Price rise detective
Seven questions on mid-contract price rises: what the rules allow, what they banned and how to check a deal before you sign.
Since 17 January 2025, any price rise in a new phone, broadband or pay TV contract must be set out in pounds and pence at the point of sale. Inflation-linked and percentage rises are banned in new contracts, but contracts signed before then keep their terms.
What you will learn
- 1What Ofcom's price rise ban covers
- 2How to read a pounds and pence rise
- 3Why the total contract cost matters most
Why it matters
For years, many broadband contracts rose each April by inflation plus a few percent. Ofcom found that only 16% of broadband customers on those deals both knew about the rise and could say how it was worked out. So from 17 January 2025 it banned those terms in new contracts.
Rises have not disappeared. On BroadbandSwitch.uk's own 1 November 2026 snapshot, two in three deals that state their price terms carried a fixed rise, averaging £3.35 a month. The difference is that you can now see it, in pounds and pence, before you sign.
Every answer, explained
Spoilers below. Play first, then open any question to see the answer, the reason and the source.
1. Since 17 January 2025, how must any price rise in a new contract be shown?
Answer: In pounds and pence
In pounds and pence, prominently and transparently, at the point of sale.
2. Which of these price terms is allowed in a new contract today?
Answer: £30 until 31 March, then £31.50
A fixed rise in pounds and pence. Inflation-linked and percentage-based terms are banned in new contracts.
3. Before the ban, what share of broadband customers on inflation-linked deals knew about the rise and could say how it was worked out?
Answer: 16%
Just 16%, which is a big part of why Ofcom stepped in.
4. In Ofcom's own example, a contract is £30.00 until 31 March 2025. What does it rise to on 1 April 2025?
Answer: £31.50
£31.50, and then £33.00 on 1 April 2026. Every step is spelled out before you sign.
5. Your contract started in 2023 with a 'CPI plus 3.9%' term. Does the January 2025 ban change it?
Answer: No, the ban covers new contracts
The ban applies to contracts signed from 17 January 2025. Older contracts keep the terms you agreed to, until you re-contract or switch.
6. On BroadbandSwitch.uk's 1 November 2026 snapshot, what share of deals that state their price terms carried a built-in rise?
Answer: 68%
68%, or 177 of 260 deals, averaging £3.35 a month. The other 83 were fixed for the term.
7. In the year to September 2026, by how much did the ONS price index for internet access services rise?
Answer: 12.1%
12.1%, against 3.5% for prices overall. That is why the total contract cost is worth checking before you sign.
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Questions people ask
- Can broadband prices still rise mid-contract?
- Yes, but since 17 January 2025 any rise in a new contract must be shown in pounds and pence before you sign. Inflation-linked and percentage rises are banned in new contracts.
- Does the ban change my older contract?
- No. The ban covers contracts signed from 17 January 2025. Contracts signed before then keep the terms you agreed to.
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How we checked this quiz
Every answer was checked on 9 November 2026 against the source listed with it, mostly Ofcom and the companies that publish the figures, and dated figures say when they apply. Questions that depend on a date, such as compensation amounts that rise each April, are hidden automatically once they pass their review date, so the quiz never shows an out-of-date answer. Your scores, badges and streaks are kept on this device only. Anonymous answer counts help us show how other players did, with no names or personal details.
References
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026, November 7). UK broadband in numbers (Edition 2, November 2026). BroadbandSwitch.uk Data Lab. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/uk-broadband-statistics/
- Ofcom. (2024, July 19). Ofcom bans mid-contract price rises linked to inflation. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/ofcom-bans-mid-contract-price-rises-linked-to-inflation
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