Sky Mobile has announced that its prices will be rising for out-of-contract customers. From 14 February you will likely see your monthly bill go up by £1 – which is an average increase of 9% across the affected deals – if your minimum term with Sky Mobile has ended. Not all out-of-contract customers will see the change, but Sky has confirmed that the majority will need to pay an extra £1.
A Sky Mobile spokesperson said “We try to provide our customers with as much value as possible which is why our data plans have not increased in price for five years.
“However due to increased cost pressures the majority of our mobile tariffs are increasing by £1, with the average percentage increase being below levels of inflation.”
Anyone who is still under contract can expect their monthly costs to stay the same as Sky Mobile does not increase bills for customers during the minimum term of their deal. Keep in mind that contracted customers can expect to have to pay more once their initial offer expires. Sky has announced that all customers subject to the rise will be contacted.
Sky Mobile price changes
This Sky Mobile price hike is the first from the provider in five years for existing customers. However, new customers and those upgrading have been paying an extra £1 for most deals since 11th November 2022. The latest announcement could simply be viewed as existing out-of-contract customers catching up with what new subscribers have been paying for the last few months.
£1 a month may not seem like a huge increase at first glance, but for some low-cost deals this is a sharp increase well above inflation. Many out-of-contract customers are SIM-only deals that charge less than £10 a month, so an extra pound is a significant percentage rise. For customers on packages that cost over £10, the increase will be below the current CPI (consumer price index) rate of 10.7%. The hike averages out at around 9% for all 1.3 million out-of-contract Sky Mobile customers, so less than the CPI.
What you can do about it
Out-of-contract customers can switch to a different provider at any time without having to pay a termination or exit fee. This means that if you are unhappy with Sky Mobile increasing your bill, or the extra cost has tipped your package into being unaffordable, you can shop around for a new mobile phone deal.
You can keep the same phone number and even stay on the same network, as Sky Mobile is an O2-powered operator. Other O2 providers include Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, LycaMobile and obviously O2 itself. Therefore you do not need to worry about losing a network connection you are happy with when you change provider. Switching is a quick and easy process for most customers, so don’t be put off by the fear of additional admin.
You could even get a cheaper deal without switching away from Sky Mobile if you are happy with your current service. Being an out-of-contract customer can mean you pay more than new customers who are able to take advantage of special offers and deals. You can look up Sky Mobile’s latest offers and if there is one advertised that beats your current deal, simply call Sky to ask to switch plans.
You could also try haggling to get your bill down. There are a lot of mobile providers in the UK so competition to get new customers and keep hold of existing ones is fierce. Try calling Sky Mobile customer service and politely saying that you are thinking about leaving due to the new price hike. You may find you are able to negotiate a new deal at a price you are happy with. If not, you can change providers and get a better deal that way.
You can find out more about cutting the cost of your mobile by reading our articles 'How to switch mobile network providers with a text message' and 'How to save money on your mobile phone bill'.
