Sometimes you just need to give you current NBN plan the chop. Here's what you need to know.
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We don't often think about cancelling NBN plans. Unless you're ditching the country, you just tend to switch provider without giving much thought to it.
However, given the differences between NBN technology types, there are instances where you'll actually need to cancel your NBN plan to avoid being billed twice.
For example, customers on a FTTP or Fixed Wireless connection will need to actively cancel their old NBN plan, as a new plan will just be added on a secondary service. In the case of HFC FTTN, FTTB, and FTTC, your old service will be replaced by your new plan, and your old provider should cancel your plan.
Cancelling your NBN plan is typically a case of calling up your telco or hitting them up through their live chat, although options will vary from provider to provider. To avoid down time it's best to only cancel your old plan once your new provider has taken over. A phone call tends to be the simplest option. For the most part, you'll never be able to cancel an NBN plan through an online portal.
Here's what cancellation options look like for the following telcos:
If you want to cancel your Telstra NBN plan you can access My Telstra in a web browser and navigate to "Manage internet" under the Services section. There you'll see the option to change or cancel your plan. Unfortunately, you can't cancel your internet plan via the My Telstra App, instead you'll need to Message Telstra through the secure link.
If you cancel before 24 months are up you'll need to return your Telstra Smart Modem or pay a modem non-return fee of $200.
TPG requires 30 days notice to cancel an NBN plan. You will have to pay charges up until the end of the notice period. The best option for doing so is emailing [email protected] with your customer number in the subject line along with your name, address, and requested end date. Or you can call 13 14 23.
If you are on a six-month contract with an included modem you will need to pay an Early Termination Charge of up to $224.98 on TPG's most expensive NBN plan.
To cancel your Optus NBN plan you can either message support in the My Optus app on iOS and Android, message via your Optus My Account or call 1300 555 241 (between 8am and 7pm AEST, Monday to Friday and Saturday between 9am and 6pm AEST).
If you're cancelling before 36 months are up you'll need to pay $8.50 for the modem pro rata based on how many months are remaining. The overall modem cost is $306. This means if you leave after 12 months you'll need to pay $204 as one lump sum to cover the remaining 24 months.
To close your Vodafone NBN service you can call 1300 801 122 during business hours. If you're on a month-to-month plan you won't need to pay any early exit fees except for the remaining cost of any modem (which is free if you stay for 24 months). The overall cost of Vodafone's modem is $180. This means you'd need to pay $7.50 per month remaining. If you cancel after 12 months you'll need to make one payment of $90.
If you originally signed up on a 24-month contract and you decide to leave early you will need to pay an Early Termination Fee. This fee is between $40 and $350 depending on how long is remaining. The fee is reduced by 50% if you're cancelling your plan due an address change and NBN is not available at the new address.
You can cancel your MATE NBN plan by contacting customer support by phoning 13 14 13 (between 8:30am and 7pm AEST, Monday to Friday and, Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm AEST). You can also visit the support page and select "chat to us" to start a live chat between customer support hours.
MATE doesn't offer pro-rata refunds so be sure to cancel before your next billing cycle starts.
To cancel your Exetel NBN service you can call 13 39 38 during business hours (between 8:30am-5:30pm AEST, Monday to Friday). If you're on a month-to-month plan then there's not early termination charge. If you're on a contract you'll need to cancel by giving Exetel 30 days notice and pay the Early Termination Charge for the remaining months. The termination fee for a 12-month period is $299.
All of Tangerine's NBN plans are contract free. To cancel your Tangerine service you can either call 1800 211 112 (between 8:30am-7pm AEST, Monday to Friday and Saturday between 9am-6pm AEST) or select "Cancel NBN Service" within the Tangerine Self Care portal.
To cancel Aussie Broadband, you'll need to call 1300 880 905 ((between 8am to midnight AEST, daily). Aussie won't let you cancel over email, as they require verbal confirmation. It offers pro-rata cancellation. If you have a Fetch set-top box you'll need to return it within 30 days or pay a non-return fee (up to $300).
If you want to cancel your iiNet NBN plan, you can call 13 22 58 (between 8am to 10pm AEST, daily). Because your iiNet plan is charge in advance you should see any credit refunded pro rata. If you opt for iiNet's modem and don't stay connected for 24 months you will need to pay out the remaining cost of the modem at $8 pro rata based on the number of months remaining. The total modem cost is $192. This means if you leave half way through you'll need to pay $96 in one instalment to cover the 12 months.
Avoid paying two bills by confirming the cancellation"No matter what NBN technology type you have, it is still always worth checking with your former provider as to whether your plan has been cancelled. For example, I'm on an FTTB NBN connection. The first time I swapped providers, my account at my old telco wasn't automatically cancelled. The second time I swapped providers, it was."
- Alex Choros, Managing Editor
If you're unhappy with your current NBN plan it may be worth switching to someone new or amping up your speed tier. For most households, an NBN 50 plan will be more than sufficient but NBN 100 and NBN 250 are great options if you want more speed. You'll need an HFC or FTTP connection type to access faster than NBN 100 speeds.
Here are the cheapest NBN 50, 100 and 250 plans available on the market right now.
