Cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract

You should check the terms and conditions of your contract to find out what your cancellation rights are.

You might be legally entitled to cancel the contract without a fee if either:

• you signed up less than 14 days ago - this is called a ‘cooling off period’

• the price of your contract is going up and your provider has given you 30 days to cancel without a fee

• there’s a problem with your internet speed

• your contract was for a certain length of time and has expired - for example, an 18-month mobile phone contract

If none of these apply, you probably can't cancel the contract without having to pay a fee.

If you’re cancelling your contract to get a better deal, check what you should consider before you switch.

If you signed up less than 14 days ago

Your legal right to cancel the contract for free depends on whether you signed up over the phone, in person, or online.

If you signed up over the phone or online

You can cancel the contract for free if you signed up less than 14 days ago over the phone or online. This is called a ‘cooling-off’ period. If you’ve already used the service you’re likely to be charged for what you’ve used - for example calls made on a mobile phone.

Contact the business and say you want to cancel the contract because you’re still in the cooling-off period. You’ll probably need to give them details such as your account reference number - check any documents or emails you have from the company.

If you post a letter or send an email asking to cancel within the cooling-off period, the contract will be cancelled from the date you post the letter or send the email. You should send any post by recorded delivery if you can -  keep copies of any receipts or emails.

If you signed up in person

You don’t have the legal right to a 14-day cooling-off period if you signed up in person - for example if you met someone from the company and signed a contract. It's worth asking anyway - they might let you cancel if you explain how your circumstances have changed.

If the price has gone up

You should check the terms and conditions you agreed to when you signed up for your contract. Most contracts come with terms and conditions that say your provider can increase the price each year - either by a set amount, or an amount linked to inflation.

If your terms and conditions don’t say your provider can increase the price each year, your provider should give you 30 days’ notice before putting up the price of your contract. You have the legal right to cancel the contract within those 30 days without having to pay a fee. Contact the company and say you’re cancelling within the allowed 30 days’ notice of a price increase.

You won’t be able to cancel without a fee if either:

• you signed up to the contract before 23 January 2014, or

• you were told at the start of the contract that the price would be going up, for example if you signed up for a 18 month contract but the first 3 months were at a discounted rate

• your terms and conditions say your provider can put the price of your contract up each year

If your internet is slow

Check your internet, sometimes called 'broadband', speed using Ofcom’s speed checker and make a note of the results.

What you can do next depends on when your contract started.

You can also try Ofcom’s tips for improving your internet speed.

If you’re moving house

You should check if your provider offers the same service in your new area. If they do, you might have to pay a small fee to move the service to your new address.

You might have to pay a cancellation fee to leave your contract early if:

• your provider doesn’t provide the same service in your new area

• you’re renting and the service is included in the place you’re moving to but you already have an existing contract for that service - for example internet

It’s worth trying to explain your situation to your provider - they might reduce or remove any fee. 

If you’ve been signed up to a service without agreeing

You might have unknowingly entered into a contract and are being charged regularly. This can sometimes happen with promotions or games you sign up for through text messages or mobile apps.

This is called a ‘continuous payment authority’ and can also happen when you sign up for a free trial of something that then starts to cost you money.

The best thing to do is contact your bank to cancel the direct debit or credit card payments.

How to cancel your contract

You will need to contact your provider to cancel your contract - you can do this in any of the following ways:

• by phone

• by post

• by email

• by webchat

If your provider isn’t responding, try to contact them in a different way and at a different time. Keep a record of every time you’ve tried to contact them - for example screenshots and phone records.

You should complain to your provider if you’re struggling to contact them. If you haven’t heard back after 8 weeks, you can complain to an ombudsman. 

Complaining to an ombudsman

An ombudsman looks into complaints about companies and organisations. They’ll examine the case from both sides to reach a decision they think is fair. 

Further help

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone. You can also use an online form. 

If you’re in Northern Ireland, contact Consumerline.