To all the BT, Sky, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk email users, this one’s for you! According to research by Uswitch, two million UK homes are holding back from switching broadband due to the fear of losing their email address. But, switching providers can be a breeze if you follow these tips and the options you have to keep your current email.
What happens with your BT email when you leave BT?
Good news is that once switching to a new broadband provider, you have access to your email address for 60 days. After that, BT will try to get you to subscribe to their Premium Mail service to be able to access your emails, costing you £5 per month. It may seem like it’s better to just stick with BT’s broadband, but it’s not ideal having price hikes every few months. Keep reading below, as we’ve got some other solutions for your inbox.
What happens with your Sky email when you leave Sky?
Sky users you can rest easy! Your email account will continue to be usable, even when you switch to a new provider, without paying a fee. Only thing to keep in mind is that if your account becomes inactive for 6 months, it eventually will close down. So, make sure to log into it at least once a month and you’re in the clear.
What happens with your email when you leave Virgin Media?
Here’s the run-down Virgin Media users – you’ve got 90 days to access your email after switching internet providers. After that time has run out, your email account will unfortunately close down and your info will be deleted. Don’t worry, we’ve included some other options for you to consider later in the blog.
What happens with your TalkTalk email when you leave TalkTalk?
For 12 months after switching, TalkTalk email users have 12 months where they can send and receive messages. The only drawback is that you won’t be able to use the ‘My Account’ feature to update passwords or have full management of the account. In these types of situations where you’ve got a longer period where you can use your email, it’s best to set up email forwarding and slowly shift to a new email. Also, it’s worth mentioning that inactive TalkTalk emails will be deleted automatically after six months.
How to move your email account for free!
Why pay for an email account when you can have it completely free? We’ll just list a few so you can pick and choose your options – Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, iCloud, and so on. Best thing is that you can import all your mail and contacts, and you’ll only ever need to do it once. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to do this for Gmail in 3 easy steps...
Open Gmail, click the gear icon, and select 'Accounts and Import'. Choose "Import mail and contacts," enter the old email address, and follow the prompts.
Great! Now, log back into your old email address and we’ll help you set up a forwarding system, so you don’t miss any new emails coming in.
From your old email account, head to 'Settings', then 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP,' and add your new email address.
A tip from the Lit team is to create an auto-responder when you’re still in your old email address. This will let friends, family, and anyone whose sending you a message to let them know that their email has been forwarded to a new address. It’s the same process of setting up an out-of-office message, which you’ve probably done previously.
Need some more help?
If you ever get stuck with this or want someone to walk you through anything internet related, we’re on call and always ready to help. Give our Customer Support team a ring at 0330 460 4610, they’re a super helpful bunch!