What does is it mean to cancel your phone plan?
Although cell phones are an integral part of life today, many are dissatisfied with their telco’s services. This dissatisfaction often leads subscribers to either explore new phone plans or tweak existent phone plans, or even cancel the service from the provider altogether.
When a customer cancels their phone plan with a telco, it could mean one of two scenarios. They could cancel their current phone plan and switch to another with the same telco, or cancel it all together and move on to a different telco.
When and why do people cancel their phone plans?
Several reasons could lead a subscriber to cancel their phone plan. In most cases, this decision has a lot to do with the service they receive or what’s believed to be better service elsewhere, but some factors may have nothing to do with the service at all. Here’s a look at some possible reasons for cancelling a phone plan:
- Dissatisfaction with the service provider – This is perhaps the most predominant reason why individuals choose to leave a service provider. Those dissatisfied with various aspects of the service – and repeatedly – can simply opt out of it.
- Relocation – Those relocating to countries where their current service provider doesn’t isn’t available can opt to discontinue their service with their provider. This is particularly rampant with expatriates and international students.
- Bereavement – Others may opt to cancel phone plans and services following the death of close friends and family members who used the service while alive.
Cancelling your phone plan on Australia’s major telcos
Each of Australia’s major telcos has its own unique procedures for subscribers who wish to cancel their phone plans:
- Telstra — To cancel your existing plan on the Telstra network, put a call through to 13 22 00 and ask to ‘disconnect’ from the service. You can also chat online with a Telstra representative to discuss other suitable phone plans which may interest the you. Before you proceed with your service plan cancellation, it’s advisable to check your contract status for any early termination charges cancelling your service plan may incur, as well as check for any upgrade offers. It’s also advisable to check all pending device, handset, and accessory fees such as mobile phones or the Telstra Gateway Modem. For subscribers on Device Payment Contracts (DPCs), a single payment of the remaining balance for the device is required to cancel the plan.
- Vodafone — To fully cancel your plan on the Vodafone network put a call through to 1555 from your Vodafone device if you’re within Australia, or 1300 650 410 from any other carrier. If you are overseas, cancel your plans by putting a call through to +61 426 320 000.
- Optus — To cancel your Optus phone plan, you can chat with an Optus representative here if you’re within Australia. If you are outside Australia, you can contact the telco on +61 2 8082 5678. The service is available Monday to Wednesday from 8am – 7pm, AEST, Thursday to Friday from 8am – 8pm, AEST and Saturday from 9am – 6pm, AEST. The service is closed on Sundays.
Final words: A second option? Switch service providers
There’s another option besides canceling your service altogether — you can simply transfer or switch to a different telco. This option allows you keep your current phone number through porting. To move phone companies, all one has to do is enter their phone number in the checkout process while opting out of their service provider and their phone number will be transferred to the new company.
Sources