Fixed and mobile packages are also victims of inflation! Bouygues, Orange and SFR are increasing their prices again at the start of the year to offset rising energy costs. Here are some tips to save a little.
The new year brings a whole series of price increases with inflation, whether that of energy (+16% for households, +84% for businesses), tolls (+4.75%) , public transport (passage of the Navigo pass at more than 84 €), electronic components… In short, nothing to celebrate! And as much to say that, put end to end, all these increases end up weighing heavily in the wallet! Unfortunately, things are not improving since the prices of fixed and mobile packages are also soaring! While users have had the unpleasant surprise for some time of seeing the prices of their subscriptions increase – whether without being warned or via sneaky techniques (see our article) – the Government is adding a layer of it by trying to impose a tax on all Internet and mobile packages. But that’s without counting on the war in Ukraine and the resulting energy price hikes! The operators warned us at the end of the year and are now taking action. This is why UFC-Que Choisir proposed on his website some tips to limit damage.
Increase in packages: tips for low-cost packages
There are no small savings, especially right now! And, casually, smoothed over the year, fixed and mobile packages represent a good source of expenditure. That’s why you shouldn’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and see if the prices are better elsewhere and, if necessary, to change operator – while keeping your phone number, of course. It is therefore advisable to be attentive to the advantageous offers that certain operators can sometimes offer, even if it is increasingly rare. Indeed, the rates are sometimes attractive during the first 12 months, and it may be worth changing plans again a year later (see our plan comparator).
Similarly, do not be satisfied with the offers put forward by the operators and do not hesitate to “search” their website. Sometimes there are nice surprises! For example, Bouygues Telecom’s Source package offers 40 GB of data with unlimited calls and texts for €10 per month. In addition, he is “responsible and united” : the gigabytes not consumed each month are converted into money donated to associations. To subscribe, you must go to a dedicated site: Sourcemobile.fr. Not easy to find! It is also possible to contact the cancellation service of your operator and try to negotiate a reduction. Nothing ventured, nothing gained ! And we must not forget that, if Orange, Bouygues Telecom, Free and SFR are the major operators in France, they are not the only ones! Some alternative operators such as Coriolis, Prixtel, La Poste mobile or even CDiscount mobile offer very interesting offers, such as 50 GB packages at €9.99 per month.
Another method to save a few dollars every month is simply to consume less data. Indeed, not everyone uses all the gigabytes provided in the package in full. It may therefore be worth it to opt for a less extensive and therefore less expensive package. There are many 1 GB offers and, if the limit is generally reached quickly, you just have to manage your additional consumption well, in particular by using Wi-Fi as much as possible or by buying top-ups – generally around €2 per additional gigabyte .
Orange, Bouygues, SFR: subscribers pay for soaring energy
As UFC-Que Choisir warned, the new packages began to apply at the beginning of the year, for new and old customers, and on almost all packages. For Bouygues Telecom and SFR, it is from January and February 2023, while Orange grants its customers two months of respite before following suit. Only Free undertakes to maintain its prices… or almost. The first to increase the prices of its subscriptions was Bouygues Telecom, which had already started sending emails entitled “Our rates are changing” to its subscribers from the beginning of January in order to announce the good news, which took effect at the end of January 2023. The amount of this increase is €1 to €2 depending on the package. For the B&You 40 GB, the increase is €1, while the 80 GB packages are increased by €2. For its part, the Bbox Fit subscription has increased by €2 per month. However, it seemed that these increases could be higher than what is announced, since a customer had reported to the association that her bill for an offer combining box and mobile had increased from €65.89 to €69.89 ( i.e. an increase of €4) last October already…
SFR has also increased its prices, even if it is much less significantly: between €0.69 and €0.99 per month depending on the SFR and Red by SFR plans, starting in February 2023. The operator was justified in December by “the general increase in the costs that make up the price of your service (electronic components, raw materials, logistics)”. What poses a problem is that the operator is subject to a duty to inform its customers. However, SFR did not send either email or SMS, and simply contented itself with an insert at the bottom of the January invoice. Suffice to say that many customers may not understand what is happening to them next month!
For its part, Orange had justified toAlloforfait its decision to increase its rates by the fact that it faces “to a significant increase in [ses] operating costs, particularly of the energy that powers [ses] mobile networks and the Internet”. It was therefore “forced” to pass on the rise in energy prices to its subscribers. In his immense kindness, the operator had announced that he would make sure that they only had to pay 1 to 3 € per month. The €1 increases concern Orange mobile offers (mobile plan and mobile plan for Open customers), Orange Internet fibre, Sosh mobile and Sosh Internet. The €2 increases concern Open and Orange Internet ADSL customers. They will be effective in March 2023 for 3 million customers, and in April 2023 for 12.5 million others – subscribers therefore have the right to a little respite. On the other hand, the main subscription with social reduction will not change, and the Coup de Pouce offer, intended for people with a family quotient of less than or equal to €700, should drop so that they can continue to connect to the Internet at home. they.
Some of these increases have already been applied since the beginning of February for new customers – those who already have a subscription with the operator are not currently affected. Thus, for mobile offers, the general prices of the offers do not change, but those of the first promotional year increase by 2 to 3 €. For example, for Orange packages, the 150 GB 5G package (24-month commitment) goes from 29.99 to 32.99 euros/month the first year (+€3), then to 44.99 euros/month. The 220 GB 5G package (24-month commitment): goes from 49.99 to 52.99 euros/month for 1 year (+€3) before going to 64.99 euros/month. For its part, the package 2h 100MB (without commitment) goes from 3.99 to 4.99 euros/month for a 1 year (+2 €), then to increase to 7.99 euros/month. Finally, the 80GB package (without commitment) goes from 14.99 to 17.99 euros/month for 1 year (+€3), then to 29.99 euros/month. Same observation for the three Livebox Fiber offers, Up Fiber and Max Fibre, but also ADSL offers, the price of which for the first year increases by €1 to €2. That’s what hurts the wallet…
Increase in packages: only Free does not increase its prices… or almost
Finally, only Free was, in his words at least, remained true to himself, which can also motivate some customers to come to him. A spokesperson for the group said at the Parisian that“we have made a commitment not to touch the price of these packages for the next five years and we are the only operator not to increase the price of our packages”. And indeed, the prices of the packages themselves have not increased. The options on the other hand… Indeed, the operator has subtly increased the price of the Booster option offered on its package to €2.
As a reminder, this option was launched last September at a price of €2.99 and then included 1 GB of data and unlimited calls in France and to the overseas departments, instead of the 2 hours and 50 MB per month included in the package. basic. A few weeks after its release, Free had finally decided to lower the additional data included in the option to 600 MB per month. New surprise change at the end of January 2023 since the Booster offer goes to €4.99 per month – in addition to the €2 of the basic package therefore –, i.e. a nice increase of €2, for this time 1 GB of data and calls unlimited. Please note that this price only concerns new subscribers or old ones who have not yet subscribed to the option. With this new price, Free is therefore in line with its competitors, since RED by SFR and B & You both offer a package with 1 GB of data and unlimited calls for €6.99 per month. But that’s not all ! From now on, current customers who want to subscribe to the Booster option must pay an activation fee of €10, which was absolutely not the case before – new customers only have to pay the €10 activation fee of the SIM card (see our complete article on the Booster option).
If all its increases are carried out within a legal framework and it is impossible to oppose it, remember that subscribers have the right to ask to change their offer – to take another less expensive one – or to cancel their subscription. current free of charge and without taking into account the commitment period within four months of receipt of the email, in accordance with article L224-33 of the Consumer Code. All customers must be informed at least one month before the application of the new prices. So stay vigilant during this period to avoid any unpleasant surprises…