The date when the price rise will be added to bills will depend on the type of contract you have with Tesco Mobile and when it was taken out.

The only customers who won’t see a mid-contract price hike going forwards are those who sign up to a ‘Clubcard Price deal’, which you need a free Tesco Clubcard for.

It follows on from providers including EE, Virgin Mobile and O2 Mobile confirming mid-contract price rises for mobile phone customers. Several broadband providers have also announced price rises.

It also comes as Ofcom has launched an investigation into mid-contract price rises, after criticisms that these hikes are unfair to consumers.

When will Tesco Mobile hike prices?

Anyone with a pay monthly contract, which expired before 1 February this year, will see their prices rise by 14.4% from 1 April this year.

Those with a contract that ends between 1 February and 31 January 2024 will see their prices rise by 14.4% from April 2024.

Price changes will also apply to those with an Anytime Upgrade Flex contract. Those who have paid off the phone part of their contract upfront, will see an annual rise to their basic monthly usage bill from April going forwards. This will only begin 12 months after the date their phone contract started.

Those with an Anytime Upgrade Flex contract who paid the phone contract off early, but not all in one go upfront, will see an annual price rise to their monthly bill every April going forwards. This will only start after the original phone contract has ended.

Customers who signed up to Tesco Mobile before 27 March 2023 or those who join after this date with one of its Clubcard Price deals will not see any price rises until their contract has ended.

The provider said it is contacting all customers to let them know how and when their bills will change.

What does Tesco say?

A Tesco Mobile spokesperson said: “At Tesco Mobile, we’re committed to offering our customers great value. That’s why we’re freezing prices for the length of a customer’s contract through Clubcard Prices. We’re proud to be one of the only networks to offer frozen prices.”

How to beat the price hike

The upcoming price hike in April will only apply to pay monthly customers who are not currently in a fixed-term contract. Therefore if this applies to you and you don’t want to pay the higher cost, you are able to switch to another provider without paying a penalty.