Virgin Media announces new price hikes: can you avoid them?

Virgin Media has announced new price hikes, meaning new and recontracting customers will see even larger price hikes from next year.

Virgin Media follows BT, EE and Plusnet which also increased the size of their price rises back in the summer. Find out how Virgin Media's prices are changing. who they'll affect and how it compares to other providers.

See how your provider fares in our guide to the best and worst broadband providers.

How are Virgin Media's price rises changing?

In January of this year, Virgin Media moved to a fixed price rise policy after new rules were put in place by Ofcom, the telecoms regulator. At that time, Virgin Media introduced the largest fixed price rise for broadband-only customers, with the cost of deals going up by £3.50 per month every year.

However, back in July, BT, EE and Plusnet announced they were introducing new, higher price hikes. Virgin Media has now decided to match them – now all new and re-contracting customers will see the cost of their Virgin Media deal increase by £4 per month each year.  

Virgin Media's £4 per month price increase will be applied whether you take up a deal including broadband, or broadband and TV.

How does Virgin Media compare to other broadband providers?

We've outlined all of the major broadband providers' current price rise policies below  - so far BT, EE, Plusnet and Virgin Media have increased theirs, but other providers are sticking to what they announced last year. However, it's possible these will also change for new customers too.

Which broadband providers promise not to increase prices?

Not every broadband provider puts prices up mid-contract – Utility Warehouse and Zen Internet both promise not to raise prices during your minimum contract period.

Another major broadband provider, Sky, as well as its subsidiary Now Broadband, has avoided adding clauses guaranteeing price rises in contracts. However, both providers do reserve the right to change their prices mid-contract. 

Sky in particular regularly increases some of its prices – it usually announces which services/deals will be affected in February of each year.

How to avoid Virgin Media's new price rises

Existing customers will not face these new higher price hikes – for now. But the issue will arise at the end of your contract. If you commit to a new fixed term with Virgin Media, you'll be given new terms and conditions, which will mean agreeing to the new price rise.

New and re-contracting customers should shop around before committing to these hefty price hikes. While Virgin Media will be the first thought of many customers looking for high speed broadband, an increasing amount of premises have access to full fibre connections via the Openreach network (used by the likes of Sky, Utility Warehouse and Zen Internet) as well as many smaller alternative networks that are popping up throughout the country.

So shop around before committing to a contract with Virgin Media. Our broadband comparison service will help you weigh up the full costs of the contract (including upfront costs and any price increases), and the expansion of One Touch Switch makes it easier to switch than ever before.