How To Cancel ATT Internet

by Daniel Smith | Updated 1/1/24

Unfortunately, there’s no way to cancel ATT internet without speaking to AT&T customer service.

In our experience, it takes 1-4 hours to cancel your AT&T internet account. ATT’s customer support people have long scripts to read out to you to try to get you to stay.

Once you’re finally out, you need to follow some instructions to avoid getting slammed by hundreds of dollars of termination fees.

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Canceling Your AT&T Internet

You can only cancel your AT&T internet service by calling (800) 288-2020 or (877) 999-0765 during their normal operating hours.

There’s no way to cancel ATT internet online. The only ATT services that can be canceled online are DSL and home phone services.

For all other services, you’ll need to call ATT customer support to get your account closed.

AT&T internet customer support is open Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm Central Time and Saturday and Sunday 8am to 9pm Central Time.

You can get support 24/7 but if you cancel outside of AT&T’s regular hours, your account cancellation will become effective for the next day.

That’s important if you’re calling near the end of your billing cycle because ATT no longer pro rates for how many days the service is used.

ATT Internet Cancellation Process

Unfortunately, ATT doesn’t make it easy for you to cancel your account with them.

To cancel your account, you’ll need to be or get authorized as the account holder and verify the correct pin for your ATT account to make changes to your service.

When you call (800) 288-2020, you’ll be directed to the general ATT customer support line. When the IVR asks you what to do, say that you want to speak to the retention department.

An alternative is calling the AT&T loyalty department directly at (877) 999-0765. If you want to get promotions as an existing ATT customer, this is the place to call.

Getting to the loyalty department saves time because regular customer support agents will claim that you need to talk to the retention department in order to process your account cancellation.

When you talk to retention, it’s going to be an interview first about the reasons you want to leave and your life in general. They’ll give you every option under the sun to avoid canceling your account.

Some of their favorites are moving your service, giving you discounts, and suspending your service.

I recommend claiming that you’re moving to a foreign country where AT&T doesn’t have any relationships like Thailand or Egypt. That should save you half an hour.

If you want to save some money on AT&T internet, pretending to cancel is the most effective tactic.

Closing Out Your AT&T Internet Account

Once you get through their cancel save spiels, it’ll take them a couple of minutes to fully cancel your account.

Explain clearly what date you want your service to end and get all the instructions you need in terms of returning equipment.

I also highly recommend getting a reference code for your account change. ATT has hundreds of call centers and in our experience, they make serious errors 10% of the time.

By getting a reference number, you’ll have something to prove that you put in a cancellation request. If AT&T messes up, you’ll get refunds and one-time credits that actually could get credited to your debit card.

ATT Internet Early Termination Fees

The early termination fee for ATT Internet is $180. These termination fees go down $15 every month.

So for instance, if you cancel 6 months in, the termination fee will be $105.

You have 14 days to cancel AT&T internet after you sign up to avoid having to pay an early termination fee.

We’ve found that you can generally get the termination fee waived by AT&T internet if you provide them a valid reason for canceling your account – like moving to a location or financial/health problems.

If you need help getting a termination fee waived, we’re happy to help.

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AT&T Internet Equipment Return Process

If you don’t return your equipment within 21 days of canceling your service, you’ll be charged $150.

Unfortunately, you can’t return your equipment at an AT&T store. You’ll need to return your equipment at a UPS or Fedex location.

To send your ATT equipment back, you’ll need to give the UPS/Fedex employee your AT&T internet account number. Shipping from these locations is free for you.

If you’re late in sending your equipment back, you can get your $150 back if you send the equipment within 6 months of your cancellation date.

Lower Your ATT Internet Bill With BillSmart

If you’re fed up with AT&T internet, follow this guide and cancel your account.

Just want to pay less on your bill? Consider BillSmart.

Our negotiations are free if we don’t save you money and we’ve helped 33K+ clients to date.

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