Understanding the new price hike

[borderline]

Hello,

I have received an email from BT with the new price increases. It says:

Changing from 31 March 2026

Broadband package : £3

Pay As You Go Calling Plan: £3

I don't understand why £3 twice. I have a broadband package that includes a landline . Why is this pay as you go billed separately ? 

I think £6 is too much , I only have slow fibre , despite full fibre being available in my area now ( I should be upgraded free of charge according to my BT page and yet I haven't been offered any upgrade, just a price increase) 

[iniltous]

I had (still have ) the same package as you , broadband and PAYG phone service, the March increase was just the broadband, so a single £3 increase , not £3 on the broadband and £3 on the phone service.
If FTTP is available you can always instigate the change yourself , if you don’t need telephony, it’s the perfect opportunity to move to broadband only

[borderline]

so why they tell me is £6 increase ? did you receive the same email ?

[iniltous]

The PAYG plan is typically £3 so a £3 increase (100%) would be ridiculous and the publicity terrible if it were true …I don’t know why it’s presented like this , if someone had a telephone only service (there are still some ) their increase presumably would be £3 , FYI  a standard phone only line with PAYG calls ( without the ‘no broadband discount’ ) is around £30 so the level if increase similar albeit it’s a 12 month term not 24 months .
If you want reassurance call VT to check ,  but March last year and the year before that , my increase was £3 not £6 and I have PAYG telephone same as you ….

I haven’t received an email yet about this years increase, FWIW , because I renewed in November 2025 the increase is now £4 not £3 , but your increase will probably be the older £3 one because you haven’t renewed as recently as me .

[John109]

I had similar email yesterday.  Had online chat with them and was told that it was a mistake and there would only be one £3 increase.  Implication was that they were aware of the error.  They raised complaint but as ever received confirmation that it had been closed last night but no detail of what had been done or how to view complaint/resolution so cannot confirm for sure.

 
From everything I have been told this is a mistake but would be nice if BT would send out email confirming correct (revised) increase to those affected.

[borderline]

thanks.
I will chat to them tonight to raise the complain

[borderline]

well, I've just came off a chat with BT (India) and they told me they don't do free landline anymore that's why the £6 increase.

Not sure if that's correct. Can any of the mods confirm??

[iniltous]

How long have you been a BT customer ? .
There has never been a time when a landline was ‘free’ , the most common misunderstanding is when people think in terms if line rental and broadband as separate from a billing point if view , if you have broadband line rental is a part if the broadband charge .
Year ago, the telephone was the primary service and broadband was an added on service, that changed (and has been the case for years ) hence asking how long you have been a BT customer, 
these days you buy broadband and if you want telephony , it’s  the secondary added on service, to have telephony requires you to buy a call plan , PAYG or Unlimited Minutes, you apparently have PAYG .
When you took out your ‘contract’ the prices are set out on that initial document….typically it will show something like , £30 a month (for both broadband and telephone) , goes up to £33 the following March , and then to £36 the March after that , look at your email confirmation if you still have it .
I don’t know if the customer representative was not very good at explaining this  , or you are misunderstanding what you were told .

[borderline]

I’ve been with BT for more than 20 years .

never had an email before that had a price increase split into the two broadband package and pay as you go .

the CS representative clearly told me the landline won’t be free anymore that’s why the £3 increase on top of the broadband.

I think if the line rental is part of the broadband package , the increase should be £3 . and not an additional £3 for calls , right ?

[iniltous]

If you are a longstanding customer, what ‘calls plan’  were you on , the only ‘free’ call plan (not free landline) was a very  old , no longer sold call plan , where weekend calls were ‘free’ ( not really free , part of the line rental).

That plan was removed years ago , and anyone on that plan should have been moved to PAYG , and charged between £0 and £5 , it isn’t subject to the increase in March .

If you had a very good deal where you were getting PAYG for £0 and that discount has ended , then you may start to pay £3 , but that’s  not a £3 increase , it’s the removal of a £3 discount, in addition your broadband goes up by £3 , I suspect you may have had a deal like that .

For comparison , my ‘bill’ is …. £30 for 80/20 broadband and £3 PAYG , over two years it went up to £36 for broadband (two £3 increases ) but the PAYG stayed at £3 , so after 2 years it was £39 in total.

In November 2025 , my renewal, the broadband was negotiated back down to £30 with £3 PAYG , so £33 in total , it goes up to £37 for both ( £4 broadband increase )  next month ,and £4 March 2027 ,  but the telephone part remains £3 for PAYG  , my deal is nothing out if the ordinary.

Although you say what you fear the increase is to be (£6) you haven’t said what you broadband package you have ( Fibre 1 ,Fibre 2 or whatever ) and what you currently pay for it  , for example you were paying £30 for broadband and PAYG (so £3 cheaper than most )  and your effectively ‘free’ PAYG  deal has been removed and you have to start paying £3 and a separate £3 increase on the broadband (that everyone pays ) , your total (after the increase) is £36 , that’s £1 cheaper than my deal , it seems a big increase because a £3 discount was removed…..we really need to know  what you pay and the package you are on .