Staying loyal is costing you: the ‘out of contract’ date check that has saved some UK households over £600 a year on broadband and energy

Ryan Collins • December 11, 2025 16:13

You set up the direct debit once, years ago, and left it alone. The broadband works, the lights come on, the app pings your monthly bill. Prices have crept up but you tell yourself it’s just the cost-of-living wave you’re riding along with everyone else.

Then one day you actually open the bill. Tucked away in small print is a line you’ve never really noticed: “Minimum term ended: 12/03/2021”. Your deal finished years ago. Since then, your loyalty has quietly turned into a surcharge.

Across the UK, households who checked that one date – the “out of contract” point on broadband and energy – have knocked £600 a year or more off their bills in a single phone call or switch. Not by turning the heating off or cancelling Netflix. Just by refusing to pay the “couldn’t be bothered to check” premium.

The tiny line on your bill that adds up to hundreds

Broadband, mobile and many energy deals all work the same way. You sign up to a fixed term – usually 12, 18 or 24 months – lured by an introductory price and maybe a freebie router or gift card. During that minimum term, you get the deal you were promised. When it ends, your contract doesn’t. It quietly rolls on.

What usually changes is the price. Your discount expires, you slide on to a “standard” or “out of contract” tariff, and the monthly cost jumps. The service is identical. The only thing that’s changed is that you stopped being new.

With broadband, that can mean:

The same or slower speed than new customers
Higher monthly price than the deal currently splashed across the provider’s homepage
Automatic above-inflation price rises baked into the small print

With energy, the picture is a bit different but the trap is similar. If you were on a fixed-rate tariff, when that ends you’re normally moved to your supplier’s standard variable tariff (SVT). Sometimes that’s fine, especially when the price cap falls – but often you’re just parked on a default rate because no one nudged you to move.

On paper, these are “standard” prices. In practice, they’re a loyalty tax.

Why loyalty is now a penalty, not a perk

Once upon a time, being a long-standing customer might have meant better treatment. Today, for broadband and energy especially, the best prices are usually reserved for people who are new, shouting, or about to leave.

Companies know three things:

New customer offers pull people in
Most of us hate admin and avoid switching
Many will accept a bill creep if it happens slowly

So they design prices around that. Enticing intro deals, followed by steep “out of contract” rates that rely on your inertia.

Regulators have noticed. Ofcom now requires broadband and mobile firms to send end-of-contract alerts, and Ofgem has pushed suppliers on the so‑called “loyalty penalty” in energy. But even with those rules, millions stay quietly overpaying, either because:

The email got lost in the inbox tide
The letter looked like marketing and went straight in the recycling
You saw it, meant to deal with it “at the weekend”, and never did

The result is the same: you fund other people’s introductory discounts.

How to find your out-of-contract date in five minutes

The good news is that this isn’t a detective job. Your provider already knows the date; you just need to drag it into the light.

Broadband and mobile

Look in one of three places:

Your online account or app
- Log in and head for sections labelled “My products”, “Plans”, “Contract” or “Package details”.
- Look for phrases like “Minimum term ends on…”, “In contract until…” or “Discount ends…”.
Recent emails
- Search your inbox for the name of your provider plus words like “contract”, “price change” or “end of contract”.
- Since 2020, many companies must send an end-of-contract notification – often around 30–40 days before. It may still be sitting there.
Call or webchat
- You can simply ask: “Can you tell me my contract end date and what I’m paying now compared with new customers?”
- Make a note of the date they give you and the price you’re on.

Energy

Pick up your latest bill (paper or PDF) and look for a box usually called “About your tariff” or “Your prices”. You should see:

The name of your tariff (e.g. “Fix & Save May 2024”, “Standard Variable”)
A line that says either:
- “End date: [date]” – you’re on a fixed deal with an end date; or
- No end date at all – you’re already on a variable tariff and can move any time

If there’s an end date, there should also be:

Any exit fees for leaving early (if they apply)
A note reminding you that you can switch without penalty from 49 days before the end

If you’re struggling to decode it, you can ring your supplier and ask directly:

“Am I on a fixed deal or a standard variable tariff, when does it end if so, and are there any exit fees?”

Lock the date into your calendar

Once you’ve found the dates, don’t trust your memory. Do this now:

Put each end date into your phone calendar with a reminder one month before
Label it clearly: “Broadband contract ends – check deals” / “Energy fix ends – review tariff”

Future you will get a nudge before the loyalty tax kicks in (or continues).

What to do when the date hits

Knowing your out-of-contract date only saves you money if you act on it. The good news: the “money” part usually takes less than half an hour.

Think of it in three steps.

1. Get a sense-check on what’s out there

Before you talk to anyone:

Use a couple of comparison sites to see typical prices for:
- Similar broadband speeds in your area
- Electricity/gas tariffs for your usage (you’ll need annual kWh from your bill)
Jot down two or three concrete examples:
- “Fibre 100Mb, £28 per month, 18‑month contract”
- “Fix until Sept 2025, £x/month based on my usage, no exit fee”

This gives you a rough “going rate” so you can recognise a good – or bad – offer when you hear it.

2. Call your current provider and be politely direct

You don’t have to leave to pay less. Often, the first saving comes from a simple conversation with the “thinking of leaving” or “retentions” team.

Try something like:

“I’ve seen deals for similar broadband at about £28 a month. I’m paying £42 and I’m out of contract. What can you do to keep me?”

Or for energy:

“My fix has ended and I can see cheaper tariffs on comparison sites. What’s your best deal for my usage right now?”

Key points:

Be calm, not combative
Have your usage, contract end date and competitor prices in front of you
If the first offer is weak, it’s fine to say, “That’s higher than I’m seeing elsewhere – is that genuinely your best price?”

Plenty of households see:

Broadband drop from, say, £45 to £28 a month (saving about £204 a year)
TV and landline bundles trimmed back to only what they actually use
Mobile SIMs cut in half in price when out-of-contract discounts are replaced

3. If they won’t play ball, switch

Sometimes the answer is still too expensive – or you simply fancy a clean break. In that case:

Use a trusted comparison site to start a switch for broadband and/or energy
Check:
- Contract length
- Any setup costs or exit fees
- How they handle downtime (most broadband switches are near-seamless)
Remember:
- You normally get a 14‑day cooling-off period to change your mind
- For energy, your new supplier usually handles the whole move, including telling the old one

If you’re already well past your out-of-contract date, you can often switch immediately with no penalties.

What people are actually saving

Here’s what typical “I finally checked” savings can look like for a household that hasn’t reviewed things in a few years:

Service	Before (out of contract)	After (new deal)
Fibre broadband	£48/month	£28/month
Energy (dual fuel)	£190/month	£140–£155/month (tariff change and DD review)
Mobile SIM	£24/month	£10–£12/month

Even at the lower end of those examples, that’s:

Around £240 a year off broadband
Another £420–£600 a year off energy for some households who’ve drifted onto pricey defaults
Plus £120–£170 a year on mobile, if you’re out of contract there too

Not everyone will see numbers this big. But even modest trims – £10 here, £15 there – add up quietly to hundreds over a year. And all of them start in the same place: finding the date and refusing to pay the sleepwalk tax.

“I’ll do it later” – and other stories we tell ourselves

If you feel a bit called out by this, you’re not alone. Lots of us avoid this stuff for surprisingly human reasons.

“It’s going to be a hassle”

Switching used to be a faff. These days:

Broadband changes are usually handled between providers; downtime is often minutes, not days
Energy suppliers manage the whole move, including meter readings
You rarely have to tell your bank anything – the direct debits update automatically

The longest bit is often waiting on hold, not the switch itself.

“I’m scared I’ll end up worse off”

A fair worry. You can reduce the risk by:

Avoiding deals with heavy exit fees unless the saving is clearly worth it
Checking whether your tariff has mid-contract price rise clauses (common for broadband)
Keeping a screenshot or email of the offer you’re accepting

And remember the cooling-off period: if the numbers don’t stack once you see the paperwork, you can back out.

“I rent, so it’s not really my call”

Energy and broadband don’t have to be a landlord-only conversation:

For energy, the person whose name is on the bill can usually switch, unless your rent is “bills included”
For broadband, you may need permission to install a new line or dish – but often you can still change provider over the existing line

At the very least, checking your out-of-contract dates gives you solid information to take to your landlord or housemates: “We’re paying £x, we could easily be paying around £y.”

A 10‑minute plan for this evening

If you want to turn this from “good idea” into actual money, here’s a simple script:

Grab your latest broadband and energy bills (app, email or paper).
Find and write down:
- The out-of-contract or end date for each
- What you’re currently paying per month
Set calendar reminders for one month before each end date.
Spend five minutes on a comparison site to see the going rate for your usage and speed.
If you’re already out of contract, decide:
- Call current provider to haggle tomorrow
- Or start a switch online while the numbers are fresh in your head

There’s no virtue in being the customer who “never complains” if that loyalty shows up only as an extra line on the profit sheet.

FAQ:

Won’t lots of applications hurt my credit score?
Price comparisons themselves usually don’t touch your credit file. Some providers carry out a soft or hard check when you actually sign up to a new contract or switch; one or two checks used sensibly won’t wreck a healthy score. If you’re worried, ask the provider what kind of check they run before you proceed.

What if I’m in arrears with my current energy or broadband provider?
You can still ask to be moved to a cheaper tariff or negotiate a payment plan. For energy, suppliers have obligations to support customers in difficulty. Switching with debt can be harder, but not impossible, especially for small balances on credit meters. The key is to talk to them early rather than ignore the problem.

Do I pay a fee if I switch before my contract end date?
Often, yes. Early termination charges can wipe out any saving if you move too soon. That’s why knowing the exact end date matters. In energy, you can usually switch within 49 days of the end of a fixed tariff without exit fees. For broadband and mobile, check your contract or ask directly about any early exit charges.

Will my broadband be cut off during a switch?
For most standard switches (for example, Openreach-based providers swapping over), downtime is brief – often under an hour – and happens on the agreed go-live date. Different network types (like cable to full fibre) can be a bit more involved, but providers will tell you what to expect before you commit.

Is it worth checking if I’m already on a standard variable energy tariff?
Yes. Being on a standard variable tariff just tells you you’re out of your fix; it doesn’t guarantee it’s the best deal for you. Prices and the Ofgem cap move regularly. A quick comparison against your actual usage can show whether staying put, fixing, or switching supplier will likely leave you better off.