Proximus and Orange increase their prices
Proximus customers who have old internet-television-telephone packages and Orange customers, for fixed internet and television, will pay more for their subscription from January 1, 2022 (Proximus) and January 17 (Orange) . On the other hand, Telenet did not plan to increase its prices after increasing them in the summer of 2021.
Proximus customers with “Minimus” and “Familimus / Tuttimus” internet and television packages will pay 1.5 euros more per month, reaching 62.5 and 73.5 euros respectively per month. For packages with fixed telephony and television, fixed telephony and internet and “Start” (fixed telephony, internet and television), the monthly rate will increase by 1 euro. These packs are no longer available to new customers or are no longer actively promoted. The amount of Flex plans remains unchanged.
In addition, the operator will increase the price of all Internet subscriptions excluding bundles by 1 euro per month for individuals and those with a Proximus fixed line which is not part of a bundle will pay an additional 0.5 euro.
Finally, the price of a second decoder will also increase, from 6 to 8 euros per month, as will the TV Replay + product, which will increase from 5 to 6 euros per month. The prices of mobile subscriptions will remain unchanged.
At Orange, the prices of the Love, Home and Boost offers will be adapted. For services including fixed internet, the increase will be 2 euros per month, and for those including fixed internet and television, the increase will be 3 euros per month. All other prices remain unchanged.
The simplified energy bill
The energy bill will be simpler and clearer for the consumer from January 1, 2022. A royal decree now establishes the minimum requirements to be met by bills and billing information for gas and electricity.
Presented on two pages, the information will be divided into five different sections to clearly identify them: “Essential contract information”, “What, where and how do I pay or recover an amount”, “I have a question”, “Compare contracts and change” as well as “Manage energy consumption”. The “small print” will also be removed.
This simplification should allow consumers to better compare and control their energy consumption, which was previously more difficult because of a tangle of charges and costs on the energy bill.
According to a report from the Electricity and Gas Regulatory Commission (Creg), the current energy bill is too long and unreadable for many people, especially those in energy poverty.
Social tariffs for gas and electricity on the rise again
Social tariffs for gas and electricity will increase again on January 1. In one year, the social tariff for electricity has increased by 36% and that for gas by 45%, according to the Creg, the regulatory commission.
The social tariff for electricity and / or natural gas is a reduced tariff reserved for certain categories of persons or households such as social benefit recipients. It is identical for all energy suppliers and includes the energy component, the distribution component (distribution network tariff) and the transmission component (transmission network tariff). Since July 1, 2020, the Creg has set the amount of the social tariff every three months.
Due to high energy prices, social tariffs have been increasing for some time. Compared to the first quarter of 2021, the electricity tariff in January, February and March will be 36% higher and that of gas by 45%. Compared to the fourth quarter, this is an increase of 8.2% and 10.5% respectively.
Prohibition of tacit renewal of dormant energy contracts
Dormant energy contracts can no longer be tacitly renewed from January 1, 2022. Energy suppliers will now have to inform the customer and offer him a new contract when it is no longer active or its price differs from the current price Energy.
A dormant energy contract is a contract which is in fact no longer available on the market, but which is tacitly renewed by the supplier. The consumer therefore continues to pay the old price. Customers who have benefited from a temporary reduction at the start of the contract are often affected.
For open-ended contracts, the energy supplier has until March 1, 2022 to bring its business practices into line with the new legislation.
A universal banking service to maintain manual operations
A universal banking service (SBU) will be included in the offer of Belgian banks on January 1, 2022 so that customers can pay and manage their money without difficulty in the context of the digitalization of society. “It is necessary to pay particular attention to the group of people who are less or not digital”, underlines Febelfin, the Belgian federation of the financial sector.
Several banking institutions already offer packages with a sufficient number of manual transactions at a reasonable price, but this offer will be extended to most retail banks thanks to the SBU.
The universal banking service provides a package of services comprising at least 60 manual transactions per year (in particular paper transfers to be given to the branch and cash withdrawals at the counter), a debit card, 24 cash withdrawals at the ATM of the bank, and the printing of account statements at the automatic teller machines of the bank’s own in the branch.
The SBU has a maximum fixed cost of 60 euros per year, possibly supplemented by a variable cost for sending account statements.
Price increases planned in several banks
Banks will increase prices for some banking services from January 1. These increases concern in particular basic bank accounts but also the sending of statements by post.
At BNP Paribas Fortis, the monthly fee for the basic current account (6% of the clientele) will go from 1.75 to 2 euros, and from 7 to 7.75 euros for the Premium Pack (one to three accounts, 23 % of customers).
Fintro, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas Fortis, will reduce the monthly fee for maintenance of the ordinary current account from 1.75 to 2 euros. The standard subscription for the “Fintro Blue Sky” pack will also cost 7 euros per month, compared to 6 previously, and that of the “Fintro Blue” 3.5 euros per month instead of 3. The age limit to benefit from the Go-Life account will also be reduced from 30 to 27 years.
The Axa bank foresees an increase in the sending of account statements by post. Without counting the shipping costs, the monthly shipment for current accounts will now cost 5 euros (no charges previously), 30 euros for a weekly frequency (instead of 17 euros) and 50 euros for a daily frequency (25 euros previously). The monthly withdrawal from the bank agent will increase from 50 to 75 euros. Regarding savings accounts, without postage, the sending of statements at home will drop from 2.5 to 5 euros regardless of the frequency. It will cost 25 euros (against 15) via the agency.
An additional Axa card reader will also cost 25 euros instead of 15.
At Deutsche Bank, the quarterly fee of 12 euros for the “DB account” will become a monthly fee of 5.30 euros per month. However, it will not be due if the clients are under 25 years old, if the total value of the assets (cash, investments including insurance products) is at least 50,000 euros or if they also benefit from the services. “DB Personal” or “Private Banking”.
For Bpost Bank, the price of the “b.comfort” account will drop from 4.25 to 4.50 euros per month, and that of the “Post Czech” account from 24 to 28 euros per year. The costs of sending account statements (postage per envelope) will also be slightly more expensive, at 1.8 euros against 1.7.
Crelan is also announcing price increases: from 4 to 4.50 euros per month for the Economy Plus Pack (free for children under 24), from 3 to 3.50 euros for the same pack used by members, from 24 to 30 euros per year for the current account.
ING is also making its Green Account a universal banking service that guarantees affordable services for non-digital customers. From January, sixty manual debit transactions per year are included in the service, followed by a cost of 1 euro from the 61st transaction.
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