When to cancel T-mobile contract?

No-name_2

Hi

Just a quick question I took out a 24 month contract on 31/05/11 - I'd like to know the optimal day to give notice of cancelation (30 days) to avoid unnecessary T-Mobile charges - I'm starting afresh with a new phone/number so don't want to transfer my old phone number anywhere.

I assume I can do this on the phone and don't need to put in writing?

Thanks

grumbler

The optimal day is 30 days before the minimum term expires. And yes, you can call them.
However, don't relax until you have some confirmation in writing, e.g. the final bill.

Jaxer

I'm in a similar situation but I do need to keep my number. My contract finishes 25 April 2013 so I called up on 28 March 2013 and gave 30 days notice and requested my PAC.

The person I spoke to said I have a 3 day window to make sure the port goes across (between 25 Apr and 28 Apr) to avoid incurring a early termination charge (up to 25 Apr) and to avoid the PAC expiring and having to pay/give another 30 day notice period (after 28 Apr)

Is this how it works?

grumbler

If you call today and get a PAC, you can use at any time during the next 30 days, but you will pay until the 16th of May regardless.

If it's the same T-mobile, this 'window' would make sense only if you called on about Mar 28, not today.

Buzby

The optimal day is not on the anniversary, but your billing date. Your legal minimum term agreed is the service start date, but this rarely will be the same as the billing date. (Which may be 2 or three weeks later). This means if you give notice then you will be hit with apart month payment, then a possible credit - which you may have to chase up as not all will refund this.

The optimal way is to use your billing date - the first one following expiry of your minimum term commitment. By giving notice in sync, you prevent a split month and your payment will be the last (save any late billed calls). With no requirement for a credit adjustment you get to keep your own money!

Coolhandluke

Buzby wrote: »

The optimal day is not on the anniversary, but your billing date. Your legal minimum term agreed is the service start date, but this rarely will be the same as the billing date. (Which may be 2 or three weeks later). This means if you give notice then you will be hit with apart month payment, then a possible credit - which you may have to chase up as not all will refund this.

The optimal way is to use your billing date - the first one following expiry of your minimum term commitment. By giving notice in sync, you prevent a split month and your payment will be the last (save any late billed calls). With no requirement for a credit adjustment you get to keep your own money!

My contract ends on the 02/07/2013 and TMobile usually take a payment on or around the 20th of each month,so when should I be giving notice?
The 2nd of June or the 20th of June?

grumbler

You give the notice 30 days before the date you want the contract to be terminated.

mobilejunkie

You don't have to wait until the last 30 days. Call and give notice within the last 60 days to end it on the anniversary date of it's commencement (18 or 24 months). The statement date is a total red herring and if you work to that you will simply pay more than you need to because the contract will over-run. Also, you can't give notice to terminate and request a PAC code; requesting a PAC code will turn off any notice to terminate even if the PAC code isn't used.

Buzby

When they take payment is a slight irrelevance - it is the date the bill is calculated/prepared that provides the key date - weekends usually mean it may shift slightly, but in my case, here is how my dates work.

Service commenced 2nd, Billing Date 8th, Payment taken on 28th. If I simply saw out my minimum term (following the other advice given) I would expect my service to cease on the 2nd having given 30 days notice.

My previous bill would have charged me until 8th (not the 2nd) so I would be paying for service I would not receive. When the service ended, I would receive a credit for the week the SIM was deactivated, and any calls out of bundle. If there was still some credit available it appears this is usually lost as it sits on your closed account. If over £10, some networks insist you must ask for repayment.

The optimum way it to give notice in sync with your billing date - as my months bill from 8th, I want to close it on 7th (before the new billing period begins). This is 5 days longer than my minimum term, BUT I have no part month to bother about and with no out of bundle charges pending, there is no credit value left on my account. It will be £0.00, and nothing to take from the next DD run on 28th - which I would then cancelbefore I forget.

Tidy, and much easier to control.

Buzby

mobilejunkie wrote: »

You don't have to wait until the last 30 days. Call and give notice within the last 60 days to end it on the anniversary date of it's commencement (18 or 24 months). The statement date is a total red herring and if you work to that you will simply pay more than you need to because the contract will over-run. Also, you can't give notice to terminate and request a PAC code; requesting a PAC code will turn off any notice to terminate even if the PAC code isn't used.

Red herring, over-run? As for PAC code differences, and irrelevance if you don't care - but if you do, you simply request your PAC number WITHIN the 30 day notice period.

A PAC is an additional service, and has nothing to do with your contract terms (read it, if you do not believe me). A network may not take a PAC request as notice of termination, because if there is no port, they will let the contract run on. Some 'notice!'.

mobilejunkie

You miss the point. Giving a notice to terminate is cancelled if you then request a PAC code - whether you use it or not. You don't have to accept that notice to terminate is only given 30 days before. As for paying the last bill; mine always charge pro-rata up to the termination date, regardless of billing dates or what T-Mobile may tell you.