End-of-contract notifications

When the notification should arrive

Ofcom says providers must send the end-of-contract notification between 10 and 40 days before the fixed commitment period ends. It should be sent by a durable communication such as text, email or letter and be separate and prominent.

What it should tell you

The notification should include the contract end date, any notice period, the price you have been paying and what you will pay after the minimum term, the provider’s best available deals (including relevant new-customer prices), and information about other bundled contracts and their end dates.

If you are already out of contract

Providers must also give customers who remain out of contract annual best-tariff information. Use it to compare the current out-of-contract price with a recontract, social tariff or switch.

Keep the notice if you recontract

The end-of-contract message can become important evidence in a later renewal dispute. Preserve the deal you were offered, the price quoted and the date. If you accept a new fixed term, save the new contract summary separately.

If the notice was missing

Do not assume a missing notice automatically cancels every charge. Raise a focused complaint: state the contract end date, ask for the provider’s dispatch record, explain what decision you lost the opportunity to make, and request an appropriate remedy.

Ofcom’s rules require providers to retain a record of end-of-contract notifications sent to consumers for at least 12 months.

The normal window is 10 to 40 days before the minimum term ends

Phone, broadband and pay-TV providers must normally send the end-of-contract notification by text, email or letter between 10 and 40 days before the minimum contract period finishes. The notice should identify when the contract ends, any notice period, what you pay now, what you will pay afterwards and the provider's best available deals.

Bundles need enough detail to understand what is ending

If several services were sold together, check the end dates for the linked contracts rather than assuming every element expires on the same day. Handset finance, airtime, broadband, TV and add-ons can have different contractual timelines. Keep the notice and the original contract summary side by side.

Already out of contract? You should still get reminders

Customers who are already outside their minimum term should receive an annual reminder and information about the provider's best deals. If you have remained on a higher out-of-contract price for a long period and cannot find the required communications, ask the provider for its notification history and delivery channel.

A missing notice does not automatically set the remedy

State the practical consequence. Did you miss a chance to switch, stay on a materially higher price, or recontract without understanding the alternative? Ask the provider to confirm whether and when it sent the notification, the destination address/number used and the content/version. Then seek a remedy that reflects the actual loss or disadvantage rather than assuming a fixed refund exists for every notification failure.

Evidence worth keeping