Bundle pricing and the cancel-one-cancel-all trap

A bundle feels like one product because it arrives on one bill. Contractually it is usually a collection of services, and each one can have its own minimum term. The broadband might have started in January. The TV package added during the World Cup started in June. Upgrade the cinema channels in November and that element may start a clock of its own.

None of this is printed on the bill in large friendly letters. It lives in your contract terms, and the mechanics differ by provider and by package. Sky, Virgin Media and BT each structure bundles their own way, so we are not going to pretend there is one universal rulebook. There isn't. The only dates that matter are the ones on your own account, so check those first.

One document helps. Before you signed up, the provider had to give you a contract summary, and for bundles it runs to three pages rather than one, covering the charges, the contract length and how to cancel. Ofcom requires it for every sale. Dig it out of your inbox. It is the closest thing the bundle has to an honest map.

Broadband switches now run through One Touch Switch, which means you only contact the new provider and the switch itself is handled for you. For a bundle, two things matter.

First, the landline. Ofcom's switching rules move a landline from the same provider along with the broadband, which is normally what you want.

Second, the TV. The switch leaves it behind, still billing, still recording things nobody watches, and cancelling it can work differently, particularly where a satellite service is involved. The safeguard is the switching information: once you give your details to the new provider, your current provider must send you a summary of any early termination charges and the impact on your other services. That document is your official warning of what the bundle is about to cost you. Read it before you confirm the switch, not after.

The classic bundle accident goes like this. The household switches broadband, assumes the whole bundle dies with it, and finds the TV element soldiering on, still inside its minimum term. Or the reverse: everything gets cancelled in one call, and an early termination charge lands for the one element that still had eight months to run.

We are deliberately not quoting exit-fee figures here, because they vary by provider, by package and by the day you signed. The general shape is consistent though. Ending a service inside its minimum term costs you something based on what is left, and ending three services can mean three separate calculations. The exact sums live in your contract and in your switching information, not in a blog post written by someone who has never seen your account. If a figure on the final bill looks wrong, challenge it.

There are clean exits, and there are more of them than the retention department will volunteer.

• Everything is out of contract. Once every element has passed its minimum term, you can leave the lot without exit fees. If those dates went by a while ago, you are probably overpaying as well.
• A price rise you didn't sign up to. Contracts agreed since 17 January 2025 must state any rises in pounds and pence up front. A rise that wasn't specified, or is bigger than specified, comes with at least 30 days' notice and the right to leave without penalty.
• The speed guarantee fails. If your provider follows Ofcom's broadband speeds code and your speed drops below the minimum you were guaranteed, they get 30 days to fix it. If they can't, you can exit penalty-free, and since the 2022 code update that right covers bundled landline and pay-TV bought with the broadband too. The minimum guaranteed speed is the number to know.
• The first 14 days. Sign up online or over the phone and you have a 14-day cooling-off period, one of several fee-free exits worth knowing.

1. Find the end dates. The contract summary and your online account show the minimum term on each element. Write them down, because they are unlikely to match.
2. Decide what you keep. If the TV earns its place, you can often keep it and switch just the broadband. Ask what the remaining services will cost on their own, because bundle discounts do not always survive the separation.
3. Start the broadband switch, then pause. Give your details to the new provider and read the switching information your current provider sends. It lists the exit charges and what happens to the TV and phone. If a fee surprises you, stop before confirming.
4. Deal with the TV separately. If it is still in term, the options are pay the exit charge, run it down to its end date or ask about a cheaper tier. Which is cheapest depends on numbers only your account can show you.
5. Watch the final bill. Under One Touch Switch you cannot be charged notice-period fees past the switch date, and you should not pay for a service you are no longer receiving.

A bundle is only the place where the paperwork most outnumbers the products. The rest of the rules on pricing and contracts cover rises, compensation and complaints, and the switching guides cover the move itself, including leaving while you are still in contract.