TV AND BROADBAND ON THE RISE TOO SO SWITCH AND SAVE

We already pay 40% more than consumers elsewhere in Europe for our TV and broadband.

And that is going up even more.

Eir is hiking its broadband and phone prices for some consumers by a multiple of the inflation rate.

The looming 8% rise for TV and broadband tots up to €6 a month, adding €72 a year to the average bill. In fairness, this is the first increase by Eir in four years, it says. And it also has the cheapest deal for TV/broadband/phone services at €39.95 a month, including Amazon Prime and an Eir sports package. However, Eir says the price increase will apply to those on promotional discounts as it will increase the regular price on which the discounts are based. This is a bit cheeky as people opt for discounts with a price they expect to be in place for a full year. The next cheapest deal for new customers is

Vodafone’s €45 a month for a year (without Amazon), so Eir probably thinks it is still an attractive option despite a dreadful record for customer service. Meanwhile Sky charges €45.50 per month for six months, rising to €91, while Virgin’s best deal for newbies only is €65 a month.

These offers only apply for one-year contracts, after which you face higher rates. Putting a note in your diary to switch before that contract is up will save far more than €6 a month – more like €30 a month (over €350 a year)

‘There are some genuinely fantastic tripleplay offers out there for people who are prepared to switch,’ says Daragh Cassidy, of Bonkers.ie. He advises switching to a lower grade plan without TV channels you never watch or broadband speeds you don’t need.