Virgin Media moves to 24-month contracts

As of today, new customers signing up for Virgin Media broadband or broadband and TV will now be contracted for a minimum period of 24 months.

The new contract length is 6 months longer than the previous 18-month terms, but brings the provider in line with rivals BT and Sky.

The change also means customers will now be paying an additional annual price rise of £3.50 in April 2027.

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24-month contracts

From today, new customers and existing customers re-contracting with Virgin Media will have to sign up for a minimum period of 24-months.

This is an extension of six months over the previous 18-month contract terms, yet, brings Virgin Media into line with BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, and Vodafone.

Indeed, it was only last year in June 2024 that Sky moved from 18-month to 24-month terms to bring them in line with BT, who've been contracting customers for 24 months the longest.

While an additional six months may seem like a tie, it does offer the benefit of increasing the period of which customers pay a lower introductory price before having to re-contract - for a price often less attractive than those offered to new customers -, or deal with switching away.

That said, it's hard to ignore how easier switching between broadband networks with the new One Touch Switch system may have played a part in prompting Virgin Media to tie customers down a little longer, with 24 months being the maximum period allowed by regulator Ofcom.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said, "We're constantly reviewing our products and services to ensure we're giving customers the best possible experience with us. As part of this, we have introduced 24-month contracts for new customers, which provide longer-term certainty and greater value. A customer's contract length is always clearly explained at the point of sale and detailed in their contractual information."

It's also worth highlighting that existing customer contracts will remain unaffected by this change, and therefore will end 18 months after they signed up, at least until they decide to re-contract with Virgin Media.

Annual price rises

Another drawback of 24-month terms is that customers will most likely be subject to two annual price rises during their minimum period.

New Virgin Media customers will therefore, now find themselves having to pay a higher price in both April 2026 and April 2027 before being able to find a better deal again.

Virgin Media broadband and TV bundles increase by £3.50 per month from a customer's April bill, which pushes prices up between 14.5% on their M125 broadband only plan, and 4.43% on their flagship Biggest Combo Bundle.

Customers on Volt bundles will see prices rises further due to separate terms on the O2 mobile plan which has a separate annual price rise of £1.80 per month, meaning Volt prices rise by a total of £5.30 per month in April of each year.

While these increases may seem steep, BT themselves also increase prices by £5 per month on their TV and broadband bundles, while broadband and phone plans increase by £3 per month. Customers with a bundled EE SIM will also be subject to an annual increase of £1.50 per month in March of each year.