Sky’s sibling NOW Broadband (NOW TV) sub-brand has notified existing internet and phone customers of an imminent price increase that will be introduced from 5th July 2024 and bump their package prices by an extra £3 per month (£36 per year), which is slightly lower than last year’s £3.50 hike.
The good news is that those who are unhappy with the change, which doesn’t impact the provider’s cheaper social tariff for those on certain state benefits (NOW Broadband Basics), may be able to cancel their service penalty-free, provided you do so within the usual 31 days of having received the price increase notification letter (all customers should have received this by now).
In addition, the latest price increase doesn’t impact either their NOW TV service (this tends to be handled separately) or NOW Broadband’s latest 100Mbps “Full Fibre” (FTTP) package, which is largely because the latter is actually ordered through the Sky Broadband website and so is subject to Sky’s semi-separate policies (Sky already raised their prices).
At NOW, we’re all about bringing you great value and reliable broadband so you can stay connected to everything you love. That’s why we’ve invested in growing our broadband network capacity by 24% since 2022, reducing congestion so you can get faster speeds, even at peak times.
We understand that things are tough right now, and so alongside investing in improvements, we’re committed to keeping prices as low as we can. The costs of providing services have, however, increased significantly, and it’s affecting the entire industry.
Many other providers have raised their prices, and we’ll be making some changes too. The prices of our broadband membership plans will be going up by £3. You’ll see the price change reflected in your bill on or after 5 July 2024.
You don’t need to do anything – your NOW Broadband will continue as usual. We hope you’ll continue to enjoy our services, but if you’re not happy with these changes, you can cancel your NOW Broadband Membership. If you’re within your minimum contract period, give us a call on 0330 041 2498 within 31 days of receiving the price increase notification to avoid early termination charges. You can check the details of your membership by heading to My Account.
In fairness, it’s worth remembering that big ISPs are NOT immune to cost increases. Providers, much like consumers, are also suffering under the burden of rising supplier and lease costs, surging inflation, high energy prices, the ever-rising levels of consumer demand for data, as well as the cost of adding all sorts of new services and catering for new regulations etc.
Consumer who are hit by mid-contract hikes like this could alternatively try switching providers or haggling for a lower price when the notification drops (Retentions – Tips for Cutting Your Broadband Bill), although your mileage may vary. Meanwhile, those on benefits (Universal Credit etc.) also have the option of taking a cheaper Social Tariff – see our Quick Guide to UK Social Tariffs.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Ofcom recently moved to ban inflation linked price hikes (here), although this won’t be enforced until later this year (not soon enough to change the latest rises). The regulator’s change won’t prevent mid-contract hikes completely, but it will require ISPs to tell customers precisely what any such hikes will be when they sign up (in pounds and pence), which rules out changes linked to unknown future inflation values or confusing percentages.