How switching broadband providers works
1. Check your postcode: to see what deals you can get.
2. Sign up today: and we’ll confirm your installation date within 48 hours.
3. Contact your provider: so that they can cancel your contract.
4. Our WiFi Hub arrives: just plug it straight in or we can set it up for you.
FAQs
It's quick and easy to change broadband provider. And because we run our own network, unlike a lot of providers, we can get all your services up and running on the same day.
Your current provider may charge a fee for you to leave your contract early. But if you’ve completed it or if you have a rolling monthly broadband deal, you should be able to switch providers without facing any costs or penalties. It’s best to contact them or check the terms of your contract to make sure.
Only if you want to (it won’t change how soon you can get our services). The benefit of staying connected to your current provider, right up until you switch to our cheap broadband or any of our deals, is that this can help to avoid any loss of service – something to consider if you rely on your connection to work from home. That’s why we recommend that you don’t leave until after you’ve placed your broadband order. But ultimately, the choice is yours.
You may be able to switch at any time. It’s important to check your current contract to make sure and to find out about any fees or charges, so there are no surprises later. Most providers will ask for 30 days’ notice if you want to cancel, so it could be a good idea to start comparing our broadband deals before your current contract ends.
Most of the time, we can remotely switch on your broadband without a technician. At checkout, when you’re signing up, you’ll find out if this QuickStart option is available to you.
When you’ve signed up, we’ll confirm how your broadband is being installed and the date. Please contact your current provider, to cancel your contract and let them know your confirmed Virgin Media installation date. Since we’re on a different network to other broadband providers, we can’t manage the cancellation for you.
If you need to change your Virgin Media installation date, maybe your notice period with your current provider is longer than you’d expected, sign in on My Virgin Media account and ask to reschedule.
Don’t feel you have to wait to get new wireless broadband. You could order your new Virgin Media deal before you cancel with your current provider. The choice is yours.
When you sign up, there’s a £35 activation fee. This pays for a Virgin Media technician to check that your new broadband is set up correctly (we can do this remotely or pop over to your place). If you need us to put any wiring in, you may also be charged an installation fee, starting from £30 for a standard installation. You can sometimes come across a special deal offering broadband no setup or (£0 setup) costs, which runs for a limited time.
Extra costs to look out for are early termination charges from your current provider if you’re switching broadband before the end of your minimum term. Check the terms and conditions of your current deal for the details.
Depends on your installation date. A QuickStart self-install kit can arrive in 4 days (standard) or up to 14 days if we need to close someone else’s Virgin Media account at the property. If our technician needs to install our cables and switch your broadband over, it will take more time, but you’ll be offered the next available installation visit when you place your order.
If you picked QuickStart, we’ll pop a Virgin Media WiFi Hub in the post. Track your order by signing in on My Virgin Media. Here’s how to install your broadband.
If you time things right, you shouldn’t lose internet access when you switch broadband provider.
- Try to stay connected to your current provider right up until you switch broadband, to help avoid loss of service.
- Have a short overlap between your old provider and Virgin Media, for a seamless broadband switch to your new superfast fibre.
You can let us know you’d like to keep your landline number when you’re placing your broadband and phone order. We’ll contact your phone provider for you and try to switch your current number to Virgin Media.
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The legal stuff
*Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details.
No setup fee
This promotion means you won’t pay the usual setup fee of £35. No setup fee is available on all bundles, broadband & phone, and broadband only packages. If you can set up using a Self-Install pack, but choose to use an engineer for the installation, you’ll still be charged £30 for this service.
These prices are for new customers only.
Virgin Media services are only available in eligible Virgin Media network areas. Virgin TV 360 and, for the time being, home phone are not available in new network expansion areas.
All of the products on this page are subject to survey, network capacity and a credit check.
Each service has a minimum contract length that’s shown in your basket.
If you take a bundle with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll have separate contracts and bills – one for Virgin Media, and another for O2.
- Offers are subject to eligibility and availability.
- Read the terms on the Priority app or at o2.co.uk/terms
Get fast, reliable WiFi gliding through every room or money back
Eligible Virgin Fibre areas only. WiFi Guarantee available with M50 broadband or faster. £8p/m extra or included with Gig1, Gig2 or Volt. At least 30Mbps download speeds in every room or £100 one-off credit. Up to 3 WiFi Pods if needed. Exclusions & legal stuff apply.
†To verify, see: https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/awards. Best in Test: based on umlaut Fixed Broadband Benchmark 2023 comparing major UK ISPs on download speed, upload speed, latency and stability. Uswitch Most Popular Broadband Provider: based on Uswitch consumer research Dec 2022 - Jan 2023 conducted by Opinium comparing broadband sales volumes and overall customer satisfaction of major UK ISP operators, split equally to form a combined score. Best Combined Connectivity Experience: based on GWS test results Oct 2022-Apr 2023 comparing data connectivity performance of major UK mobile operators and their associated ISP partners to form a combined score across both mobile network and WiFi experience.