How to cancel your internet plan – the right way!

There can be a number of reasons as to why you want to cancel your internet plan. Price, speeds, location or changing needs are all valid reasons for wanting to cancel your plan, and sometimes the grass can be greener elsewhere. Read on to find out how you can cancel your internet plan — it might be easier than you think!

How do I cancel my internet plan?

Cancelling your internet plan is similar to cancelling your phone plan in one major way – contacting your telco provider directly is the best way of going about it. 

Cancelling your internet plan via phone

This is the most sure-fire way to get out of your internet plan. Your telco’s website will certainly have its hotline plastered on somewhere, but the major telcos’ numbers are as follows:

• Telstra – 13 22 00
• Optus – 13 39 37
• Vodafone – 1555

Cancelling your internet plan via live chat

Most major telcos, such as Telstra and Optus, have a live chat feature that enables you to get in touch with a representative from the company. Sometimes this may just be an extra step in having to call anyway, but it’s worth a shot as a first step. 

Cancelling your internet plan via email

Telcos like TPG may require you to cancel your plan via email. This involved sending your details through to the listed email address on your telco’s website. Other telcos like iiNet, list email cancellations as an option despite it taking much longer. Whereas telcos such as Aussie Broadband don’t allow email cancellation at all. 

How do you switch NBN providers?

Switching your NBN provider tends to be a fairly easy process, as the new provider takes care of a lot. It’s important to take stock of the devices linked to your NBN network, and to make sure you switch them over to the new network once the time comes. Canstar Blue’s NBN comparison tool is a great way to get started in finding a new plan that suits your lifestyle. It will also be helpful in understanding which NBN speed will suit your needs. 

Once you’ve found the plan that’s right for you, simply sign up, making sure you line up the end of your old plan with the connection date of your new plan. This may be tricky to do, so you may be without internet for a few days. Once you’ve signed up with your new telco, you’ll need to let the old telco know that you will be ending your plan with them. Make sure a clear disconnection date is agreed upon.

Compare NBN plans

If you haven’t picked your new NBN plan yet, you might want to compare plans from a range of different NBN providers. You can compare plans in the below tables, just switch between the tabs to see plans on different speed tiers.

Does cancelling my internet plan cost money?

It generally won’t cost you anything to cancel your internet plan. If you’re under contract, you will most likely need to pay off the remainder of your bill. If you’ve received any items like a modem, you might also need to pay that off, unless you’ve paid for the modem upfront. Some telcos might also require you to send your modem back to the provider when you cancel, otherwise you’ll be charged a ‘no return’ fee.

Contract-free plans will typically just need you to pay your final bill, but it’s worth checking your plan’s Critical Information Summary (CIS) to ensure there are no hidden cancellation fees.

Is cancelling my internet plan worth it?

If you’re dissatisfied with the pricing, speeds, or even customer service of your internet provider, cancelling your plan may be the best option. It’s always worth shopping around to find out if there are better deals that you’ve been missing out on. However, be wary of cancelling before you’ve paid off extra hardware or even the rest of your contract. It may even be worth seeing out the rest of the expenses before switching.