TalkTalk raises line rental AGAIN

The hikes will be the second in eight months when the majority come into force on 1 January.

The key New Year increases are a 45p/month jump (£5.40/year) in standard phone line rental from £14.50 to £14.95/month, and a £1/month rise in its Plus TV packages from £14.50 to £15.50/month.

A number of packages that are no longer on sale to new customers will also rise by £1/month.

Meanwhile, call costs are also going up, including calls to mobiles and UK daytime calls to landlines. While most of these also come into force in January, a few premium rate call charges rise next month.

For a full breakdown of the hikes, see the TalkTalk price rise page. The giant last raised prices in May.

Can you escape your contract?

TalkTalk will allow customers to exit their contract early penalty-free if they cancel within 30 days of notification.

However, other providers' prices are also rising, so you may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Sky is raising phone prices by 18% on 1 December, and BT is putting up costs by 6% in January.

You can get line rental from £7.49/month from Primus, though this does not include free calls. See Cheap Home Phones for full details.