Weekday cover price increases of 20p for The Guardian and Times

The Times today increased is cover price by 20 per cent to £1.20, the newspaper has announced.

In a letter to readers, editor John Witherow said: “The Times today is raising its daily cover price from £1 to £1.20. No publisher likes to increase its price, but we believe we have been the best value quality paper for several years now and remain great value for money. The good news is that readers who subscribe will get The Times during the week for just 60p a day. We will send you vouchers to use at your newsagent and with our holiday allowance you won’t be charged when you go away.”

Witherow said subscribers also gain access to The Times website and smartphone app as well as the ability to attend special events for members of Times +.

He added that online subscribers can also access video coverage of Premier League goals.

The Guardian has also announced its own New Year price hike. From this weekend, the Saturday edition of the paper go up to £2.50 from £2.30 with a 40 per cent increase to €2.70 in Ireland and a 20p rise to £2.90 on the Channel Islands.

The cost of the weekday print edition will also increase by 20p on Monday 13 January to £1.60.

According to Guardian News and Media, the increases will coincide with the introduction of a new supplement.

A spokesperson said: "It’s been a fantastic 12 months for both of our print titles. The uplift in sales for both the Guardian and the Observer following the launches of Observer Tech Monthly and biannual magazine The Fashion, supported by our Own The Weekend marketing campaign, prove that our continued investment in print is being welcomed by our readers. We’ve got more print innovations to come in 2014, and while price rises are never easy decisions, it will enable us to continue to offer our loyal and engaged audience an improved, quality product."

Newspaper cover prices – Nov 2013 (source ABC)

Newspaper	Monday-Friday cover price	Saturday cover price
Daily Mirror	£0.50	£0.70
Daily Star	£0.50	£0.75
The Sun	£0.40	£0.60
Daily Express	£0.50	£0.80
Daily Mail	£0.60	£0.90
FT	£2.50	£3.00
Guardian	£1.40	£1.80
Independent	£1.40	£1.80
The Times	£1.00	£1.50
Daily Telegraph	£1.20	£2.00
i	£0.20	£0.30