Guides › Broadband, Phone and Mobile Contracts › Phone or Broadband Contract Ending: Your Rights
Phone or Broadband Contract Ending: Your Rights
Phone, broadband and pay-TV providers must warn you between 10 and 40 days before your contract ends. The message must say when it ends, what you pay now and will pay after, any notice period, and the provider's best deals, including new-customer prices. If you are already out of contract, you must be told every year about its best deals.
At a Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
End-of-Contract Alerts
Ofcom
Since 15 February 2020, phone, broadband and pay-TV customers must be warned between 10 and 40 days before their contract ends. Providers must say when the contract is up, what you have been paying and will pay, any notice period for leaving, and their best deals, including prices only available to new customers. Customers already out of contract must be reminded and told every year about the best deals. source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- 10 to 40 daysEnd-of-contract alertBefore the contract ends
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 5
Find your contract end date in your account.
Step 2 of 5
Compare the best deals your provider lists with other providers.
Step 3 of 5
Ask your provider to match a better deal.
Step 4 of 5
Switch, or agree a new deal, before prices rise.
Step 5 of 5
If you were never told, complain to your provider.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
Your Provider
Complain if you were not told.
CISAS or the Communications Ombudsman
Free, after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
Check broadband social tariffs if you get certain benefits.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 13 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2020/companies-must-tell-customers-about-their-best-deals Checked 13 October 2026