Sky announces surprise price alert and the exact date when it may affect you

All of the UK's biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) announced price hikes earlier this year with customers facing higher costs from April. Suppliers hiking costs included Sky, with this popular service provider adding around 6 per cent to monthly bills. Now, in an update that might surprise some customers, Sky has announced another new cost increase.

This time it's affecting the firm's NOW platform, with those accessing the web via this ISP facing a £3 per bill rise.

The change will come into force from July 4, 2025 with anyone who has signed up to plans such as Brilliant Broadband, Fab Fibre and Super Fibre being affected.

“We understand that price increases are never welcome," a NOW spokesperson said.

"However, to continue improving and investing in our services, we need to adjust our pricing. Starting 4th July, the monthly cost of our NOW legacy Broadband products, including Fab Fibre, Super Fibre, and Brilliant Broadband plans, will increase by £3 each.”

Although the thought of paying more won't please many, NOW is offering a lifeline.

The ISP says it is notifying customers and giving them at least 31 days’ notice about the changes.

Unlike many other providers that lock users into contracts, NOW users are being allowed to leave penalty-free within 31 days of being notified of a price increase.

So, if you get an email from NOW in the coming weeks and don't want to pay the extra £3 fees, you can go online shopping and find another without the worry of early exit fees.

So why are prices going up?

NOW says that these price changes are reflective of the investments it has made to improve its products and services.

The service also says there are increasing cost pressures it continues to face across the board – such as wholesale cost and investment to improve its service.

Even if you aren't with NOW, it's always a good idea to shop around and see what offers are available. Along with checking out the main providers like BT, Virgin and Sky, there are plenty of smaller alternative networks popping up all over the UK that often offer faster speeds at lower prices.

To see what Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are in your street, look at Ofcom's useful postcode checker. You might get faster downloads whilst saving some money.