There are seven million customers who are out-of-contract on their broadband deal.

According to uSwitch, these households are already overpaying by £162 compared to those on a broadband deal. In total, this means they’re paying over the odds to the tune of £1bn.

While many customers on deals are bracing for the April mid-contract price hikes, uSwitch said many out-of-contract customers may not realise they face bill rises too.

The annual price rise among the broadband companies varies between 5.4% and 9.3%, depending on when the original deal was taken.

As such, uSwitch said many customers are in the dark about how much extra they will have to pay.

However, as these customers are out-of-contract, they can switch services without penalty to save on bills.

uSwitch lists the ten best broadband deals:

Adelana Carty, broadband expert at Uswitch, said: “There has been plenty of coverage of mid-contract price rises this year, but broadband customers who are out-of-contract may not realise that their deal will be increasing too.

“These customers face a double whammy of extra costs, as they are both paying over the odds due to being out-of-contract and seeing their bills increase by up to 9.3% as well.

“If you are out of contract with your broadband supplier, there has never been a better time to save yourself money. Do a comparison today and see what deals are available.”