The short answer
If your email address came free with your broadband, it belongs to that provider, not to you, and it can be shut down when the service ends. Changing broadband provider doesn't carry it across to the new company, because email isn't part of the switch at all.
What happens next depends on who gave you the address. Some providers let ex-customers keep it in a cut-down form, some charge, and some close it. Virgin Media is moving its email service to Junara, a paid service, and TalkTalk has moved some former customers to the paid Everymail service.
It's very manageable if you sort it out before you switch, while you can still log in to the old mailbox.
Why your email isn't part of a broadband switch
Ofcom's One Touch Switch process, live since 12 September 2024, is designed so that you contact only your new broadband provider and it arranges the move. Your old provider sends you switching information, such as any early termination charges, by the method you choose: email, text or letter. Not every switch runs this way yet, so you may still cancel the old service yourself.
Either way, the switch moves your broadband, not an email account. Your old provider still runs the mailbox, under its own rules. Two things follow:
- Give your new provider a contact address you will keep, or order confirmations, installation dates and early bills could land in a mailbox that's about to close.
- Don't expect a regulator to step in. ISPreview, which reports on the broadband industry, notes that Ofcom doesn't regulate email services, so there is little support if a provider closes or starts charging for an address. It advises using an email service separate from your broadband provider.
For the wider process see our step-by-step guide to switching broadband providers.
What the big providers say (checked October 2026)
Each provider's published position, from its own help pages. Virgin Media and TalkTalk have both changed their email services recently, so check again or ask support before you cancel.
Provider | What happens when you leave | Ways to keep the address |
|---|---|---|
BT | Your email moves to Basic (no new addresses, web browser only, must be used regularly) | Order Basic when you cancel, pay for Premium, or link the address to another BT account |
Sky | Not stated for ex-customers. Sky Yahoo Mail accounts not signed into for five months start a suspension and deletion process | Check with Sky before you leave, and keep signing in |
Virgin Media | With no Virgin Media TV, broadband or landline left, email is usually closed within 90 days of broadband disconnection and the contents deleted | Junara, a paid service |
TalkTalk | Its pages differ: one says ex-customers who don't pay lose the address; its newer FAQ says customers who leave keep working email for now | Everymail (paid), offered in TalkTalk's messages to former customers it contacts |
Prices for the paid options aren't listed here: they're set by the provider or email company, can change, and are shown when you sign up.
BT (@btinternet.com, @btopenworld.com, @talk21.com)
BT says addresses ending @btinternet.com, @btopenworld.com or @talk21.com are BT email addresses. When your BT Broadband stops, BT changes your email to Basic, which it says is free and doesn't need BT Broadband. With Basic you can't create new addresses (BT says any you already have still work), and you can only use it through bt.com in a web browser, not in email software or the BT Email app. You must log in regularly to keep it active. If you have several BT addresses, confirm with BT which will carry on.
The catch most people miss: BT says Basic has to be ordered when you cancel your broadband. You can't switch directly to it later; the route BT describes is to take Premium first and then downgrade.
Premium is BT's paid option for leavers who want to keep all the same email features. BT says you need to live in the UK and have a UK bank account.
A third route: a BT address can be linked to another BT Broadband or Premium email billing account if you're that account's holder, it already has an email address linked to it, and you know the password of the address being moved (if it's someone else's, they must agree and share their password and BT ID details). If your address came through someone else's BT Broadband account and they leave BT or remove the link, you're switched to Basic; and when the last address is moved off a Premium email account, that account closes automatically.
Our BT broadband deals page explains what BT offers.
Sky (Sky Yahoo Mail)
Sky's email is Sky Yahoo Mail. We couldn't find an official Sky page saying whether former broadband customers keep their address, so ask Sky before you leave, in writing if you can. What Sky does publish is how it treats inactive accounts:
- If you haven't signed in for five months or more, Sky emails your Sky address and the other address you registered.
- You then have 14 days to sign in, or the account is suspended.
- While suspended you get a second reminder but can't receive other emails.
- If you don't reactivate within 14 days of that second email, the account is deleted, including emails, contacts and calendar, and can't be recovered.
Sky says deleting the Sky Yahoo Mail account doesn't affect your Sky iD or other Sky services. If you keep a Sky address, sign in regularly and make sure the backup address Sky holds is one you check. See our Sky broadband deals page for more on Sky.
Virgin Media (@virginmedia.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, @virgin.net, @ntlworld.com)
Leaving Virgin Media. Virgin Media says email accounts are usually closed within 90 days of broadband being disconnected (some closures are delayed), and a closed account's contents are permanently deleted. Its page is aimed at people with no Virgin Media TV, broadband or landline left, and says a current customer who gets a closure notice may have been contacted in error, so if you're keeping one of those services, ask whether your email stays open. Virgin Media no longer gives email accounts to new or returning customers, and moving to O2 doesn't prevent closure.
The move to Junara. Virgin Media is handing its email service, covering @virginmedia.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, @virgin.net and @ntlworld.com, to a company called Junara. To keep your address and mailbox contents, you sign up with Junara for a cost, shown when you start the sign-up; each address is billed separately. Virgin Media says:
- it is contacting customers gradually, and you have at least 45 days from its first email to sign up
- miss that date and the mailbox is suspended (webmail stops, and apps such as Outlook or Apple Mail may show an error), with a further 120 days to sign up before it's deleted for good
- auto-forwarding you've set up keeps working during suspension but stops once the mailbox is deleted
- if you don't want Junara but need your old emails, you can call and ask for the mailbox to be temporarily unsuspended to save them
If your Virgin Media sign-in ID is your Virgin Media email address and you don't join Junara, you'll need to change that ID in My Virgin Media. Virgin Media doesn't say current customers are exempt from the Junara move, so don't assume staying keeps your email free. Our Virgin Media broadband deals page covers its network and packages.
TalkTalk
TalkTalk says current broadband and fibre customers get up to five mailboxes free and aren't affected by its move to a new mail service, and that you can't keep a TalkTalk address if you move to another email provider. What happens when you leave is less clear, because TalkTalk's own pages differ (checked October 2026):
- Its Mail Plus page says email users without active TalkTalk broadband or fibre who don't take the paid service lose the ability to use their address, and that Mail Plus is changing to Everymail, powered by Open-Xchange.
- Its newer Email Transition FAQ says the Everymail move affects only certain former customers, whom TalkTalk has contacted directly with a personalised sign-up link. If you're a current customer who leaves, it says your email will keep working and TalkTalk will contact you if you need to act.
The FAQ says former customers it contacted who didn't subscribe by 16 June 2026 lost the ability to send email, and their accounts were closed from 7 July 2026 with data deleted permanently. Earlier groups had different deadlines in their own messages: ISPreview reported one wave in July 2025 with a main deadline of 8 September 2025, and that a few active broadband customers got that message in error. If you're still a customer and are asked to pay, check with TalkTalk first.
A change of owner is under way. ISPreview reported on 5 October 2026 that BT has agreed to buy TalkTalk's consumer broadband business out of administration, subject to regulatory review. Customers don't need to act and services should continue as normal. Nothing has been said about email, but policies can change, so if you're leaving, ask TalkTalk what will happen to your address and move key accounts anyway. Our TalkTalk broadband deals page has the provider background.
Plusnet, EE, Zen and smaller providers
We looked for official pages from Plusnet, EE and Zen setting out what happens to email when you leave, and didn't find one we could rely on, so we won't state a policy.
If you have an address from one of these providers, ask three things before you cancel: whether the address stays open, whether there's a charge to keep it, and how much notice you get before it closes. Our guide to UK broadband providers links to each company's page.
Your three options
1. Keep the old address
That might mean ordering BT Basic when you cancel, paying for BT Premium or Junara, or taking up Everymail if TalkTalk offers it. It's the least disruptive option short term, but you may pay for something free services provide, the rules can change again (as Virgin Media and TalkTalk users have found), and BT Basic only works in a browser.
2. Link it to someone else's account (BT only)
If a family member is staying with BT Broadband, your address can be linked to their account under the conditions above. If they later leave BT or remove the link, you're back to Basic.
3. Move to an address you control
Virgin Media's own advice to people switching is to use a free email service that isn't linked to any internet provider, such as Gmail or Outlook, for important accounts. Do this once and future switches won't touch your email. You can also keep the old address while you move everything across, then let it go.
How to move to a new email address, step by step
Start this before you place your broadband order. Once your old provider closes the mailbox, you can't log in to export anything or set up forwarding.
- Create the new address with a provider that isn't your broadband company, and set up account recovery (a mobile number and a backup address) straight away.
- Copy your old emails and contacts across (see the next section).
- Update the accounts that matter most, starting with those that use your email to log in.
- Tell people: email friends, family and regular contacts from the old address with the new one.
- Set up forwarding and an auto-reply on the old address, if your old provider allows it.
- Use the new address for your new broadband account and for the One Touch Switch information from your old provider.
- Keep the old mailbox until nothing important still goes there. When only newsletters arrive, you're done.
Copying your old emails and contacts
The major free email services, including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, have tools to import old emails and contacts. In Gmail, Google's help pages say to open Settings on a computer, go to Accounts and import and choose Import mail and contacts. This brings across messages and contacts, but not folders or labels, and keeps bringing in new mail sent to the old address for 30 days. For longer, set up forwarding at your old provider.
Avoid relying on Gmail's older Check mail from other accounts feature (which used a technology called POP to collect mail from another mailbox): it stopped accepting new users after the first quarter of 2026 and ends for existing users in January 2027. Google suggests forwarding, or adding the account to the Gmail mobile app, instead.
Save emails you might need as evidence (contracts, receipts, warranties) and download important attachments: Virgin Media and TalkTalk both say a closed account's contents are deleted and can't be recovered.
The accounts to update first
Losing a provider address can lock you out of accounts that use it to log in, such as online banking and HMRC. Virgin Media's list of things to update includes apps, devices such as TVs and laptops, websites, subscriptions, alarms, digital banking, your GP and utility companies. Do them while the old address still works, so security emails still reach you. Our own suggested checklist, built on that list (not official or complete):
- Money: online banking, credit cards, savings
- Government: HMRC and other government online accounts
- Household: energy, water, insurance, mobile phone and the new broadband account
- Health: your GP surgery's online services
- Shopping and streaming: online shops, delivery firms, streaming services, app stores
- Devices and alarms: smart TVs, laptops, home alarms and apps that sign in with the old address
- Anything else: search your old inbox for "verify" or "reset" to find forgotten services
Timing your email around your switch
Each provider has its own deadline, so the order matters:
- Before you compare deals: decide which option you want and ask your current provider any questions.
- When you order: give the new provider an address you'll keep, and choose a contact method for the switching information that you'll keep too.
- Leaving BT: ask for Basic as part of cancelling if you want the address without paying for Premium.
- Leaving Virgin Media: with no Virgin Media service left, assume the account may close within about 90 days; sign up with Junara only through Virgin Media's help pages or Junara's own website.
- Leaving TalkTalk or Sky: ask what will happen to your address before your broadband ends, and watch the old inbox afterwards.
If you need to cancel the old service yourself, the same email steps apply. Our guide to cancelling broadband covers what to say when you call.
Watch out for 'keep your email' scams
Changes like the Virgin Media move to Junara and TalkTalk's move to Everymail give scammers a ready-made story: "your email is closing, pay now to keep it". The two providers handle sign-up differently, so the checks differ:
- Virgin Media says its emails about Junara contain no sign-up link and won't ask for personal or payment details, so a "Virgin Media" email with a sign-up link is fake. It says not to pay for services by phone or through emailed links; reach the real page by going to virginmedia.com yourself, then the help section.
- TalkTalk says its genuine Everymail messages do contain a personalised link. Before using one, check you're affected via TalkTalk's help centre or by contacting TalkTalk.
- Any provider: never give card details or passwords to someone who calls about your email.
Our guide to broadband scam calls and emails covers the common tricks.
Helping an older relative, or sorting someone else's account
If a provider address is the one linked to someone's online banking or HMRC account, losing it can lock them out, so if you're helping a parent or grandparent switch, sort the email question first:
- BT Basic only works in a web browser. Someone who reads email in a tablet app will need a new routine, and must log in regularly.
- Sky deletes inactive accounts. Make sure the backup address Sky holds is one someone in the family reads.
- A shared BT account can help: linking their address to your BT account (with their agreement) keeps it going.
See also broadband for older people. If you're handling the broadband of someone who has died, email tied to that account may close when the broadband ends, so save anything important first; our guide to broadband after a bereavement covers the rest.
Comparing deals once your email is sorted
Once your email is sorted, it no longer ties you to one provider. Enter your postcode in the comparison on our broadband deals page to see packages available at your address from our comparison partner, with live prices. When you pick a deal you order directly with that provider, which handles the switch.
Email and switching broadband FAQs
Can I keep my BT email address if I leave BT?
Usually, yes. BT moves leavers to Basic, a free service that works only in a web browser, doesn't let you create new addresses and must be logged into regularly, but BT says you must order it when you cancel. Paid Premium, or linking the address to another BT Broadband account, are the alternatives.
Will Virgin Media close my email when I leave?
Usually, yes, if you'll have no Virgin Media TV, broadband or landline left. Virgin Media says accounts are normally closed within 90 days of broadband being disconnected and the contents permanently deleted. Keeping an address means signing up with Junara, a paid service. Keeping another Virgin Media service? Ask whether your email stays open.
Can I take my TalkTalk email address to another email provider?
No. TalkTalk says you can't keep a TalkTalk address if you move to another email provider. Current broadband customers get up to five mailboxes free. For people leaving, TalkTalk's newer FAQ says email keeps working for now and it will contact you if you need to act; some former customers have been offered the paid Everymail service.
Does Sky delete my email if I stop using it?
Yes, eventually. After five months without a sign-in Sky emails you; 14 days later the account is suspended, and if you don't reactivate within 14 days of a second reminder it's deleted for good. Ask Sky what happens if you leave its broadband.
Is it free to keep my old provider email address?
Sometimes. BT says its Basic email is free if you order it when you cancel, though it only works in a web browser and you can't create new addresses. Keeping a Virgin Media address means paying Junara, and some former TalkTalk customers have been asked to pay for Everymail. We couldn't find Sky's published position for ex-customers.
How do I move my old emails to Gmail?
In Gmail on a computer, open Settings, go to Accounts and import, and choose Import mail and contacts. Google says this copies messages and contacts but not folders or labels. Gmail's older POP collection feature is being withdrawn, so set up forwarding at your old provider for anything longer term.
