without paying an exit fee?

Usually not, if the rise was set out properly when you signed. That is the trade-off built into the new rules. Because the increase was disclosed in pounds and pence at the outset, it counts as part of the deal you agreed to.

You do have a right to leave if your provider changes the contract in a way it did not make clear at the start, or raises the price by more than it said it would. In that situation it has to give you at least 30 days notice and let you go without an early termination charge. The window is short, so a notice like that is worth acting on rather than filing away.

Reducing what you pay

Put your contract end date somewhere you will actually see it. Most of the money wasted on broadband goes to people sitting out of contract on a standard tariff without realising.
Call and ask before you leave. Retention teams can often beat the price advertised on the website, particularly if you have a competitor quote in front of you.
Include the rise when you compare. A deal at £25 with a £4 annual increase works out dearer over 24 months than one at £27 that stays put.
If certainty matters more to you than the lowest headline price, look at the providers that fix the cost for the whole term.

Working out the real monthly cost

Take the monthly price, count how many months of your contract fall after the rise date, add the increase for those months, then spread the total across the full term. On a 24 month contract at £27 with a £4 rise ten months in, you pay £27 for ten months and £31 for fourteen. That averages a little over £29.

Our savings checker compares what you pay now against current deals, and every provider page lists that provider's rise so you can see it before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Can my broadband provider raise the price mid-contract?

Yes. Most UK providers apply one increase a year, even while you are still inside your minimum term. Since January 2025 the amount has to be set out in pounds and pence before you sign.

When do broadband price rises usually happen?

Most land in late March or early April. Providers normally give around 30 days notice, and it often arrives by email rather than post.

Can I cancel my broadband if the price goes up?

Not usually, if the increase was disclosed in pounds and pence when you signed. If a provider raises the price by more than it told you, or changes the contract in a way it did not make clear, you can normally leave within 30 days without an early exit fee.

Which broadband providers do not raise prices mid-contract?

Several of the smaller full fibre networks hold the price for the whole contract. The table above shows which of the providers we cover currently do that.

What happened to CPI plus 3.9%?

Ofcom banned inflation-linked mid-contract rises for new contracts from 17 January 2025. Contracts signed before that date can still carry those terms until they end.