1. Are you out of contract?
Out-of-contract telecoms bills are often the easiest household saving because nothing has to change except the tariff.
What to check this month
2. Could a social tariff apply?
Ofcom says social tariffs are cheaper broadband and phone packages for people on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits.
3. Use One Touch Switch for broadband
Ofcom says many broadband and landline customers only need to contact the new provider under the One Touch process.
4. Text to switch mobile
Ofcom says you can text PAC to 65075 to keep your number, STAC to 75075 for a new number, or INFO to 85075 to check contract status.
5. Read future price rises
New telecoms contracts must state many future rises in pounds and pence rather than vague inflation-linked wording.
6. Do not buy speed you cannot feel
Households paying for very high speeds should check whether they actually need them for work, streaming, gaming and upload use.
Sources and useful links
The end-of-contract price jump
The single biggest avoidable cost in broadband and mobile is staying put after your contract ends. Most deals are sold at a discounted rate for a fixed term — typically 18 or 24 months for broadband, 24 months for a handset contract. When that term finishes, you roll onto the provider's standard out-of-contract price, which is usually substantially higher than what a new customer would pay for the very same service. You keep paying the discounted-era loyalty penalty simply because nothing prompted you to act.
Ofcom tackled this with end-of-contract notifications. Your provider must now tell you, between 10 and 40 days before your minimum term ends, that the contract is finishing, what you currently pay, what you will pay afterwards, and the best deals they can offer you. They must also send an annual reminder to anyone already out of contract. Treat that notification as a prompt to act, not a letter to file. The moment you are out of contract you can leave penalty-free, which is exactly the leverage you need to get a better price.
Haggle or switch
Once you are free to leave, you have two routes. The first is to haggle: call your provider's retentions team (often reached by saying you intend to cancel), quote a cheaper deal you have found elsewhere, and ask them to match or beat it. Providers frequently offer existing customers a better rate to avoid losing them. The second is simply to switch — and the credible threat of switching is what makes haggling work. If the retention offer still beats nothing you can find as a new customer elsewhere, take it; otherwise move.
One Touch Switch and mobile text-to-switch
Switching broadband used to mean awkward calls to a provider trying to talk you out of leaving. Since Ofcom's One Touch Switch process came into force, most home broadband and landline switches between providers are handled by the new provider alone. You sign up with the gaining provider, they arrange the switch with your old one, and you should not have to contact the company you are leaving. The losing provider must send you a clear summary of what you are giving up (for example any linked services, or remaining contract charges) so there are no surprises, and the changeover is designed to happen on a single day to avoid a gap in service.
Mobile switching while keeping your number is even quicker and is done by text. Send PAC to 65075 to get a Porting Authorisation Code if you want to keep your number; send STAC to 75075 if you are happy to take a new number; or text INFO to 85075 to check whether you are still in contract and what any early-exit charge would be. You give the PAC or STAC to your new provider and the move completes, usually within one working day. The code itself is free and your provider must send it by text promptly.
Social tariffs for low-income households
If you or someone in your household receives Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or certain other means-tested benefits, you may qualify for a social tariff — a low-cost broadband (and sometimes mobile) package that several major providers offer specifically to people on those benefits. They are typically much cheaper than standard packages, come with no set-up fee, and crucially are protected from the usual annual price rises for the duration. You can switch onto a social tariff even if you are mid-contract with the same provider, and doing so should not trigger an exit fee.
Take-up of social tariffs remains low, mainly because people do not know they exist. They are not advertised as heavily as headline deals, so you often have to ask for them by name. Ofcom publishes a list of available social tariffs and the benefits that qualify, and MoneyHelper has a plain-English guide; both are linked in the sources above. If money is tight, checking eligibility for a social tariff is usually a bigger win than haggling on a standard deal.
Mid-contract price-rise rules
For years, broadband and mobile firms wrote contracts that let them raise prices every spring by an inflation index (often CPI or RPI) plus a few percentage points — a figure you could not know when you signed up. Ofcom has now banned this practice for new contracts. Any in-contract price rise must instead be set out in pounds and pence, stated clearly before you agree, so you know the exact amount and timing of any increase for the life of the deal.
This changes how you compare offers. A deal with a low headline price but a built-in fixed annual increase may end up costing more than one that is slightly dearer up front but rises by less or not at all. Read the pre-contract summary for the stated rise. And note the protection cuts both ways: if a provider imposes a price rise that was not clearly set out in pounds and pence at sign-up, that is usually treated as a material change to the contract, giving you the right to leave penalty-free within the notice window even if you are still inside your minimum term.
SIM-only versus handset contracts
A handset contract bundles the cost of the phone and the airtime (calls, texts and data) into one monthly payment over, say, 24 months. The hidden trap is that on many older-style bundled deals the payments do not stop once the phone is paid off — you keep paying the full amount, effectively buying the handset several times over. Splitting the two is almost always cheaper and clearer.
The split approach is: buy the handset outright or on a separate, interest-free phone-only agreement, then take a cheap SIM-only deal for the airtime. SIM-only plans are short-term (often 30 days or 12 months) and far cheaper than the airtime baked into a bundle, and because they are short you can re-shop them regularly. If buying a phone outright is not affordable, look for "split contracts" where the airtime portion genuinely ends when the device is paid off. The table summarises the trade-off.
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only + own handset | You can buy or already have a phone; want the lowest monthly cost. | Upfront handset cost; check the phone is unlocked. |
| Split contract (airtime + device) | You want a new phone but clear, separate payments. | Confirm airtime cost drops once the device is paid off. |
| Traditional bundled contract | You value one simple payment and an upgrade path. | Payments may continue at full price after the phone is paid for. |
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