Three clean exits: (1) cancel within 14 days of a distance sale; (2) wait until the minimum term ends; (3) use a Contract Change Notification if they change price or terms mid-contract. Everything else is a negotiation with the remaining-term formula.
The new provider manages the ComReg switch. They do not, by default, pay your old ETF. Time the order.
How ETFs are calculated
Irish broadband contracts almost always have a minimum term — 12 months on most fibre intros we track, 24 months on some Eir gigs and Three’s cheap 5G promo. End the contract before that date and the retailer can charge an early-termination fee.
The usual formula is:
ETF ≈ remaining months of the minimum term × the monthly charge in the contract.
Two details decide whether that number is merely annoying or genuinely stupid:
- Which monthly rate. Some one-pagers use the promotional intro; some use the full / thereafter rate. A Virgin 1 Gb at €30 intro with three months left is ~€90 if they use the intro, much more if they use the ~€72 thereafter. The contract information has to say which.
- Whether they discount the remainder. A few retailers reduce the remaining-term claim rather than charging 100%. Do not budget for a discount until it is in writing.
ComReg requires the method, and any setup or equipment clawback, to be in the contract information you get before you sign. If it is not on the one-pager, ask them to put the euro figure in an email before you give notice.
Prices below are introductory EUR as of August 2026, from the same dataset as the ranking. They move. The ETF column is remaining months × that monthly — an illustration, not a bill.
14-day cooling-off
Distance contracts — ordered online or by phone — carry a 14-day cooling-off under the Consumer Rights rules. That is separate from ComReg switching and separate from ETFs.
- You can cancel without giving a reason in those 14 days.
- You should not pay the remaining-term ETF.
- If you asked them to start the service during cooling-off, they can charge for the days you actually used.
- Kit that arrived (router, dish, 5G box) usually has to go back in reasonable condition. Check the returns address; do not bin it.
Day 15 is when the minimum term becomes real. Cooling-off is the right tool if the engineer never showed, the “fibre” was FTTC copper, or the speed at the Eircode is not what the checker implied. It is not a 12-month money-back guarantee.
When a CCN waives the fee
A Contract Change Notification is the other statutory exit. If the provider changes price or terms during the contract, and the change is not exclusively in your favour, they must give at least one month’s notice. You can refuse the change and leave without the remaining-term ETF in that window.
That is the mechanism behind April price rises. Eir’s move to a flat €4 each April from 2027 is a mid-contract change for anyone still in term. Sky, Vodafone and Virgin have also used in-contract and April-style increases. The letter is the trigger; ignoring it is how you donate the fee.
The CCN does not waive an ETF you already triggered by giving notice last week because a cheaper intro appeared. Sequence matters: wait for the notice, then order the new retailer inside the window, then let them manage the switch. Walking off first and waving the letter afterwards is not the same right.
Built-in annual-increase clauses are the grey area. If you signed a formula (“CPI + x” or “€4 each April”) some providers will say you already agreed. Many still send a CCN. Read the letter for the words “leave without penalty” / “terminate without charge”. If they are missing, ask in writing. Keep the reply with the contract.
Example bills
Worked remaining-term examples using August 2026 intros. Confirm the live monthly and the exact formula with the retailer before you give notice.
| Plan (intro) | Monthly | Left in term | Illustrative ETF | What that number means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eir 1 Gb · 24 months | €39.99 | 8 months | €319.92 | 24-month gig still in term. A CCN for the April €4 can waive this; walking off in month 16 without a notice usually does not. |
| Sky 500 Mb · 12 months | €27.99 | 6 months | €167.94 | Cheap intro, real remaining-term bill. Thereafter is ~€50 if you instead wait it out. |
| Virgin Media 1 Gb · 12 months | €30 | 3 months | €90 | Often cheaper to finish the three months than to pay the ETF and a new setup dance. |
| Vodafone 500 Mb · 12 months | €40 | 4 months | €160 | 500 Mb and 1 Gb are often the same monthly — the ETF is the term, not the speed. |
| Three Unlimited 5G · 24 months promo | €25 | 18 months | €450 | Why you do not sign 24 months if NBI is “a few weeks”. The promo is cheap until you leave early. |
| Pure Telecom Fibre 500 · 12 months | €50 | 5 months | €250 | No built-in April hike does not mean no ETF. The fee is the remaining term. |
| Starlink Residential · rolling | €35–€75 | None (monthly) | €0 typical | Rolling residential. Confirm hardware return / kit terms at checkout — that is not an ETF, but it can still cost you. |
| Imagine 5G Home · leave-anytime | €40 or €50 | Monthly | Wrap-up ~€60 | Not a 12- or 24-month remaining-term ETF. Imagine publishes a one-off service wrap-up to close the account. Still 14-day cooling-off on a distance sale. |
The Three row is the cautionary tale. A €25 promotional 24-month 5G looks cheaper than fibre until you need to leave in month six because NBI’s engineer finally booked the house. Eighteen months × €25 is €450 — enough to have paid for a lot of overlap, or to have chosen the 12-month Three plan, or Imagine’s leave-anytime 5G instead.
Other charges that are not the ETF
The remaining-term fee is the headline. The bill can still grow:
- Waived setup, clawed back. If installation was “free” on condition you stay 12 months, leaving early can revive that charge.
- Unreturned equipment. Routers, Virgin set-tops, Three 5G hubs, Starlink dishes if kit was not bundled. Charge the replacement price until they have the box.
- Imagine wrap-up. Leave-anytime 5G is not remaining-months. It can still be a published one-off (around €60 on their 5G pages) to close the account.
- Out-of-contract thereafter. Not an ETF — you are free to leave — but sitting at Eir ~€76 or Virgin ~€72 is how people pay more than any exit fee by accident. Switch.
You do not need a landline to leave a modern FTTH, cable, 5G or satellite account. If the old product is Open Eir FTTC, the copper pair is still in play — see do I need a landline?. For the switch itself, how to switch broadband is the ComReg process; this page is only the money.
