Thousands of UK households are overpaying for broadband without realising it, experts have warned. If you’re out of contract, now is the best time to switch and lock in a cheaper deal before annual price hikes hit in April.

For the second year running, many providers – including major players like BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Plusnet and Vodafone – are offering price-freeze deals to new customers this March. On average, current deals are just 6% more expensive than Black Friday and 10% cheaper than this time last year. Broadband Genie’s experts warn that waiting to switch could cost you more in the long run.

Peter Ames, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, said: “The best time to switch broadband is always as soon as you’re out of contract. However, if you are out of contract you should switch as soon as possible in order to minimise the impact of price rises.

“Switch now and, with most providers, you won’t face a price rise until next April. Every week you wait will increase the cost of the overall contract. As ever, the ideal situation is that Ofcom stops making half-baked attempts to tackle price rises changes and bans them outright.”

Broadband Genie has a calculator tool to find the best deal and take control of your monthly costs before prices go up.