4 household bills going DOWN in April - if you act now

Everything is going up in price again - or so it seems. With energy bills, council tax and TV licences all increasing in price from April, there’s more pain on the way for household bills in a matter of just weeks.

The likes of Virgin Media, Sky and BT as well as Vodafone, EE and Three have announced price rises in 2025, while council tax will go up by the maximum amount allowed - more in some special cases - and TV licences have also been hiked, all kicking in from April.

But there are some monthly bills that are actually going to go DOWN in price - if you take action now.

From mobile and broadband bills to energy and insurance, there are up to four bills that you could actually reduce each month if you take action.

First, phone bills. According to Martin Lewis, there are as many as 14 million mobile customers out of contract in the UK. Out of contract means that you have passed your minimum contract period - e.g. 12 months or 24 months.

When you’re out of contract, most mobile companies won’t make any changes to your bill, they will simply allow you to keep paying, even though you’ve paid off your handset and you’re no longer contractually obligated to stay.

Sometimes, companies will continue to charge you the same monthly bill even though you’ve paid off your handset - so you’re effectively paying for nothing.

To check if you’re out of contract, text INFO to 85075. This will tell you if you’re out of contract. If you are, you will be able to do a market comparison and find a cheap deal. For SIM-only (if you don’t need a new phone), some cost as little as £4-£8 per month which can be a huge saving against your current contract.

Similar to mobile bills, there are millions of broadband customers also out of contract. Again, this is when you’ve already passed your minimum contract period and are free to switch without paying any exit fees.

Right now, new customers can get broadband from £28 per month from Sky for 500mbps (actually £34 a month, but you get a voucher if you buy via Broadbandchoices).

Virgin Media will also do a £29 a month deal with a shopping voucher, while Vodafone has £31.46 for the same 500mb speeds as the other two.

For non-fibre, you can go with Sky’s 75mb for £22.92 a month equivalent if bought via Broadbandchoices.

Don’t forget, with Sky broadband, you can cancel any time if your prices go up. This is because Sky has opted out of Ofcom’s ‘pounds and pence’ rule and still issues price rises as annual percentage increases.

As a result, even if you’re mid-contract, if Sky tells you it’s raising your price, you can cancel with 30 days’ notice and switch to a competitor with no gaps in service.

But energy bills are going up in April, aren’t they? Yes, but yours don’t have to - in fact the best energy deals on the market right now will save you money against the CURRENT price cap, let alone the April one.

In April, the standard variable tariff - this is what the price cap is locked on - is going up 6.4% on average, equivalent to £111 a year or £1,849 annual total for a household on typical bills.

With some deals coming in at 6% less than today’s price cap, it means you can lock your prices at around 12% lower than the April price cap, right now.

For example, E.On Next Fixed 15M V1 is a 15-month fix that will save 6% off the January-April price cap.

With prices going up in April by another 6.4%, that would make a total of 12.4% saved against the price cap - or £221 a year for a typical use household. And, of course, that’s just an average estimate; if you use more, you’ll also save more.

Other deals include Outfox The Market at 5.1% (so 11% including April price cap) and British Gas Fixed V32, 4.4% saving now, 10.1% by April.

But hurry, you need to act now - as Martin Lewis warned on his most recent Martin Lewis Money Show Live, the best deals may only be around for ‘two or three’ more days.

Finally, car insurance. Average car insurance prices have dropped by 16% in the past year, and so if your car insurance bill isn’t going down, you’re probably overpaying.

But for the best price, you need to act 26 days before your renewal. For whatever reasons of algorithms and risk, this is the exact date insurers think exemplifies low-risk behaviours; those who are prepared well in advance are less likely to create insurance risks behind the wheel.

As Martin Lewis explained on a recent episode of his show: “What I’m hearing a lot these days is that when people do their renewal, they’re so used to prices going up, when they get a renewal that’s the same price they go ‘yaaay, my renewal hasn’t gone up, I’m sorted’. No. If your renewal is the same, the market has dropped 16%, you’re paying too much.

“Even if it’s a little bit cheaper, you’re paying too much. So my warning is against complacency.

“If you’re getting a renewal and it’s not giving you a good saving on what you were paying, well I’d always say don’t auto-renew, don’t settle, combine comparison sites because they serve different insurers and they have different deals even from the same insurers. It’s worth doing, and the perfect time to get your quotes is 26 days before the renewal.”