The current cost of a colour TV licence costs £169.50 a year. This can be paid upfront by credit/debit card or you can pay monthly or quarterly by Direct Debit. But the question is do you need to pay it?
Please note: From 1st April 2025, the cost is going up an extra £5 a year to £174.50 – Great stuff, not!
With the cost of living increasing, you might be able to save a few quid by saying Foxtrot Oscar to live TV!
Who needs to buy a TV Licence?
You need to buy a TV Licence if you watch or record live TV as it’s being shown on any device, not just on a TV. The thing is though, many non live and catch-up or on demand services don’t require a licence.
You do now however need a licence if you watch any programmes via BBC iPlayer, even if they are not being shown live.
Ditching my licence
Back in December 2014 I was going through my bank statements and the monthly direct debit for £12.12 kept catching my eye. Now, I’ve never been a big TV watcher and this £12 seemed like poor value for a service I hardly ever use.
Also, before ditching live TV I suffered with poor Freeview reception and the picture kept breaking up and losing sound. So, when I did sit down to watch TV it soon got on my nerves!
The process of how I ditched my licence
Below I’m going to list in a few simple steps what you need to do so you can also save £169.50 a year!
Step One
Go around your house and look at each TV set you own. Unplug any cables such as those that can give you a live TV signal.
Step Two
You now need to convert your TV so it can pick up a non live TV service. For this I currently use an amazon firestick! It allows you to stream from all the popular on demand services and I get to see Clarkson’s Farm too!
Step Three
If you have online banking simply log in and cancel your Direct Debit for TV Licencing. You should also be able to do this in your local branch. That is if it hasn’t already been closed down and turned into a takeaway, charity shop or coffee place!
Step Four
Call the TV Licence people and tell them you no longer require a Licence. I did this and got a letter through the post to confirm the records have been updated.
Step Five
You may be owed money! When I took out my TV Licence I had to pay more for the first six months. When calling to cancel ask them about this. I was directed to a form to fill out, posted that off and the following week I received a cheque for £72.75!
Step Six
That’s It! Start enjoying the extra £159 a year in your pocket. Use this money towards fuel, food or maybe treat the family to a day out! The choice on how you spend it is up to you!
Living with Catch-up TV only
So, it’s been over 10 years now since I got rid of live TV. Do I miss it? No, not one bit! In fact, its a much better way of viewing for me. I can never guarantee that I’m going to be around at a set time, so being able to watch a programme whenever I want is great.
My views on the TV Licence
I’ve made no secret to the fact that I think the TV Licence fee is way past it’s sell by date and is in a matter of words, unfair!
I’ve got family and friends that have services such as live SKY TV & Virgin Media, yet they don’t ever watch BBC programmes. Even so, they are still forced to fund the BBC.
It’s like doing your weekly shop at Tesco but then having Asda sending you a demand asking you for money too. Sounds crazy but the TV licence is exactly the same.
The solution
For me, I think a much better way would be for the BBC to go to a subscription only model. If you want it then you can pay for it. If not, you don’t have too.
They could also streamline things and run it a bit more like a proper business. Not waste lots of money like paying an EX crisp salesmen over £1m a year to host a football programme!
The End!
Thank you for reading. I hope this has helped you.
One final bit from me!
Before ditching your TV license please double check that the rules about TV Licensing haven’t changed. I do update this page many times a year but I can’t guarantee that the rules have not changed since my last update.
Also, you will probably get a monthly letter from TVL but if you are not breaking the law you can just bin this and not take any notice!
On the odd occasion someone may visit your home. If they do, simply answer the door and say no thank you and shut the door. Don’t ever give them any details and do not sign anything either!
It really is that simple to ditch this outdated tax and save yourself a few quid!
First published: 14th August 2015
Last updated: 7th January 2025