Switching Between Plusnet & BT Broadband: Step-By-Step Guide

You can follow the instructions below if you're switching from BT to Plusnet Broadband.

Are you switching from Plusnet to BT instead? Tap for instructions.

Step 1: Check your BT cancellation fee

To start with, check whether a cancellation fee will apply for ending your BT broadband service.

If you’re already outside the minimum term of your contract with BT, there will be no cancellation fees for ending your BT broadband service. You’ll simply pay for your BT service until the Plusnet Broadband go-live date which will be given to you here.

If you’re still within the minimum term of your contract with BT (i.e. the initial 12 months, 18 months or 24 months you signed up for), an early exit fee will apply for ending your BT broadband service. This is typically 82.5% of the remaining monthly charges for the rest of your contract. You can get a quote for what this exit fee will be by calling BT customer services on 0800 800 150. Alternatively, there’s more information on how to calculate it within our guide to cancelling BT.

If you’re not sure when your current BT broadband contract comes to an end, you can check by logging in to My BT and going to the My orders section. You’ll find the contract end date within the terms of your previously signed BT Broadband contract.

If you have a BT TV subscription, this will be cancelled automatically along with your BT Broadband service. Meanwhile, if you have a BT Mobile plan, you can keep this but you’ll lose the £5 monthly discount for being a BT Broadband customer.

Step 2: Order your Plusnet Broadband service

To progress with your broadband switch from BT to Plusnet, go to Plusnet’s website to order your new Plusnet broadband service.

For more information, select the type of broadband service you're planning to switch to on Plusnet:

• Fibre Broadband
• Full Fibre Broadband

At present, Plusnet offers a range of home broadband plans including the following:

Service	Download Speed	Monthly Cost (will rise each April by £3)
Fibre	66Mbps average download	£25.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal
Full Fibre 74	74Mbps average download	£26.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal
Full Fibre 145	145Mbps average download	£26.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal
Full Fibre 300	300Mbps average download	£29.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal
Full Fibre 500	500Mbps average download	£31.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal
Full Fibre 900	900Mbps average download	£39.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract	See deal

See all Plusnet Broadband Deals →

During the online order process, Plusnet will give you an expected download speed as well as a minimum guaranteed speed for your service. Both of these will be specific to your address. You'll also be given a go-live date for when your broadband service will transfer from BT to Plusnet.

If you'd like to keep your current home phone or landline number, remember to provide this phone number when ordering your broadband package from Plusnet. As long as you do this, Plusnet will arrange for your phone number to be moved over to their service.

There's no need for you to contact BT to cancel your old home broadband service. This is because the old BT service will be cancelled for you automatically on the go-live date when your broadband service transfers to Plusnet.

Step 3: Plug in your Plusnet router on the go-live date

In advance of your broadband service switching over, Plusnet will send you a new Plusnet router through the post.

On the go-live date for your Plusnet broadband service, you can expect your broadband service to stop working for a couple of minutes. When this happens, it'll be time to plug in your new Plusnet router. There'll be instructions inside the package on how you can set up the new Plusnet router.

Your new Plusnet router will initially be configured with a different Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password. On all of the devices that were previously connected to your BT router, you'll therefore need to sign in again to the Wi-Fi network using the new details provided by Plusnet. For instance, you may need to log in again on your laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart TV and other smart home devices.

Alternatively, if it's too much hassle setting up Wi-Fi again on all of your devices, you can log in to Plusnet router administration screen to change the Wi-Fi network details back to what you had before on BT.

If you’re using a Wi-Fi repeater or a mesh networking solution such as BT Whole Home Wi-Fi or Google Nest Wi-Fi, you’ll need to set it up again at this point to work with your new Plusnet router.

Step 4: Return or recycle your old BT router

Once your new Plusnet broadband service goes live, your old BT broadband service will be cancelled automatically. You’ll receive a final bill from BT following the cancellation, which will reflect your usage of their service up until cancellation.

After the transfer of your service to Plusnet, you may need to return your old hub to BT:

• If you signed up to BT Broadband after the 13th December 2019, you’ll have 60 days to return your old BT Broadband Hub. A fee of around £50 will be charged if you fail to return it.
• If you signed up to BT Broadband before the 13th December 2019, you can decide what to do with the old hub. You’re encouraged to return it or recycle it if possible to minimise electronic waste.

Alternatively, if you bought your own equipment through BT’s online store, it’s yours to keep and there’s no need to return it.

If you’re still using a BT-provided e-mail address, this will stop working 60 days after you cancel your BT Broadband service. If you’d like to keep it, you’ll need to pay for BT’s Premium Email service which costs £7.50/month for up to 11 email addresses. Email addresses provided by BT end with @btinternet.com, @btopenworld.com or @talk21.com.

Plusnet also offers an e-mail service for their broadband customers. However, we'd typically recommend signing up for a free email provider instead (such as Gmail or Outlook.com). These free email services aren’t linked to your broadband provider so you can easily change your broadband service again in the future with a lot less hassle.

Start your switch from BT to Plusnet →

More Information

Please see the Plusnet website for more information about switching to their broadband service.