How To Cancel Your Broadband Contract (UK Guide)

You may be considering to cancel your broadband contract for a variety of reasons.

Maybe you are moving home, want to upgrade your speed, or you might be looking to switch for a better deal.

Before you do this you should consider any exit fees if you have not reached the end of your minimum term contract.

So how to do you cancel, how much could it cost, and is there any way to exit early for free?

Read on to find out the best way depending on your situation…

Cancelling your broadband contract for free

You can cancel your broadband contract for free if your situation falls into one of the options below.

If you’re in your cooling-off period

In the UK there is a minimum 14 day cooing-off period when you sign up to a new contract.

This means you are allowed to cancel any contract for free within 14 days of registering for a new service.

It is worth noting that while 14 days is the legal requirement, some providers offer longer cooling-off periods.

You should notify your provider in writing or telephone as soon as possible to take advantage of this.

If the broadband service has begun, you will just have to pay the pro-rata cost of providing service during that time.

You can find specific instructions for your provider further below.

If your minimum term is expired

If you are out of contract and outside the minimum term, you are free to leave without paying any exit fees.

You can contact your provider to find out your contract end date, which should be stated in the original documents you were provided with.

Be mindful that some ISPs do charge a disconnection fee regardless of your status. So it is worth checking whether your broadband provider has such a a policy.

Another common practice is to renegotiate your broadband deal with your provider once your minimum term is over. They are usually more likely to accept due to the low switching cost at this point.

If your broadband is slower than stated

If your Internet service provider is part of Ofcom’s speed code of practice, then they are obliged to deliver the speed or end contracts without fees if they are unable.

You might need to follow tech support procedures to take advantage of this.

The provider will check your broadband speed. And in the case it is significantly lower than advertised and they are not able to fix this, then they will allow you to cancel without any charges.

There are currenty 6 ISP’s which are part of this code of practice:

EE
BT
Sky
Plusnet
TalkTalk
Virgin Media

If your broadband provider increases prices

You are allowed to cancel your broadband mid-contract.

This applies to all ISP’s and providers must notify you of any price changes at least 30 days in advance.

You might want to check if there are any inflation-linked price hikes written in your contract’s terms & conditions. Typically in this case, you won’t be able to cancel for free if the price increase is lower than the level of inflation.

If it doesn’t apply or the price rises more than the level of inflation, then you will be able to cancel for free.

What if I want to cancel my broadband contract for other reasons?

If your situation doesn’t meet one of the above scenarios, you will most likely need to pay an exit fee.

This will typically be a monthly fee for every remaining month of your contract’s minimum term.

While each provider practices different rates, most will charge a reduced fee on those remaining months, usually in the £7 – £15 range.

There might also be other fees, including:

Wi-Fi router and equipment
Any discounts received as part of the deal
An early disconnection fee

There are ways you can mitigate those costs or even pass them on to your new provider.

ISP’s such as EE, Sky, BT and Virgin Media will give you a credit equivalent to your cancellation costs if you switch to them. Many providers also typically offer referrals and deals which will make you save on your new deal.

However with credits, you will need to pay the cancellation fee upfront and provide some proof for your cancellation costs.

Read on to find out how to cancel a broadband contract with your specific provider.

How to cancel your broadband: Top providers

In order to make things easier for you, we’ve built some guides with instructions on how to cancel in the quickest way for each ISP.

Click on your broadband provider for instructions on how to cancel your contract:

If your provider is not listed here, the quickest way is usually to call customer support with your contract number and customer details.

Conclusion

As we have seen you can cancel your broadband contract easily by contacting them or following one of the provider guides above.

You might have to pay some cancellation fees depending on your situation and whether you are within the minimum term of your contract.

Feel free check out our directory for instructions on how to cancel a variety of services, including utilities, auto insurance, digital subscriptions and much more.

You can also download the Emma app to connect your accounts and get the full list of your bills, subscriptions and other recurring payments.

How To Cancel Your Broadband Contract (UK Guide)