The cost of living crisis continues to mount. Inflation is high, the Bank of England has put up interest rates, food is getting more expensive, and the government is about to hike tax and national insurance. And on top of all that, mobile phone networks are putting their prices up, too.
EE, O2, Vodafone, and Three - known as the big four - are all putting their prices up for customers in April. Some price hikes are at inflation level, some are much higher than that; it depends which network you're on and when you started your contract.
So by just how much are phone bills going to increase?
READ MORE: How much food prices have changed over the last decade
Phone bill hikes
EE
EE is raising the monthly cost to all customers whose contracts do not expire before April.
If you took your contract out before September 1, 2020, your monthly payment will go up by the retail price index (RPI) rate of inflation for December 2021, which was 7.5 per cent.
If you took your contract out on or after September 1, 2020, EE is raising your monthly payment by December's consumer price index (CPI) rate of inflation plus 3.9 per cent. Since CPI was at 5.4 per cent, that means your bill will go up by 9.3 per cent.
Three
Three is putting its prices up by 4.5 per cent for all customers, regardless of when your contract began.
A Three spokesperson said earlier this month: "Like other mobile providers, our pay monthly plans are subject to an annual price change. We implement an annual fixed percentage increase of 4.5%, which will be applied in April.
“We believe that integral to a great customer experience is certainty and transparency. With a fixed price change compared to the variable and unpredictable increases applied by other mobile network operators, customers will not have to rely on a fluctuating RPI or CPI rate to clearly understand the full cost of their contract."
Vodafone
Vodafone customers who signed their contract before December 9, 2020 will see their bills go up by March 2022's RPI figure, which is expected to be high.
Customers who signed their contract on or after December 9, 2020 will see their bills go up by December 2021's CPI, which was 5.4 per cent, plus 3.9 per cent - so a total rise of 9.3 per cent.
O2
O2 customers' bills will increase by the RPI rate announced this month plus 3.9 per cent.
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