Five ways to cut your Sky bill ahead of huge rise to costs within weeks
MILLIONS of Sky customers can slash the cost of bills as the telecoms giant hikes prices rises for broadband and TV this spring.
Households using Sky services can expect to see their bill rise by an average 6.2% from April 1.
However, the exact increase will depend on which services you use.
Sky is writing to all customers to let them know how much bills will be increasing at least 30 days before they take effect.
The latest increase comes after the cost of contracts were raised by an average of 6.7% last year, and a hefty 8.1% in 2023.
Here’s how you can cut bills…
Haggle
There are lots of competitive broadband and TV deals available, including with local and regional providers – and you can use this to your advantage.
Use a comparison site such as MoneySuperMarket.com or Uswitch.com to find the options available in your area based on price, allowances and provider.
If you find a comparable deal, ring the Sky retention team and tell them you would like a discount or will think of leaving.
Stay polite and nice but be prepared to haggle.
Create a target of how much discount you would like beforehand and give this to the retention team.
Don’t say yes to the first offer you are given, stay firm and push for the discount you initially had in mind.
Sky deals
Sky offers deals and offers for existing customers that can slash the cost of your bill.
You can find these by signing in to your Sky account or by contacting the Sky customer service team to find out what is available.
You can also see existing customer deals at sky.com/deals/customer but you will need to sign in to see the TV deals.
Move to a better deal
Once Sky mobile and broadband customers receive notification of a price increase, they have 30 days to get out of their contract without being hit with an exit fee.
It means a customer who received an email on March 15 has until April 14 to change their contract fee-free.
You can find cheaper and better value through a comparison site, as mentioned above.
And if Sky won’t match the deal, vote with your feet and get the same service at a better price.
It’s easy to move provider, thanks to the switching service One Touch Switch which means your new provider will handle everything for you, including cancelling your old contract and making sure the switch is seamless.
Unfortunately, this contract cancellation clause doesn’t cover Sky’s TV services including Sky Q TV, Sky Stream, or Sky Glass customers.
As a result, if you choose to end your TV contract at the same time as your broadband contract but are still within the minimum term for your TV service, you will be required to pay an early termination fee.
What are Sky's early termination fees?
SKY TV customers will incur an early termination fee if they choose to cancel their contract before the end of the agreed minimum term.
The amount you’re charged depends on:
- How long is left of your minimum term from the date your subscriptions end, calculated in days
- The days you have already been billed for in advance
- The products you subscribe to, the price you pay for them and when your subscriptions end
For Sky TV, early termination charges range from £14.00 to £42.89 per month, depending on the specific package.
For instance, if you cancel a standard Sky TV package priced at £33.82 per month with 12 months remaining on a 24-month contract, you would be required to pay the remaining 12 months’ fees in one lump sum.
This would result in a total early termination fee of £405.84.
Downgrade
Depending on the products and services you have, you can reduce costs by changing your package.
For example, ad skipping costs £4 a month and is an easy way to trim the price of your bill.
To check what your options are you will need to contact Sky and talk through your specific package.
Beforehand, however, work out if the amount you are using a service, such as Sky Sports, justifies keeping it.
Cancel culture
If you are at the end of a contract it’s a good time to take stock of your television needs.
Approximately 32% of bundled broadband and pay-TV customers were out of contract as of the end of June 2024, according to Ofcom.
This translates to around two million Sky TV customers who could quit their contract penalty free ahead of April 1, avoiding the 6.2% bill hike.
Keep on top of which subscription television you use and cancel those you don’t.
For example, is it really worth paying extra for Sky Cinema add ons if you are already have plenty of other options for watching movies such as Netflix, and don’t forget free options from Channel 4 on demand.
How to save on broadband and TV bills
HERE'S how to save money on your broadband and TV bills:
Audit your subscriptions
If you’ve got multiple subscriptions to various on-demand services, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Sky consider whether you need them all.
Could you even just get by with Freeview, which couldn’t cost you anything extra each month for TV.
Also make sure you’re not paying for Netflix twice via Sky and directly.
Haggle for a discount
If you want to stay with your provider, check prices elsewhere to set a benchmark and then call its customer services and threaten to leave unless it price matches or lowers your bill.
Switch and save
If you don’t want to stay with your current provider check if you can cancel your contract penalty free and switch to a cheaper provider.
A comparison site, such as BroadbandChoices or Uswitch, will help you find the best deal for free.