Eir hikes email prices by 30pc while Google raises YouTube Premium fees by up to 44pc

Eir’s legacy Eircom.net system, still used by thousands of people in Ireland, receives a hefty price increase as online subscription fees continue to rise

Eir is hiking the price of its Eircom.net email service by 30pc to €13 per month, an increase described as “ridiculous” by some users.

It’s the second major price increase in three years. The service was free for almost 20 years before Eir introduced a €6-per-month charge in 2020. In 2021 it increased this by 67pc to €10 per month before a further 30pc rise to €13 per month this year.

Earlier this year, Eir warned that it would increase prices on its other prices by 7.6pc this year. These services include broadband (up to €6 more per month) and mobile phone subscriptions (up to €4 extra per plan per month).

Those who wish to avoid the Eir email price hike can switch to a free service such as Gmail by opening an account with the new email provider, going into settings and picking following the ‘import’ instructions.

It comes as Google announced a price increase of 44pc on YouTube Premium Family subscriptions, from €18 per month to €26 per month.

YouTube is one of the most heavily used online services within families, with ‘Premium’ subscriptions taken to avoid ads being targeted at children.

A non-family, standard YouTube Premium plan is rising from €12 to €14 per month. A YouTube Premium plan eliminates ads from videos and allows for playback streaming with the device’s screen turned off. It also gives access to YouTube Music, an alternative to Spotify and Apple Music.

Reporting on:independent.ie