Switching Internet Providers

Before you sign

You get the total in writing and a day to reconsider

Switching is where the money is, and where the disclosure rules bite hardest. Before entering into a contract for a covered service, a provider must give you the total monthly charge for the service you selected, noting the amount of any promotional discount and when it expires, including administrative fees, equipment fees or other charges, plus a good faith estimate of government taxes and fees¹.

That is not a courtesy quote. The provider must send you a copy of the same information within 24 hours of entering the contract, by email, online link or comparable means¹. And you may cancel without paying early cancellation fees or other disconnection fees or penalties during the 24 hour period beginning when that copy is sent¹.

So a switch has a built-in cooling-off period, on a clock the provider itself starts. Most people never use it, because most never recognize the written copy as the thing the statute requires.

Six moves that decide whether a switch pays off

Each item is either a disclosure you are owed or an offer term you can check before committing.

Demand the total, not the headline

The statutory quote includes the promotional discount amount, the date it expires, administrative fees, equipment fees and other charges, and a good faith estimate of government taxes and fees¹. That is a materially different number from the price on the plan card, and it is the one you should be comparing across providers.

Wait for the written copy

The provider must send the same information within 24 hours of the contract, by email, online link or other reasonably comparable means¹. Watch for it, because your cancellation window is measured from when that copy is sent, not from when you spoke to a salesperson or when service is installed¹.

Use the 24 hour exit if the numbers moved

You may cancel the contract without paying early cancellation fees or other disconnection fees or penalties during the 24 hour period beginning when the provider sends that copy¹. If the written total does not match what you were told on the call, this is the cleanest remedy you have and it costs nothing to use.

Price your exit from the old provider

The label must identify any fee charged for cancelling before the end of a contract term, with a link to a full explanation of what triggers it, and where the fee is prorated the provider may note the maximum². Find that number before you order the new service, not after.

Return the old equipment, on the record

A provider may not charge for covered equipment the consumer has returned, except for the period running from when the provider supplied it to when the consumer returned it¹. Get dated proof of the return. That date is exactly what the statutory exception hinges on if a charge keeps appearing.

Find the cliff in the new offer

If a provider shows an introductory rate on a label it must also show the rate that applies afterward, and either the length of the intro period or the date it ends². On the television side, cable and DBS providers must state the post-promotion rate on bills 60 and 30 days before an intro period ends³.

Verizon Fios setup fee$99, read 7 August 2026

Viasat switch reward card$300, conditions and expiry apply

What does it cost?

Switching has two sides. On the cost side, the only setup charge quotable here is Verizon's, whose Fios page states that $99 setup and other terms may apply⁴. Add whatever early termination fee your current label discloses². On the incentive side, Viasat published a $300 Mastercard reward card for new residential subscribers who switch from any internet provider excluding a fiber or cable provider, on the Unleashed plan, ordered between 17 February and 21 August 2026, with redemption due within 60 days of the emailed offer and the card expiring six months from issue⁵.

One published example shows what a switching headline can hide. Verizon advertised 100% fiber internet starting at $20 a month, and its own footnotes list the parts: a $59.99 list price on the 300 Mbps plan, a $15 Mobile plus Home discount requiring a Verizon postpaid mobile line, a $15 bonus discount applied as a bill credit for 36 months after which standard rates apply, and $10 for autopay with paper-free billing, alongside the $99 setup⁴. Subtracting those three reductions from $59.99 leaves $19.99. That arithmetic is reconstructed from Verizon's published figures, not printed by Verizon.

Both cells and the worked example come from those two companies' own published pages on the dates shown, exclude taxes and address-specific fees, and are examples rather than market rates.

Hiring

How to run a switch

1

Who does the work

You drive it. The new provider owes you the pre-contract total and the written copy within 24 hours¹. The old provider owes you a label carrying the early termination terms², and under the current rule must supply an archived label on request within 30 days if your plan is no longer sold⁶.

2

What pros will ask

Who your current provider is, and the answer can disqualify you. Viasat's reward card excludes customers switching from a fiber or cable provider⁵. Expect an autopay and mobile-line pitch, since Verizon states $10 a month for autopay with paper-free billing and $15 a month for pairing a postpaid mobile plan⁴. Expect an address check before any price is quoted.

3

What to check before signing

Compare the written total against the label, line by line². Note the exact month any bill credit ends, since Verizon's bonus credit runs 36 months before standard rates apply⁴. Confirm whether the plan carries an annual contract at all. Comcast, for one, states its five-year rate is locked with no annual contract and customers may cancel at any time without penalty⁷.

Switching questions, answered straight

What is a provider required to tell me before I sign?

The total. Before entering into a contract for a covered service, the provider must give you the total monthly charge for the service you selected, whether individually or as part of a bundle, explicitly noting any applicable promotional discount reflected in that charge and when it expires, including related administrative fees, equipment fees or other charges, plus a good faith estimate of any tax, fee or charge imposed by government¹. It may be delivered by phone, in person, online or other reasonable means.

Can I back out after I have already signed?

Yes, within a specific window. The provider must send you a copy of that pre-contract information within 24 hours of entering the contract, and you may cancel without paying early cancellation fees or other disconnection fees or penalties during the 24 hour period beginning when the provider sends that copy¹. The clock starts on the sending of the written copy, so save the email and note its timestamp. That single document is what makes the right usable.

How do I find out what leaving my current provider will cost?

From your current plan's label. The label must identify any one-time fee the provider will impose if you cancel before the end of a contract term, and provide a link to a full explanation of when the fee is triggered, with the maximum stated where the fee is prorated². If your plan is no longer sold to new customers, the current rule requires the provider to supply your archived label on request within 30 days⁶.

Are switching bonuses worth chasing?

Only after you read the conditions, which are usually published. Viasat's $300 reward card applies to new residential subscribers who switch from any internet provider excluding a fiber or cable provider, on a specific plan, ordered within a stated window, with the redemption request required within 60 days of the emailed offer and the card expiring six months from the date it is issued⁵. Miss any one of those and the incentive is worth nothing.

Why is the advertised price never the price I am offered?

Usually because the headline assumes conditions you have not met. Verizon's own footnotes stack a $15 discount for carrying a Verizon postpaid mobile line, a $15 bonus bill credit that runs 36 months before standard rates apply, and $10 in savings for autopay with paper-free billing, against a $59.99 list price⁴. Ziply Fiber likewise states that its shown price includes a discount for enrolling in paperless billing and autopay⁸. Check which conditions you actually qualify for.

Sources

Where these facts came from

Every figure on this page was read out of the page linked below. We do not cite cost aggregators.

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