Thousands of former BT broadband customers who have switched to a different internet service provider but pay to keep their BT email account will be hit with a steep price hike in May, with the monthly usage charge rising from £1.60/mth to £5/mth. Dozens of angry BT Premium Mail subscribers have complained on Twitter or contacted MoneySavingExpert.com to vent their frustration after being told of the price increase, with some saying they feel they are being "held to ransom". The regulator Ofcom has told MSE that it will be contacting BT to "fully understand the terms relating to its premium email price increase" and to consider whether the hike "raises any concerns". See our Cheap Broadband guide for tips on getting the best broadband deal. Here's full info on the BT price rise and what you can do about it. What is BT Premium Mail? BT offers its Premium Mail service to those who don't want BT broadband anymore but still want to keep their old email address, eg, joe.bloggs@btopenworld.com. It's also available as a standalone, paid-for service if you have a BT broadband account and want to create additional BT Mail accounts. BT won't say how many customers will be hit by the hike, but it's understood to be thousands. The monthly charge for a Premium Mail account will increase from £1.60/mth to £5/mth on 6 May. 'Held to ransom' We've been contacted by a number of users angry at the changes. Andrew says: "When I was on dial-up years and years ago we went with BT, then when broadband came in we ended up with TalkTalk. I was initially told I'd have to pay £1.60 a month to keep the email address and even though it was annoying I paid it, because it would have been a pain to have to change [email accounts] and lose all my contacts and swap information for banking accounts, for example. "When I got the email about the £5-a-month charge I was quite surprised. It's a complete rip off and when I asked on the online chat room they basically said if I don't pay it then I can't keep the account. I feel like I'm being held to ransom. If push comes to shove I will have to swap accounts." Henry says: "I have recently ditched BT after 30 years as our telephone and broadband provider, because we were paying over the odds. Unfortunately we have to retain our BT email service as it will be too disruptive to change. I am furious with BT." Susan says: "For me and my husband to keep our domain email addresses it would be an extra £10 a month on top of our TalkTalk broadband service. Switching broadband services could be expensive if you have no option in keeping your BT domain address." I've been hit by the hike – what can I do? If you're a Premium Mail customer and don't want to pay the extra £3.40/mth, BT says you have two options: However you may also want to try the following:
BT is investigating complaints that former BT broadband customers , who migrated to a different internet provider but paid to keep their BT email account , are to see their monthly usage charge reduced in May , with some claiming they are being " held to ransom " by BT . Some customers that moved from broadband to TalkTalk are being affected by the congestion charges .