With the TV licence fee set to rise from April, many Brits are considering cancelling payments and boycotting the BBC’s programmes. Currently, those with a standard colour TV licence pay an annual fee of £169.50 for but this is set to rise by £5 from April 1.
But Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis believes there’s people out there who may be unnecessarily paying for the licence, as he urges them to consider cancelling it to make a saving. According to the government, you must have a TV licence to watch or record live TV from a BBC channel or to watch BBC iPlayer.
However, you do not need a TV licence to watch streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video or channels such as All4, Channel 4 and ITVX. If you’re 75 or over and receive Pension Credit, or you’re blind or in residential care, you might be able to get a free or discounted licence.
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Those who watch BBC channels without a licence can face prosecution plus a fine of up to £1,000 (up to £2,000 if you live in Guernsey). Sharing his advice, Martin urges people to check whether they could be entitled to a refund:
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If you’re moving in with someone who already has a TV licence or moving somewhere where you won’t watch ‘live TV’ or use BBC iPlayer
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If you’re moving abroad
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If you’re 75 or over and receiving Pension Credit (or living with someone who is)
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If you’re moving into a care home
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If the TV licence holder has died, a refund may be due to the estate
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If you have two licences for the same address
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If you have a licence, but will not watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV or use BBC iPlayer before your licence expires
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If you’ve changed the type of licence to a cheaper one, such as a black-and-white licence, you may be due a partial refund
You can apply for a refund up to two years after the expiry date of your licence. Commenting on the topic, one Reddit user said: “I’m happy paying my licence just for the radio. Don’t watch the telly much but the radio with no ads is 100% worth it for me.”
Another user added: “Pretty sure the only thing I use it for is FA cup matches lol. Might just cancel it and watch at the pub instead. Pints are expensive these days but a d*mn sign cheaper than p***** money up the wall on unoriginal terrestrial TV cr*p.”
A third user said: “Just as a thought experiment, if everyone stopped paying the license fee and the BBC are forced to adopt a commercial model, or worse still, end up being sold off to a private media conglomerate, what would happen to public broadcasting in this country?”