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How To Cancel EarthLink Internet

EarthLink is an internet provider for residential and business customers. This internet provider has received positive reviews and offers a number of plans to choose from, including the popular Earthlink HyperLink plan with 1 Gps of speed and no data caps.

You can also use EarthLink for additional services such as safety, parental controls, or online backups. Business customers have access to more services like digital marketing.

EarthLink is a provider with a positive reputation, but prices tend to be higher than other providers. With the average American spending a little over $68 per month to stay connected, shopping around can help lower your bills.

Here’s how to cancel EarthLink internet if you want to find a more affordable provider, if you’re moving, or want to switch for another reason.

What to Know Before You Cancel Your EarthLink Internet

The first thing you should do is check your current contract and look for the early cancellation section. You can decide when you want your service to end, but EarthLink will cancel it at the end of your billing cycle. You will not get a refund or partial credit if you use your internet for only part of the last billing cycle.

EarthLink uses annual contracts. If you decide to terminate your service before the end of your contract, you will pay an early cancellation fee. Most online sources mention a $200 termination fee. However, this fee could vary depending on the type of contract you have. Some EarthLink customers still have legacy dial-up contracts where the fee might be lower. Check your billing plan to find the exact fee you’ll have to pay.

You can avoid paying this cancellation fee if you wait until the end of your contract to cancel your internet service with EarthLink. If you’re not sure when your contract ends, the best thing to do is to contact customer service and ask.

EarthLink will waive this termination fee in a few cases. You won’t have to pay it if you’re cancelling your service because of a natural disaster or if EarthLink stops offering their internet services in your area. You can also cancel your internet without paying this fee if you’re being deployed for active duty in the military.

How to Cancel EarthLink Internet

The only way to cancel your internet is to call EarthLink. There are two numbers you can use:

• Residential customers should call 888-327-8454
• Business customers should call 844-ELNK-BIZ

EarthLink offers a live chat option if you need tech support. However, the EarthLink service agreement only lists these two phone numbers. It’s unlikely that customer support representatives will be able to help you cancel your service if you use the live chat feature since they might not be able to verify your identity.

You should have your EarthLink account number ready when you call. You can find it on your bill. If possible, have a copy of your billing plan with you so you can ask questions about when you will have to pay your last bill or about how much you will have to pay to cover the cancelation fee.

Canceling your service should be easy, but you’ll have to answer a few questions. EarthLink is an internet provider with good reviews, and customers are usually happy with their experience when they contact support. You should have to wait too long on the phone before talking to a representative unless there is an outage when you call.

Here’s how to cancel your EarthLink internet:

1. The customer service representative will ask you for your EarthLink account number and your phone number. They might ask additional questions such as your name and address to verify your identity.
2. The representative will ask how they can help you. Explain that you’re calling to cancel your service.
3. They will probably ask why. Keep in mind that you don’t have to answer. You’re free to say you don’t want to discuss the reason and want to get on with canceling your service.
4. You can tell the representative that you’re canceling your service because you’re moving. They will probably ask your move date and offer to transfer your service to your new address once your current service ends. It can be convenient to make these arrangements at the same time as you cancel your service, but you can always call EarthLink later if you need more time for researching the different options at your new address.
5. If you say that you’re canceling your service because you’re not happy with the speed or performance of your current connection, the representative will probably offer to upgrade you to a different package. Again, you don’t have to accept and can ask to continue with the cancellation process.
6. The representative will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel your internet service and will also ask when you want the service to end. You can pick any date but keep in mind that you will have to pay for the entire billing cycle.
7. The representative will create an internal request to cancel your service, and you shouldn’t have to take any additional step.
8. Before hanging up, don’t forget to ask how much your last bill will be and when you will have to pay it. You should also ask about any early cancelation fees.

When Will Your Service End?

When you call EarthLink to cancel your service, the customer service representative will ask you when you want the service to end. They will confirm this date at the end of the phone call. You will receive an email shortly after the phone call with a confirmation that your service will end on the day you requested. Note that you will not get any additional confirmation after this email.

Your internet service will stop sometimes on the day you picked. If you used other EarthLink services such as email or online backup, your access to these services will stop at the same time.

Keep the email EarthLink sent you for your records. If EarthLink makes a mistake and continues billing you after the cancelation date, you will be able to use this email to get a refund.

Note that you will remain liable for any unpaid bills. If you owe money to EarthLink for past billing cycles, you will still have to pay these bills after your cancelation date.

Revoke the Automated Payment Authorization

Did you sign up for automated payments to pay your internet bill? If yes, you might want to revoke this authorization. You can bring it up when you call EarthLink customer service.

You should revoke the automatic payment authorization at least three days before a payment is due. Otherwise, EarthLink might process this payment as usual.

Once you revoke the automatic payment authorization, you’ll probably have to log into your EarthLink online account or call customer service to make your last payment.

Don’t Forget to Return Your Equipment

Like many internet providers, EarthLink charges you a monthly fee for renting a modem or router. You’ll have to return this equipment when you cancel your service.

EarthLink will send you a shipping label in the mail with some instructions for packaging and returning the equipment. Use the label provided and follow all the directions. You will have 30 days from the day EarthLink mailed the label to return the equipment. You might have to pay an additional fee if you don’t return your router or modem.

Final Thoughts

Canceling your internet with EarthLink is a simple process. All you have to do is call 888-327-8454 for residential customers and 844-ELNK-BIZ for business customers. The main downside of canceling your service is that you’ll have to pay a fee unless you can wait for the end of your annual contract.