A fixed-term broadband deal does not last for ever. When the minimum term ends, many customers find the monthly price changes, because the price they signed up to was a deal for a set period. This guide is written for anyone with a Virgin Media broadband contract that is ending or has just ended, but the rules it describes apply to broadband, phone and pay-TV providers generally, so it is useful for other providers too.
Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, requires providers to warn you before your contract ends and to show you their best deals. It also limits how price rises can be written into new contracts. Knowing what you are entitled to be told gives you something concrete to compare against.
We are a mobile coverage site, not a broadband price comparison service, and this is general information, not legal or financial advice. We do not quote broadband prices because they change often and differ by address. Check the provider's own pages and your own account for the current figures.
If you are weighing up price rises on a phone contract instead, see our guide to mid-contract price rises and your rights to leave. Some households also use a 4G or 5G router as a home broadband alternative, which is covered in our guide to using a SIM in a router for home broadband.
What happens when a broadband contract ends
The minimum term is the period you agreed to stay for. When it ends, you are usually free to leave, and your provider may move you onto a different price. Ofcom notes that providers often raise the main monthly price when a contract ends, which is why it matters to know your end date well before it arrives.
Ofcom's own consumer advice explains the reason: a deal covers a fixed period, after which the price you pay each month could increase. The price after the end date is often called the out-of-contract price. Staying on it is allowed, but it is a decision you can make on purpose rather than by default.
Your contract documents and your online account are the places to find your exact end date and the price that applies afterwards. If you cannot find them, ask your provider to confirm both in writing.
Ofcom rules on end-of-contract notices and price changes
Since 15 February 2020, Ofcom's rules have required phone, broadband and pay-TV companies to alert you before your contract ends. The alert must reach you between 10 and 40 days before the end of the contract, by text, email or letter.
Ofcom says each alert must tell you when your contract is up, what you have been paying and what you will pay when it is up, any notice period for leaving your provider, and your provider's best deals, including any prices only available to new customers.
The same rules mean customers who are already out of contract must be reminded of that, and told about their provider's best deals, at least every year.
Price rises written into contracts are covered by separate rules. Contracts signed before 17 January 2025 may still include rises linked to inflation or set as a percentage. Since that date, providers have been banned from offering new contracts with inflation-linked rises, and any rise a new contract does include must be set out clearly in pounds and pence before you sign up, with the timing of any monthly change stated.
If your contract does not say how much the price can rise and your provider puts it up, or if it raises the price by more than your contract says, Ofcom says the provider must tell you at least 30 days before the increase takes effect and give you 30 days to exit your contract if you wish, without exit fees. That right applies to a rise that your contract did not allow for. It is not a general right to leave penalty-free whenever the price changes.
How to compare what you pay with new-customer deals
Start with your own figures. Note the price you pay now, the price that applies once the term ends, and any notice period. These should all appear in the end-of-contract alert, and Ofcom says that alert must include the provider's best deals, including prices only available to new customers.
Next, compare like with like. Check the speed tier, the contract length, any set-up or activation charges, and whether the monthly price is fixed for the whole term or has a rise written in. A rise written in pounds and pence in a new contract can be added up before you sign, so work out the total over the full term rather than just the first month.
Then look outside your current provider. A comparison across several providers, and across different network types, shows what is on offer at your address. Availability depends on the address, so enter your postcode on each provider's own page. Prices on third-party comparison sites can also change, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the provider's page before you order.
If a quoted deal depends on a discount that ends partway through, ask what the price will be afterwards. That is the same issue you are trying to avoid.
What to ask for when you contact your provider
Many providers have a team that handles customers who are thinking of leaving. There is no guarantee of a better offer, and what is available varies by provider and customer, so treat the call as a way to find out your options rather than an expectation of a discount.
Useful things to ask about in general terms: whether a new fixed-term deal is available at the same speed, whether the current new-customer price can be matched, what the price would be after any introductory period, and whether there are set-up or equipment charges. Ask for any offer to be confirmed in writing before you agree.
It helps to have your comparison to hand so you know what you are measuring the offer against.
If you receive Universal Credit or Pension Credit, Ofcom says you may be able to move to a social tariff without a penalty, even if you are in contract. Ask your provider whether it has one.
Switching: how it works now
For broadband and landline, Ofcom's One Touch Switch process means you only have to contact your new provider. Ofcom announced on 12 September 2024 that it had arrived. The new provider manages the switch, and your current provider automatically sends you information such as any early termination charges and how the switch affects your other services. You then confirm with the new provider that you want to go ahead.
Before this process, switches between different networks, for example away from Virgin Media, also needed you to contact the existing provider. Ofcom says the new process covers switching between different networks and technologies.
Ofcom also says you do not have to pay notice-period charges beyond the switch date, and that providers must compensate you if things go wrong with the switch or you are left without a service for more than one working day. Ofcom has noted that a minority of switches might be unsuccessful because of problems matching customer information, so keep your account details handy and check your new provider's start date before cancelling anything.
One Touch Switch is for broadband and landline; switching a mobile phone number uses a different process.
When staying is rational
Staying put can be the right choice. If the out-of-contract price, or a new deal your provider offers, is competitive with what you have found elsewhere, moving may not be worth the effort. The same applies if the speed you have is the best available at your address, if you have bundled services you would lose, or if you would need to pay set-up charges elsewhere.
It is also worth thinking about timing. If you are in the middle of a contract and the end date is months away, check any early termination charge before leaving. Ofcom's alert rules mean you will be told the date, and any notice period, in the weeks before the end.
The decision is yours and depends on your address, usage and budget. What matters is that staying is a choice you have made with the figures in front of you, rather than something that happened because the end date passed unnoticed.