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There are two ways to cancel your spectrum service subscription: by contacting their customer care or visiting their store. Sadly, there is no option to cancel its subscription online, making the process a little complex. But fret not! This guide will help you understand each step of the cancellation process thoroughly.
From cancellation fees to how to return the spectrum leased equipment, I will walk you through every crucial detail so you won’t miss any point. But before starting with the cancellation process, let’s look for the crucial account information you require and how to get it.
Cancel Spectrum Internet Plan – Prerequisites
When you call the Spectrum retention department for your subscription cancellation, they ask you to provide a security code to verify you are the account owner. This security code and your account number are available on your Spectrum bill or its app. You must keep this code handy prior to contacting the Spectrum team.
There are two ways to find this information:
Log into your Spectrum Account Online
- After logging into your Spectrum account online, head to the “Settings” section.
- Under the “Your Info” section, tap on “Sign & Security Info” to access the security code. Alternatively, go to the billing section and look for the code just below your contact information.
Use Spectrum Mobile App
- To cancel spectrum internet on the app, head to the “Account” icon and tap on the “Update Your Info” section.
- Under the “Sign-In & Security Info,” click on the “Update Security Code” to get your account number and security pin.
How to Cancel Spectrum Internet Service?
Here is a step-by-step guide to cancel Spectrum Internet subscription online using the two most common ways:
1. Check Current/Last Statement for Unpaid Balances
Before canceling your spectrum data subscription, you must check your last month’s statement online to ensure there are no past-due charges. The cancellation process is simple and faster for a fully paid account.
To check your account statement online, Log into your spectrum account and head to the “Billing” section. Download the previous or last month’s statement to check the current charges and balance.
2. Pick a Cancellation Date before Your Next Payment is Due
Effective from 2019, Spectrum has stopped prorating bills or issuing credits for partial months. It means if you wish to cancel your internet subscription even after a few days of the last billing cycle, you will be charged for that complete month.
Thus, if your cancellation date is near your next month’s payment date, intimate Spectrum a few days beforehand. The company will charge you in full for the next month if you wait to cancel it on the day your billing payment is due.
So, give them the exact cancellation date a few days before your upcoming billing date (or starting of next month’s cycle).
Sadly, you cannot inform Spectrum online about your service cancellation. The only closest option you can find on their app is the “Moving” option under the “Settings” section, which is useful when you wish to upgrade, transfer or pause your connection.
3. Contact Spectrum for Internet Plan Cancellation
You can contact Spectrum for internet cancellation by phone or by visiting their store. Here is how to do it both ways:
i) By Phone
Canceling your Spectrum internet subscription over the phone is quite tedious as the retention department tries to convince you to keep using their services. Before letting you actually cancel your plan, they let you go through the retention scripts (which takes a lot of time).
To avoid those scripts, you can follow these steps to make the cancellation process short and simple:
- Contact Spectrum customer care at (833)267–6094 for plan cancellation.
- Verify you are the account owner by providing the security code, or they will fetch all details using your registered mobile number.
- Upon asking them why you are calling, say, “service changes.”
- You will then get several options from the team like “upgrade,” “downgrade,” “Add TV,” etc. Wait for the “Remove Service” option and confirm it.
- Your call will be forwarded to the retention department, asking you to add TV services instead of canceling your plan. Tell them you want to cancel it because you are moving out of the Spectrum service area (Like outside the USA or somewhere they are not serving).
- Proceed to the cancellation process by giving them the exact date and other required details.
ii) Visit their Store
Visiting the Spectrum store to cancel your subscription is always a better option to avoid any issues with billing, equipment return, or cut-off dates. While the process is the same for both ways, canceling it in person is simpler by saying you are shifting outside the USA or Spectrum service area.
The main advantage of visiting their store for cancellation is that you can easily return your leased Spectrum equipment without any loss. Take any of their leased equipment you have when canceling the plan, hand it to them, and take a return receipt as a final confirmation.
4. Return Spectrum’s Leased Equipment (Modem, Router, Landline)
Once you cancel your Spectrum internet plan, you must return their leased equipment within a 30-day window to avoid an unreturned equipment fee. The window is extended for 60 days for those in quarantine due to Covid-19.
The company doesn’t ask you to return remotes or cables with your equipment. All you need to return is the following:
- Modem
- Router
- Receivers
- Auxillary Equipments
There are four ways to return your Spectrum leased equipment:
- UPS Store: Spectrum prefers users to return their leased equipment upon cancellation via the official UPS store. The company has officially partnered with them, so users don’t have to pay any charge for dropping their equipment at the store from where they get returned to Spectrum. But ensure that you return the equipment only at the official UPS stores and not any third-party ones (that use the UPS logo). You can use the UPS store locator tool to find the authorized ones.
- FedEx Store: If there is no UPS store located nearby, you can return your equipment through the FedEX store. The process is the same and free of cost as UPS, but you must go to the store instead of using a FedEx drop box.
- Spectrum Store: It is best to return your rented equipment without worrying about getting it misplaced or lost. While they accept returns at stores, they don’t primarily promote them, as their main purpose is to retain or promote their services instead of canceling them.
- Home Pickup: The option is available only for disabled people with a variable fee. Users can schedule the pickup appointment via call or Spectrum website and a technician will visit to collect the equipment.
You must not use mail service to return your Spectrum rented equipment as there are high chances it will get lost or misplaced. If your equipment gets misplaced/lost and not returned to Spectrum, you have to pay a replacement fee, which varies for different equipment:
- WiFi modem/router – $200+
- Receiver – $103
- CableCARD – $20
- Tuning Adapter – $130
5. Get Equipment Return Receipts and Email Confirmations
This is the crucial step after returning your Spectrum equipment to its store, FedEx, or UPS store. Collect your return receipt as proof to neglect any charges incurred after canceling your services. Additionally, take a printout of your service cancellation confirmation email to refer to when your services were terminated to avoid any late fees or charges.
6. Ensure there are no pending/new charges in your account after service cancellation
At last, head to your Spectrum account or contact their customer representative to double-check that no unpaid fee is reflected in your account after canceling their services. Ensure they have not charged any cancellation or other charges after your last billing cycle. If there is an unpaid fee in your account, contact them to resolve it so your credit score will stay manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, there is no cancellation or early termination fee for Spectrum internet plans, as they come with no contracts. However, Spectrum has stopped prorating bills, so you must pay for the month you cancel your services. Also, if you don’t return its leased equipment or it gets misplaced accidentally, you have to pay an unreturned equipment fee (varying from $100-$500).
Spectrum allows both its new and existing customers to cancel their services anytime without any consequences or termination fee. Customers using the service for 30 days or less are eligible to get a full refund on cancellation, while for others, there is no such policy.
As per the company’s terms and conditions, the disconnection requests require a minimum of 30 days prior notification with an acknowledgment slip from Spectrum to terminate the services. In case of unpaid billing, after 60-90 days, the services get terminated.
Spectrum customer support is available for 24×7 email, chat, and phone support. You can call them at (833)267-6094 to talk with a customer representative or Chat with them online here.
You can visit the Spectrum store to cancel your current internet subscription in person without calling them over call. They will ask you several questions about your account details and why you want to cancel your services. You can simply say you are shifting outside their service area to proceed with the cancellation.
Verdict
All Spectrum internet plans are contract-free, so you can terminate your services anytime without any cancellation fee. Ensure you inform them about cancellation a few days before your pending billing cycle via phone or by visiting their store to avoid any further charges. Return your equipment only to the official UPS, FedEx, or Spectrum store and collect the return receipt as confirmation to avoid an unreturned equipment fee. Alternatively, let third-party personal finance services like Truebill or Trim cancel Spectrum internet on your behalf (but with chargeable fees).