How to Terminate a Swiss Mobile Plan

Are you unsatisfied with your current Swiss mobile plan or do you want to switch to a new and better deal? Are you planning to leave Switzerland and want to terminate your mobile plan before you leave? You may be asking yourself how you should go about terminating your Swiss mobile plan. Here, you can find answers to the most important questions to consider.

1. How can I terminate my mobile plan but keep my phone number?

You can keep your existing Swiss phone number when you migrate to a different plan or service provider. In this case, you generally do not need to give notice to your existing mobile service provider when you sign up with a new service provider.

Porting your phone number is free of charge for you. When you sign up with your new mobile service provider, you need to tell them that you want to keep your existing phone number when you sign up. They take care of informing your old mobile service provider.

Important: Your existing mobile plan’s minimum contract term and notice periods still apply just as they would if you were not porting your number. If your number is ported before your existing plan's contract term and/or notice period expires, that would result in an early termination.

2. How can I terminate my mobile plan without keeping my phone number?

If you want to terminate your mobile plan without keeping your existing phone number (when you leave the country, for example), you need to give notice to your existing mobile service provider. Make sure to only give notice once the minimum contract term has expired, and observe the required notice periods.

Depending on which telecom company you use, you can give notice in several different ways:

• Over the telephone.
• By email.
• Over the customer service chat line.
• By postal mail.
• At your telecom provider's shops or customer service points.

The surest way to give notice is by registered postal mail. By using registered mail, you can prove that your notice was collected by the mobile service provider on a certain date. This is useful in the event that the service provider fails to terminate your mobile plan and continues billing you.

Some service providers like Sunrise officially do not accept notices of termination by email or postal mail. However, legal experts see this rule as questionable and unviable from a legal perspective.

If you give notice via a customer service chat line, it is a good idea to capture a screenshot of the live chat which includes the time and date to use as proof that you gave notice.

Here is an overview of the ways in which you can give notice for plans from major Swiss telecom companies:

• Swisscom: At Swisscom shops; by phone; by registered mail; over the customer service chat line. Giving notice by email is only possible if you attach a hand-signed notice of termination to the email message.
• Sunrise: By phone; over the customer service chat line. If you only want to deactivate an option on your mobile plan, you can do this in the online account.
• Salt: By phone; by registered mail.
• Quickline: All legally acceptable mediums, including by phone or in written form.

The rules generally also apply to subsidiaries of these telecom companies. Swisscom subsidiaries include Coop Mobile, M-Budget Mobile, and Wingo. Sunrise subsidiaries include Aldi Suisse Mobile, Lebara, and Yallo. Lidl Connect is a subsidiary of Salt. In order to give notice over the chat line, the subsidiary you use must offer a customer service chat line on its website.

3. How does the minimum contract term affect plan terminations?

Terminating your mobile plan before the minimum contract term has expired is not recommended. Doing so would result in a premature contract termination. Many contracts include clauses in their terms and conditions which allow the mobile service provider to charge you a high penalty fee if you terminate your plan ahead of schedule. Swisscom, for example, charges penalty fees of up to 4800 francs for breach of contract when you terminate your mobile plan ahead of schedule. You can find a clear overview of the standard minimum contract terms of Swiss mobile service providers here.

4. Notice periods

If you want to terminate a mobile plan, make sure to give notice in keeping with required notice periods. If you do not, you may be penalized for terminating your contract ahead of schedule. If you are not sure what notice period applies to your plan, contact your customer service and ask. Typically, you have to give notice one or two months before the date at which you want your mobile plan terminated. You can find an overview of the standard notice periods required by Swiss mobile service providers here.

5. Premature contract terminations

Make sure to wait until the minimum contract term expires, and give notice before the deadline for the required notice period. If you do not, then the contract will be terminated ahead of schedule. This can result in your having to pay very high penalty fees. You can find more information in the moneyland.ch guide to terminating telecom plans early.

6. Old rollover contracts

Previously, the practice of automatically renewing or “rolling over” mobile plans was widespread among Swiss telecom companies. Contracts were automatically extended for another year if notice was not submitted on time before the end of a given year.

Fortunately, this customer-unfriendly practice is no longer employed by Swiss mobile service providers, and rollover clauses are no longer included in contracts. You can now terminate Swiss mobile plans at any time after the minimum contract term expires, as long as you give notice in keeping with required notice periods.

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