Access providers compete fiercely to attract the greatest number of customers. The Chatel law, passed in 2008, has made it easier to terminate internet subscriptions. This is to limit the difficulties of changing operators. Breaking your contract, however, involves paying termination fees that vary depending on the operator.

Do you want to cancel your current plan and take out a new subscription? Discover the offers available and let yourself be guided to take advantage of the partner offer that best suits your needs. Info - Subscription on 09 75 18 80 51

At most ISPs, reimbursement of termination fees is included in the welcome package for new customers. What are the steps to follow to change operator? How much is the refund of cancellation fees, depending on the different operators?

What are the termination procedures?

When you take out a subscription with an operator (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Orange, La Poste Mobile, etc.), you commit to a given period (12 or 24 months, except non-binding offer). To terminate your contract (without changing operator) and if you do not wish to subscribe elsewhere, you just need to send a termination letter to your internet service provider. Give preference to sending a registered letter, one month before the end of your subscription or during the subscription, in the event of early termination.

If, on the other hand, you wish to change the internet or mobile operator and you wish to keep your fixed or mobile telephone number, proceed as follows:

Termination fees apply, in both cases, if you close your contract before the end of the commitment period.

What are the early termination fees?

Since 2008, consumers have had the option of terminating their contract with various services (banks, insurance, mobile telephony, subscriptions internet), in advance. What does that mean ? This means that even if you have purchased a subscription for a year or 24 months, you can cancel it before the end of the commitment period. This withdrawal has become possible since the advent of the Chatel law in 2008. If you cancel your internet or mobile subscription, you will therefore have to pay additional costs, depending on the initial subscription period and the moment when you end this subscription. last.

As a general rule, when you end a 12-month subscription, you pay the fees corresponding to the end of your subscription term. When the subscription is effective for 24 months, you pay the reimbursement of the remaining monthly payments for the first year, to which must be added 25% of the remaining costs for the second year. From the 13th month of commitment, you only pay 25% of the remaining monthly payments, if you terminate your contract during the second year.

For example, if Léa has made a 12-month commitment to a supplier, pays €24/month and cancels her subscription after 3 months, she still has to pay: €9x24, i.e. €216 if it was hired for 12 months. If his subscription was effective for 24 months, he still has to pay 9x24 + 0.25x(12x24), i.e. 216+72 = €288. In another scenario, if Léa cancels her subscription after 14 months, she must pay a fee of 0.25x(10x24), i.e. €60.

Select your new internet or mobile service provider

In the event of a change of internet service provider, check, before starting the termination procedures, which offers you are eligible for (ADSL, cable and Fibre). Do not hesitate, either, to compare the different mobile plans, when you want to change mobile operator.

Also know that you can delegate the cancellation procedures to your new provider, when you want to keep your telephone numbers (landline or mobile). This will often offer to reimburse your cancellation fees, as we will see below.

Do you want to know the procedures for refunding and taking out a new internet subscription? Discover the offers available and let yourself be guided to take advantage of the partner offer that best suits your needs. Info - Subscription on 09 75 18 80 51

How much are the cancellation fees (fixed internet subscription fees)?

Whether you decide to change operator during or at the end of the subscription, you are charged cancellation fees . These fees are quite similar regardless of the service provider you have chosen. They are generally specified on your subscription contract. You will receive, in all cases, a summary invoice of the remaining sums due to your supplier, after having informed the latter of your request for termination (termination costs included). Here are the internet termination fees applied according to the operators (these are the line closing fees):

For any change of line, be aware that the effective online setting of your operator will be operational within 14 days (legal withdrawal period). Add to that the online delays inherent to each operator (about a week). If you wish to avoid excessively long line interruptions, it is preferable to anticipate the change of operator before termination of your line.

Reimbursement of Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free cancellation fees

Reimbursement of cancellation fees varies depending on the operator. Indeed, each access provider offers a refund that covers different costs.

Reimbursement of SFR termination costs

The operator offers you a global reimbursement of €100, which includes the closing costs, as well as the subscription costs still to be covered, within the limit of 100€. Cancellation fee reimbursement conditions: fill in the SFR reimbursement coupon online and attach the last bill from your operator dated less than three months (the cancellation fees must be mentioned there).

The reimbursement of SFR cancellation fees takes the form of a credit on your next invoices. It occurs within 5 weeks of the date of receipt of your request (subject to payment of the first SFR invoice).

Reimbursement of Bouygues Télécom termination fees

The reimbursement is made by bank transfer, following the sending of your last internet subscription invoice, accompanied by the new subscription invoice dated less than three months (the invoice must also mention the cancellation fees charged by the former operator). Reimbursement of cancellation fees is made up to €100. The transfer is made approximately eight weeks after receipt of the request from Bouygues Telecom services.

You have the option of making the request directly online, on the operator's website or by sending the specified documents to the following address: CR57 - Up to €100 support on ISPs Sogec Gestion - 91973 Courtaboeuf cedex.

Reimbursement of Orange cancellation fees

The request for reimbursement of cancellation fees is made exclusively online. The operator offers a reimbursement of €100 for subscription to an ADSL, VDSL2 offer and €150 for subscription to a fiber subscription. To request it, go to the operator's website.

As for other operators, it is essential to attach the last invoice from your former operator mentioning the termination costs. Once the request has been received and validated, Orange proceeds with the refund in the form of a credit on your next invoices (generally from the 2nd or 3rd invoice).

Reimbursement of Free cancellation fees

Like other operators, Free offers to reimburse cancellation fees up to €100. This cashback offer can be obtained once the Freebox subscription is activated. To obtain reimbursement of the Free cancellation fees, you must then print the subscription confirmation email as well as a copy of the invoice from your former operator mentioning the amount of the cancellation fees.

It is important to send your request by post to the following address: Free Preferential Offer - 75 371 Paris Cedex 08. This request for reimbursement of cancellation fees must be sent within a maximum of 4 months. Reimbursement is made by bank transfer to the bank details indicated when subscribing to the Freebox offer.

Reimbursement of La Poste Mobile, Sosh and RED by SFR cancellation fees

The low-cost offers from the major operators SFR and Orange (respectively RED by SFR and Sosh) also allow you to benefit from the reimbursement of fees termination under certain conditions.

Reimbursement of RED by SFR termination fees

Up to €100 in reimbursement fees are offered to subscribers. To benefit from it, all new subscribers (excluding SFR) need to complete an online form, attaching a copy of the last invoice from your previous operator mentioning the termination penalties.

You have two months to carry out this operation, in order to benefit from the reimbursement of the RED termination fees. This refund takes the form of a credit on your next invoices within 5 weeks (subject to full payment of the first RED by SFR invoice).

Reimbursement of Sosh cancellation fees

Same procedure to follow at Sosh. The operator reimburses your termination costs up to €100. All you have to do is send a copy of your Livebox Sosh contract, along with the invoice mentioning the cancellation fees charged by your former operator.

Operation to be carried out directly online, using the Sosh customer codes provided to you when you subscribe. Reimbursement is made from your 2nd or 3rd invoice in the form of a credit note, after validation of your request by the operator.

Reimbursement of La Poste Mobile cancellation fees

The access provider no longer allows you to benefit from a reimbursement of cancellation fees as was the case before.

Be careful, La Poste mobile is not the only one and some operators do not offer any reimbursement of cancellation fees. This is the case of the operators Free, Prixtel, Alice or OVH. So be careful when you select your new operator, if you want to take advantage of this advantage.

Note: few mobile operators offer reimbursement of cancellation fees in the event of a change in mobile plan. Indeed, the latter favor reductions applied to commitments rather than to termination fees. These reductions vary according to the operators and throughout the year.