BT says that is raising the prices of some of its BT TV packages by £2/mth and some BT Sport packages by £4/mth – but the changes only affect legacy customers, with those on newer flexible packages not affected.

If you’re affected by the hike, you’ll be contacted by BT in the coming weeks and if you don’t want to take the price increase, you can leave penalty-free as long as you notify BT by 31 October. Alternatively, you could try haggling or moving on to a newer package which may be cheaper, though of course you should always check before you switch. 

Last week, BT announced that customers signing up to a new deal or renewing an existing one from 1 September face inflation-busting price hikes next year. However, no-one will be impacted by both those changes and the hikes announced today.

For how to pick the right package and haggle a discount, see Digital TV Deals.

How are prices changing?

From 1 November, for some the cost of BT TV is rising by £2/mth and the cost of BT Sport by £4/mth. People receiving the price rise are those on legacy deals with BT, and you’ll be contacted if it applies to you. BT won’t say how many people are affected, but we’ve asked for more precise details and will update this story when we hear back.

Some customers who have BT TV and BT Sport will be affected by both rises and will see a total increase of £6/mth (£2 for their TV package, £4 for their Sport package). 

How to beat the hikes – haggle or ditch

If you aren’t happy with the price rise, you can leave BT TV or Sport penalty-free as long as you contact BT by 31 October. You can contact its customer service team on 0800 800 150.

If you want to stick with BT, you could see if any of its newer packages are cheaper than your monthly price after the hike. Alternatively, this is a golden opportunity to haggle a much better deal – especially as you’ll have the right to leave penalty-free. See our Haggle with BT guide for detailed tips, but for starters here are a few…

• Benchmark the best deal elsewhere so you ask for a realistic discount.
• Get through to the retentions (sometimes called disconnections) department. They have the most power to slash costs, as their job is to keep you.
• Use charm and be friendly. Aggression or anger will just put their back up.
• Don’t panic if they call your bluff and say they’ll disconnect you.
• If they won’t slash the price, see if they can include any extras, such as a boosted TV package.

What does BT say?

A BT spokesperson said: “To continue investing in a quality viewing experience we’ll be changing the prices of some of our BT TV and BT Sport packages for existing customers by £2 and £4 per month.

“Not all customers are affected, and many will find that our new flexible TV packages offer them a better deal, with the freedom to upgrade, downgrade and add-on content month-to month, while offering a wide selection of the very best TV shows, films and sport.

“If customers are still unhappy with the change, they can leave their current contract penalty-free.”