Phone and broadband companies will send bills soaring for millions of Brits next week 

Mobile phone and broadband bills will rise well above inflation for millions over the next week, even if they are in the middle of a contract.

The industry regulator, Ofcom, allows these mega-profitable companies to raise prices once a year – not just in line with inflation, but by a flat rate of 3.9 per cent.

This will result in an increase in bills of more than 14 percent and in some cases as much as 17.3 percent.

In most cases you can’t just cancel your contract without paying a penalty – it’s in the fine print.

However, standing alone among the major providers, Virgin Media – up 13.8 per cent – is giving customers a 30-day option to quit and go elsewhere.

On average, households will see an increase of £11.25 per month following the 14.4 per cent price hike companies like BT applied in April. Customers will also add around £1.4bn to the coffers of the UK’s largest broadband providers as a result of increased prices.

Our Wealth & Personal Finance team has been campaigning against the bill hike charade.

Nous.co, the household finance app, is now calling for these unreasonable interim price increases to be banned. The whole system is now under review.

The CEO and founder, Greg Marsh, said: ‘It is outrageous that Ofcom is approving these huge increases, especially in a crisis of the cost of living. When inflation was low, it was morally wrong, but now that the consumer price index is above ten percent, it’s nothing short of a legalized highway robbery.”

Don’t be tempted by price hikes in the middle of the contract

Check now if this applies to your deals. There may not be much you can do about it if so, but at least you know what to expect: forewarned is forearmed.

But, before you panic, not all providers do it. Full-fiber broadband challenger Hyperoptic has never hit its customers with mid-term contract increases and is actively campaigning against the practice.

Some providers, such as Giffgaff and Smarty, sell ongoing one-month contracts that are unaffected by inflation-based price increases.

Find out if your mobile carrier is raising prices in April, how it compares to other carriers and how much it will cost you with a tool at nous.co/mobile-hikes.

Ditch the giant providers for lesser known ones

It can be tempting to opt for well-known names like O2, EE and Virgin Mobile. But often you can get similar speeds and identical coverage from lesser-known networks, such as Voxi, Giffgaff, Smarty, and iD Mobile.

The same goes for broadband in some areas, although some of the smaller companies only operate in certain parts of the UK. For example, Hyperoptic covers about a million homes in the UK. It’s always worth checking out what’s available in your area.

Can you get a social tariff to reduce broadband costs?

Social rates are cheaper broadband rates available to anyone with Universal Credit or a range of similar benefits.

Big names like BT, Sky, Virgin Media and Now offer them. Despite this, less than 3.5 percent of eligible households benefit.

A social tariff can cost as little as £15 per month, compared to an average cost of around £35.

It’s true that the social tariff offers pretty basic broadband, but it should be good enough unless you’ve got a houseful of avid gamers.

Make the switch to a SIM-only mobile subscription

If you’re happy with your current phone and don’t need a brand spanking new version, consider getting a SIM only deal. These are cheaper because you only pay for the data and minutes you actually use and not the cost of the phone.

If you did want a new phone, buying one is still often cheaper than taking out a monthly contract. In fact, you might want to consider buying a refurbished phone – from a reputable warranty seller or retailer (such as eBay and Amazon). They are often of great value.

Prepare to haggle wwith your current network

Shop around to find the best deals and once you’re happy you’ve done your research, start negotiating with your provider.

There’s no guarantee they’ll give you a better deal, but it’s always worth a try. Be prepared – that means checking what prices are offered elsewhere. If they are cheaper than your current rate, you have real ammunition to work with.

Most phone and broadband companies have a retention department whose job it is to keep customers from leaving. The staff there have access to better deals and discounts than anywhere else. Be polite, but persistent and threaten to leave. You don’t actually have to leave – just say you need to talk to the other half and call back. It’s worth a try if you work at Virgin Media and have the option to quit within 30 days.

Don’t pay for more mobile data than you really need

When it comes to mobile phones, millions of people pay for hefty data limits that they never use.

Studies show that the average Brit handles 4.5GB of data per month, but many pay for much more than that.

Talk to your provider to find out how much you really use each month and make a note to switch to a cheaper deal with a lower data volume as soon as possible.

Use renewal reminders to track contract end dates

Millions of people are out of mobile and broadband contracts and are likely to overpay by not switching to a better deal.

Your provider should tell you when your contract is about to expire, but people often miss the notifications (or see them and then forget to follow up).

Websites like nous.co remind you for free when your mobile plan is due for renewal, giving you time to shop around for better deals or negotiate with your carrier.

Use provider limits on your spending

Some mobile providers allow you to choose a limit on your bill, which means that you cannot spend anything above the monthly amount agreed in your contract. This way you avoid unexpectedly being faced with an expensive bill.

Popular new way to reduce laundry costs? An air dryer

By DANIEL JONES

Forget air fryers… the new must-have is an ‘air dryer’, an alternative to a tumble dryer that costs a fraction to run.

But you might get a little hot trying to find one.

They’re now so popular that one store sold its stock—which would normally last six months—in just weeks.

Until last year, the gadgets, which look like normal clothing racks but with heated rails, had a small loyal following.

But rising utility bills and glowing reviews on money-saving sites have changed that.

Best seller is the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer, pictured left, priced at £199.99. It costs around 15p an hour to operate at current electricity prices, and users can dry up to 15kg of laundry, with a load costing around 45p. A tumble dryer costs about £2 to dry a load.

A smaller version of the Dry:Soon 3-Tier Heated Airer costs £129.99.

High Street kitchen store Lakeland used to sell a few thousand every few months, but when electricity prices rose, he sold all of his winter stock in a matter of weeks.

Due to production delays in the factories where they are made in the Far East, new stock could only be brought in this year.

It now receives several hundred a week, but sells out in a matter of days.

That’s the buzz air dryer fans are taking to social media these days to share info on when they’ll be back in stock.