By Levi Winchester

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Virgin Media has increased its mid-contact price rise for new and re-contracting customers. As of October 2, anyone taking a new contract or renewing their existing deal will see their monthly bill rise by £4 mid-way through their contract. The new price increase will come into effect from next April, and is up from the current £3.50 mid-contract price rise that existing Virgin Media customers have signed up for. Existing customers will not be affected by the higher price rise while they are still in their existing deal. The price increase comes as Virgin Media refreshes its line-up, including offering Netflix with ads as standard on its plans over 500Mbps and faster speeds with TV bundles. A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “Customers taking one of our latest packages, which offer fantastic value including Netflix as standard on all TV bundles and Sky Sports in HD at no extra cost, will see their prices rise by £4 a month each April. “No prices are changing now and no changes are being made to existing customer contracts. This 13p a day rise represents excellent value for connectivity customers use more than ever and is greatly outweighed by the £5million we invest every single day into our networks and services to ensure we continue to provide the fast, reliable connectivity our customers expect and rely on.” Ernest Doku, Uswitch broadband expert, said: “Virgin Media has become the latest broadband provider to hike its fixed mid-contract price rise rate to £4 per month – less than 12 months after setting an initial annual increase figure of £3.50 per month. “From 2 October, any new or re-contracting customer will be subject to this increase next April. Given Virgin Media’s shift to 24 month minimum contracts earlier this year, prospective customers will be hit twice with this annual price rise, totalling an extra £8 per month on their original price by April 2027.” He continued: “This change only applies to customers taking out new contracts, so if you are currently a Virgin Media customer and your plan is up for renewal, you should consider your options.” The move comes as BT and EE previously announced similar mid-contract price rises back in July. BT and EE have increased their mid-contract price rise from £3 a month to £4 a month for new customers. Plusnet also hiked its mid-contract price rise to £4 from August. If you’re out of contract, compare prices online to see if you can get a better deal elsewhere. Check your current broadband speed, and ask yourself if you need this fast of a speed, or if you can save money by downgrading. If you don’t want to leave your current provider, you can try haggling down your existing bill. When haggling, explain the better deals you’ve seen elsewhere then ask if the company can match or beat that price. The best time to try and negotiate a better deal is near the end of your contract or, sometimes when a price rise has been announced. You may be able to leave penalty-free when a mid-contract price rise is announced, although not if the price rise was already written into your contract. If you claim benefits, check if you can save money by signing up for a cheaper social tariff.