Millions of mobile phone customers are set to see their bills increase by as much as 4.5 per cent this spring.
Three and Vodafone have joined EE and BT Mobile by announcing pay monthly and Sim-only customers will soon see an increase to their bills.
Mobile providers usually put prices up in April, but the increase this year is much steeper than usual.
This is Money takes a look at which networks are hiking their prices and by how much.
Millions of smartphone customers will see their bills increase by as much as 4.5% this spring
Three: Those who signed up with Three as a pay-monthly customer or renewed their pay-monthly Three contract on or after October 29 last year will see their bills increase by 4.5 per cent as of April.
For Three customers who joined the network between May 29 2015 and October 29 last year, there is a smaller increase of 1.4 per cent from May.
A Three spokesperson said: 'Like other mobile network providers, our pay monthly plans are subject to an annual price increase.
'This year, some customers will see their monthly charge increase by 1.4 per cent in line with the January RPI rate of inflation published by the ONS – this applies to customers who joined Three between 29 May 2015 and 28 October 2020.
'This means, for example, that a £20 per month contract will see an increase of 28p per month.
'We will be contacting these customers from March 2021 onwards, and this change will be introduced in their May 2021 bill.'
Vodafone: Customers that took out a new contract with Vodafone before December 9 last year will see their bill rise in line with the Retail Price Index, which will be announced in March, with the price change taking effect in April.
Those who joined or renewed their Vodafone deal after that date will see their bills increase by 4.5 per cent from April.
A Vodafone spokesperson said: 'We recognise no one wants to see price rises, but these are necessary for us to continue investing in our networks, products and services.'
Bills: Depending on when a customer started their contract will depend on their price rise
EE and BT: EE and BT Mobile said their customers will see an average increase of less than £2 a month.
Existing EE and BT Mobile customers who signed up before 1 September 2020 will receive an RPI increase of 1.2 per cent which is for the majority of EE Mobile customers.
For EE and BT Mobile customers who agreed to new terms from 1 September 2020, it will be 0.6 per cent, in line with CPI plus 3.9 per cent on the total cost of their monthly package.
A spokesperson for EE and BT said: 'Back in September we made some changes to our contract terms as we started to bring all our products and brands in line with a predictable annual increase. We are currently reminding customers that these changes will start from April.
'Network usage is doubling as our customers rely on us for connectivity more than ever before, and this small annual increase reflects the investment needed to support growing demand.'
Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at Uswitch, said: 'Mobile phone providers always put up their bills in the spring, but this year the price rises are more dramatic than usual.
'Three and Vodafone customers join those at EE and could see their prices rise by as much as 4.5 per cent, although some consumers whose mobile contracts started before October 2020 should see smaller increases.
'Unfortunately, these price rises are written into your contract, so you don't have the option to leave your deal without paying a penalty.
'If you're not happy with the situation, ride it out and make a note to switch providers when your deal is up.'
If customers are out of contract, they can switch providers by using the Text to Switch service.
To do so, text PAC to 65075 and then give the number you get back to your new provider, who will manage the switch for you.
