Virgin Media: the number to call about leaving

We don't publish negotiation scripts for broadband. There is no Ofcom equivalent of the insurance price-parity rule, so anything we wrote would be generic advice we could not source. What you can use are three things that are documented:

• Their own best tariff, which they were required to send you. The end-of-contract notification must list Virgin Media's best available deals. Asking them to match a price they were legally obliged to tell you about is a concrete request, not a favour. Verified
• The exact cost of walking away. Virgin Media publishes how the charge is worked out, so you can calculate it before you dial and negotiate against a real figure rather than a guess. Verified
• A switch that no longer needs their cooperation. Under One Touch Switch you arrange everything with the new provider. That makes leaving genuinely easy, which is what gives the conversation weight. Verified

General We don't claim any of this will reduce your bill. It describes what is documented, not what will happen on your call.

• They have to tell you when your contract is ending — and what their best deal is. Under Ofcom's General Conditions, providers must send an end-of-contract notification before your fixed period ends. It has to be a separate message, not a line buried in a bill, and it must state the end date, the price you pay now, the price you will pay afterwards, how to leave, and the provider's own best available tariffs. In force since 15 February 2020. Verified
• Once the fixed period ends, leaving costs nothing. The end-of-contract notification must say so explicitly. After your minimum term, no early termination charge applies — only the notice period, which varies by provider. Verified
• If you're already out of contract, they must remind you every year. Providers must send an annual best-tariff notification to customers who are no longer in a fixed commitment period — again as a separate, standalone message, telling you what their best deals are. Verified
• An unexpected price rise lets you leave penalty-free. If a provider changes your contract in a way that was not set out when you signed, they must give at least one month’s notice and tell you that you may leave at no cost. Exercise that right and no early termination charge is payable. This does not apply to a rise that was properly specified at the point of sale. Verified
• Leaving early means an early disconnection fee. Virgin Media states the minimum term is normally 24 months, and that leaving before it ends means an early disconnection fee. The amount depends on which services you hold, the price you pay including any discount, and the months remaining. Fees apply after the 30-day notice period, and VAT has been charged on them since 1 April 2022. Verified

Ofcom’s guidance says that notification should arrive between 10 and 40 days before the fixed period ends. Worth being precise: the 10-to-40-day window sits in the guidance under the Condition rather than in the Condition itself. General

One thing worth knowing before you call at all: if you are simply switching to another broadband provider, One Touch Switch means your new provider handles the cancellation. You contact them, not your current provider. The full explainer is here.