The advertised monthly price is rarely the full story. Here are the most common extra charges to look out for.

1. Connection/joining fees. Some providers charge £30-£75 just to activate your line — often not shown clearly until checkout.

2. Router fees. A “free” router sometimes comes with a rental charge buried in the small print, or a return fee/deposit if you don’t send it back at the end of your contract.

3. Mid-contract price rises. Many providers build in annual price increases (often tied to inflation plus a percentage) even while you’re in a fixed-term contract — meaning the price you signed up for isn’t the price you’ll pay 12 months later.

4. Early exit fees. Leaving before your contract ends can trigger charges covering the remaining months, sometimes calculated in a way that’s hard to predict upfront.

5. Engineer call-out charges. If a fault turns out to be inside your home rather than on the network, some providers charge for the engineer visit.

How to avoid getting caught out:

• Ask directly: “Is this the full price I’ll pay every month for the length of my contract?”
• Check whether price increases are contractually guaranteed not to happen during a fixed term
• Confirm whether the router is genuinely free to keep, or conditional

Merula’s approach: No connection fees, no line rental, and a pricing commitment that keeps your price unchanged for the length of any fixed term you choose.