It's easy changing your broadband provider between Virgin Media and Sky. Find out how in our step-by-step guide.
Whether you're changing your broadband provider from Virgin Media to Sky, or from Sky to Virgin Media, it's a straightforward process. Start by letting us know in which direction you'd like to change your provider:
Are you switching from Virgin Media to Sky, or from Sky to Virgin Media?
You can follow the instructions below if you're switching from Virgin Media to Sky Broadband.
Are you switching from Sky to Virgin Media instead? Tap for instructions.
Step 1: Check your Virgin Media cancellation fee
To start with, check whether a cancellation fee will apply for ending your Virgin Media broadband service.
If you’re already outside the minimum term of your contract with Virgin Media, there will be no cancellation fees for ending your Virgin Media broadband service. You’ll simply pay for your usage of the Virgin Media broadband service up until the date that the service is cancelled.
If you’re still within the minimum term of your contract with Virgin Media (i.e. the initial 12 months, 18 months or 24 months you signed up for), an early exit fee will apply for ending your Virgin Media broadband service. This early cancellation fee will depend on your Virgin Media plan and what products you have. However, you can expect it to be in the region of £30.54 to £50.46 per remaining month on your contract (capped at a maximum of £240 across all of your Virgin Media products). You can get a quote for what this exit fee will be by calling Virgin Media customer services on 0345 454 1111. Alternatively, there’s more information on how to calculate it within our guide to cancelling Virgin Media.
If you’re unsure when your Virgin Media service comes to an end, log in to your Virgin Media online account and go to My Bills followed by View Contract. Alternatively, this information should also be listed on your bills from Virgin Media.
If you also want to cancel other Virgin Media services like TV and mobile, you should tell them you’d like to do this when talking to them on the phone.
Step 2: Order your Sky Broadband service
To progress with your broadband switch from Virgin Media to Sky, go to Sky’s website to order your new Sky broadband service.
For more information, select the type of broadband service you're planning to switch to on Sky:
- Essential Plus Broadband
- Superfast Broadband
- Ultrafast Broadband
- Ultrafast Plus Broadband
- Gigafast Broadband
- Broadband and TV
At present, Sky offers a range of home broadband plans including the following:
| Service | Broadband | Television | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sky Ultrafast | 145Mbps average download | No TV | £30/month for 18 months |
Sky TV Essentials with Superfast 35 Broadband | 36Mbps average download | Sky TV Essentials 200+ channels included | £33/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Superfast | 59Mbps average download | No TV | £34/month for 18 months with 7 months half price |
Sky Superfast 35 | 36Mbps average download | No TV | £34.50/month for 18 months |
Sky TV Essentials with Superfast Broadband | 59Mbps average download | Sky TV Essentials 200+ channels included | £36/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband | 59Mbps average download |    120+ channels included | £39/month for 18 months £13 for 1 months |
Sky TV with Superfast 35 Broadband | 36Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £41/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky TV with Superfast Broadband | 59Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £44/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky TV with Netflix and Superfast 35 Broadband | 36Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £45/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Ultrafast Plus | 500Mbps average download | No TV | £48/month for 18 months with 7 months half price |
Sky TV with Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £48/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Ultrafast Plus Broadband | 500Mbps average download | 120+ channels included | £49/month for 18 months £23 for 1 months |
Sky TV with Netflix and Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £52/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Gigafast | 900Mbps average download | No TV | £58/month for 18 months |
Sky TV with Ultrafast Plus Broadband | 500Mbps average download | 300+ channels included | £58/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky TV with Sky Sports & Superfast Broadband | 59Mbps average download |  300+ channels included | £64/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
During the online order process, Sky 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. Sky will also give you a go-live date for your new broadband service. To minimise any overlap in service, you should time the cancellation of your old Virgin Media broadband service so it ends on the date your new Sky service starts.
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 Sky. As long as you do this, Sky will arrange for your phone number to be moved over to their service.
Once you've ordered your service from Sky, remember to contact Virgin Media to cancel your old home broadband service. If you forget to contact Virgin Media, your old Virgin Media broadband service will continue to run and you'll continue paying the bill for both services at the same time.
Step 3: Plug in your Sky Broadband Hub on the go-live date
In advance of your broadband service switching over, Sky will send you a new Sky Broadband Hub through the post.
On the go-live date for your Sky 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 Sky Broadband Hub. There'll be instructions inside the package on how you can set up the new Sky Broadband Hub.
Your new Sky Broadband Hub 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 Virgin Media router, you'll therefore need to sign in again to the Wi-Fi network using the new details provided by Sky. 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 Sky Broadband Hub administration screen to change the Wi-Fi network details back to what you had before on Virgin Media.
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 Sky Broadband Hub.
Step 4: Return or recycle your old Virgin Media router
Once your Sky broadband service goes live, you should ensure your old Virgin Media broadband service has been cancelled. You’ll receive a final bill from Virgin Media following the cancellation, which will reflect your usage of their service up until cancellation.
Once you’ve changed your broadband service to Sky, you’ll need to return your old Virgin Media equipment. This inclues your Virgin Media Hub, along with your Virgin TV set-top box if you have one.
If you’re using a Virgin Media email address, this will be closed 90 days after you cancel your Virgin Media broadband service. It isn’t possible to keep your email address after cancelling your service. Email addresses provided by Virgin Media may end in @virginmedia.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, @ntlworld.com or @virgin.net.
Sky 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 Virgin Media to Sky →
More Information
Please see the Sky website for more information about switching to their broadband service.
You can follow the instructions below if you're switching from Sky to Virgin Media Broadband.
Are you switching from Virgin Media to Sky instead? Tap for instructions.
Step 1: Check your Sky cancellation fee
To start with, check whether a cancellation fee will apply for ending your Sky broadband service.
If you’re already outside the minimum term of your contract with Sky, there will be no cancellation fees for ending your Sky broadband service. You’ll simply pay for your usage of the Sky broadband service up until the date that the service is cancelled.
If you’re still within the minimum term of your contract with Sky (i.e. the initial 12 months, 18 months or 24 months you signed up for), an early exit fee will apply for ending your Sky broadband service. This cancellation fee is plan-dependent but is typically £12.41 to £24.23 for each remaining month on your plan. You can get a quote for what this exit fee will be by calling Sky customer services on 0333 7591 018. Alternatively, there’s more information on how to calculate it within our guide to cancelling Sky.
You can find the contract end date for your Sky Broadband service by logging in to your My Sky account. Once you’ve logged in, go to your Message Centre followed by Your Contracts. Choose your broadband plan to see details of the end date.
If you have other services such as Sky TV or Sky Mobile, these are separate from your Sky broadband service. You’ll need to contact Sky separately if you’d like to cancel these services at the same time.
Step 2: Order your Virgin Media Broadband service
To progress with your broadband switch from Sky to Virgin Media, go to Virgin Media’s website to order your new Virgin Media broadband service.
For more information, select the type of broadband service you're planning to switch to on Virgin Media:
At present, Virgin Media offers a range of home broadband plans including the following:
| Service | Broadband | Television | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 M50 Fibre Broadband | 54Mbps average download | No TV | £25/month for 18 months |
M125 Fibre Broadband Only | 132Mbps average download | No TV | £26.50/month for 18 months |
M250 Fibre Broadband Only | 264Mbps average download | No TV | £30.50/month for 18 months |
M350 Fibre Broadband Only | 362Mbps average download | No TV | £34.50/month for 18 months |
Big Bundle + Drama & Docs | 264Mbps average download | Mixit TV + Drama Pick | £37.99/month for 18 months |
M500 Fibre Broadband Only | 516Mbps average download | No TV | £38.50/month for 18 months |
Big Bundle | 132Mbps average download | 100+ channels Mixit TV | £39/month for 18 months |
Gig1 Fibre Broadband Only | 1130Mbps average download | No TV | £45/month for 18 months |
Bigger Bundle + Movies | 132Mbps average download |  Maxit TV + Sky Cinema | £62/month for 18 months |
Bigger + Sports | 516Mbps average download |  Maxit TV + Sky Sports | £65/month for 18 months |
Biggest TV Bundle | 132Mbps average download | Maxit TV + Sky Sports + Sky Cinema + Netflix | £87/month for 18 months |
See all Virgin Media Broadband Deals →
During the online order process, Virgin Media 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. Virgin Media will also give you a go-live date for your new broadband service. To minimise any overlap in service, you should time the cancellation of your old Sky broadband service so it ends on the date your new Virgin Media service starts.
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 Virgin Media. As long as you do this, Virgin Media will arrange for your phone number to be moved over to their service. Note that Virgin Media doesn’t always provide a landline with their service so this will only be possible if your package includes a home phone service.
Once you've ordered your service from Virgin Media, remember to contact Sky to cancel your old home broadband service. If you forget to contact Sky, your old Sky broadband service will continue to run and you'll continue paying the bill for both services at the same time.
Step 3: Plug in your Virgin Media Hub on the go-live date
In advance of your broadband service switching over, Virgin Media will send you a new Virgin Media Hub through the post. Most Virgin Media customers will receive a Hub 3 router. Alternatively, you’ll get a Hub 4 if you sign up to Gig1 fibre broadband.
On the go-live date for your Virgin Media 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 Virgin Media Hub. There'll be instructions inside the package on how you can set up the new Virgin Media Hub.
Your new Virgin Media Hub 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 Sky router, you'll therefore need to sign in again to the Wi-Fi network using the new details provided by Virgin Media. 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 Virgin Media Hub administration screen to change the Wi-Fi network details back to what you had before on Sky.
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 Virgin Media Hub.
Step 4: Return or recycle your old Sky router
Once your Virgin Media broadband service goes live, you should ensure your old Sky broadband service has been cancelled. You’ll receive a final bill from Sky following the cancellation, which will reflect your usage of their service up until cancellation.
If you have an old Sky Broadband router, you’ll need to return it if you have Sky Q or if you joined Sky Broadband after the 4th March 2020. If you don’t, a non-return fee will be charged on your final bill. For everyone else, it’s optional to return your old Sky broadband router but we’d recommend it to reduce the amount of electrical waste.
If you’re using a Sky email address, you can keep it at no additional cost when you cancel your home broadband service. However, you’ll need to make sure you sign in to your account at least once every six months to stop it from being deleted. Email addresses provided by Sky end in @sky.com.
Virgin Media 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 Sky to Virgin Media →
More Information
Please see the Virgin Media website for more information about switching to their broadband service.
Alternatively, for further information, read our in-depth guides to switching broadband provider or cancelling your home broadband service in the UK.
Andy said:
The easy switching wasn’t so easy for me. I was out of contract and switched from TalkTalk to Vodafone, I selected keep my old number and it said they would contact TalkTalk so I didn’t have to do anything. It to the date when Vodafone installed, that went fine. I hadn’t heard anything from TalkTalk about leaving so I rang them, Vodafone hadn’t informed them but oddly now my landline number is same for Vodafone as it is for TalkTalk so how that happens who knows. Anyway, now I have to pay an extra month to TalkTalk for a notice period. So if doing a switch I would always ring your current providor and tell them you are leaving.
Andy said:
I moved from BT to Vodafone. I have a high end Asus modem/router. the linespeed is great both as reported by router and when device attached by Lan Cable. yet the WiFi speed now way down about 1/3 to 1/2 of linespeed. yet same hardware as with bt when drop was 10% at most.
How can this be?
Nik said:
hi Ken, THANK YOU SO MUCH! this little nugget of info is going to save me so much time: “Alternatively, if it’s too much hassle setting up Wi-Fi again on all of your devices, you can log in to BT Smart Hub administration screen to change the Wi-Fi network details back to what you had before on Plusnet”.
I’ve just switched from plusnet to BT and was googling possibilities of daisy chaining my old router to the new 1 when it arrives, as i have a whole smart home set up. Due to being disabled the smart home is a NEED but an utter pain in the backside to have to re set up. normally id bite the bullet and just do it, but health issues are having a flare at the moment so finding out that i can just “clone” my existing details on the new router is amazing news!