Lots of us now rely on digital, online and mobile services to live our lives. They keep us connected and can help us get better deals, save us money and keep on top of our finances. If you’re struggling to pay any of these bills, there are things you can do to stay connected.

What to do if you’re struggling to pay your mobile phone bill

If you don’t have a landline or broadband, your mobile phone is a vital connection to other services, so it’s important to keep it if you can.

This might be your first experience of struggling to pay a bill. Remember that it’s important to keep up with your payments. This isn’t just so you don’t lose your connection, but also because it could affect your credit score if you don’t.

If you need help, contact your provider as soon as possible to explain the situation. Many providers have support in place to help you, including:

• changing your bill date
• setting up an affordable repayment plan
• moving to a different tariff
• lowering your spending cap.

It’s best to only use your phone when you need to.

Switching to a cheaper tariff

If you’re on a mobile phone contract, you might be able to move to a cheaper pay-as-you go tariff or sim-only deal. But find out first if you have to pay a fee to end your contract early.

There’s a useful guide on cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract on the Citizens Advice website.

What to do if you’re struggling to pay your broadband bill

If you need help, contact your provider as soon as possible and explain your situation. They might be able to help you out, such as:

• changing your bill date
• setting up an affordable repayment plan
• moving to a different tariff
• removing data caps on fixed broadband services.

You might also be able to buy packages that include data boosts at low prices, or free landline phone calls.

If you're vulnerable or self-isolating, and your provider can’t make priority repairs in your home,  they should make sure you have alternatives to broadband or a landline.

Shopping around for broadband services

When shopping around for low-cost tariffs, it’s worth comparing the internet speed against the cost of the tariff. Cheaper tariffs might mean it takes longer to download documents, videos, games or films.

You can also compare these costs against the cheaper sim-only or pay-as-you-go deals which will give you more data and faster connections. Or you can use your mobile phone’s hotspot to transfer data to a computer or tablet if you need to access the internet.

When to get debt advice

Have you already missed a payment, or are worried you might miss a payment and are not able to come to an agreement with your provider? Then it’s best to get advice as soon you can, especially if you’ve got other debts as well.

To help you work out which bills to pay off first, see our guide: how to prioritise your debts. For more information on where to find help if you’re struggling to keep up payments, please click here.