Switch internet providers
How to switch internet providers in Canada
Start with your contract. If you’re on one, leaving early costs a fee that shrinks every month, so it can pay to wait. If you’re not, you can switch any time: set up the new service, then call your old provider to cancel on the date you choose.
What does it cost to cancel your internet?
It depends on your provider. Bell and Rogers tie their best prices to 2-year contracts, while Videotron, Fizz, EBOX, oxio, Primus and Beanfield have no contract at all. Pick yours to see what applies.
How to switch internet providers in 4 steps
See if you’d save
Compare what you pay with pricing found for your area before you commit to anything.
A Free Savings Preview does this for you.
Book the new service
Pick your plan and an installation date. Don’t cancel anything yet.
Ask whether the price needs a new 2-year contract.
Cancel the old service
Call your old provider and pick an end date a day or two after installation. Get a confirmation number.
Expect an offer to stay. It’s fine to say no.
Wrap up
Return rented equipment and keep the receipt. Check the old provider’s final bill and the new provider’s first one.
Watch the first bill for installation fees.
If something goes wrong
Call your old provider first with your confirmation number. If it isn’t fixed, you can file a free complaint with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS).
Check what you could pay before you switch.
See how your current bill compares with pricing found for your area, so you know the switch is worth it.
Common questions about switching
Do I have to give 30 days’ notice to cancel my internet?
No. The CRTC doesn’t allow internet providers to require 30 days’ notice. Your service ends on the date you ask for.
Who cancels my old internet service?
Usually you do. Call your old provider, tell them the date you want service to end, and ask for a confirmation number. Pick a date after your new service is installed.
Will I pay a fee to cancel my internet?
Not on a month-to-month plan, and not with Videotron, Fizz, EBOX, oxio, Primus or Beanfield, which have no contracts. On a contract, you usually pay a fee for each month left.
How much does it cost to cancel Bell or Rogers internet early?
On a 2-year term, both charge a set amount for each month left, up to a maximum, so the fee shrinks every month. In Quebec, the law caps it much lower. The contract check at the top of this page fills in each provider’s current amount.
Do I have to return my modem?
Yes, if it’s rented. That usually means the modem or Wi-Fi gateway, any Wi-Fi pods and TV boxes. Return them the way your old provider asks and keep the receipt, or you may be charged for them.
Will my old provider try to keep me?
Often, yes. When you call to cancel, expect an offer to stay. If it’s a real saving, compare it with what you found on the same basis: the regular price after any promotion, and whether it needs a new contract. If not, it’s fine to say no.
Will I be without internet while I switch?
Not if you plan it. Book the new installation first, then set the old service to end a day or two later. The short overlap costs a little but keeps you online.
What happens to my bundle discount if I only move internet?
Leaving internet can end a bundle discount on TV, mobile or home phone. Ask your old provider what the remaining services will cost on their own before you cancel.
Sources
The switching rules come from the CRTC. Your own contract decides what applies to your account.
- Rogers Xfinity Internet plans ↗Rogers’ 24-month terms and its early cancellation fee for each month left, for internet alone or with TV.
- Fixed-term contracts, TV and Internet ↗Bell’s 2-year contracts. Bell’s Critical Information Summary for 2-year internet terms sets the early cancellation fee per month left, up to a maximum.
- Changing your service provider ↗No 30-day notice to cancel, and when to transfer a home phone number.
- How do I cancel my services? ↗Rogers asks you to cancel with an agent.
- Return or recycle your rental equipment ↗Rogers’ 30-day FedEx return, no store returns, and its return shipping fee.
- What you need to know if you cancel your services ↗How to cancel Bell services, and the end of your Bell email address.
- How to return your Bell equipment ↗Bell’s 30-day return window and non-return fees.
- Cancelling a service ↗Cancelling Videotron by phone and returning rented equipment in store.
- Comwave Terms of Service ↗Comwave sells term and month-to-month services, sets any early cancellation fee in the service agreement, and cancels by phone.
- Videotron internet plans ↗Videotron’s internet plans are sold with no commitment; its rates can change.
- Contract cancellation: internet access services ↗In Quebec, the fee to cancel a fixed-term internet contract early is capped at the lesser of 50 dollars or 10% of the services left.
- The Internet Code, simplified ↗Early cancellation fees on fixed-term contracts, the trial period, prorated refunds and cancellation dates.
- Internet complaints ↗Free complaints about internet billing, contracts and service.