AT&T Services Overview

“AT&T” stands for “American Telephone & Telegraph.” And if that “telegraph” part of the name doesn’t clue you in on how old this company is, how about this: it was originally founded in 1885. Ready the horse and buggy! And if you’re curious, it didn’t adopt the shortened “AT&T” name until 1983.

To get out of your AT&T contract, you’ll likely need to call or show up in person at a nearby AT&T store.

Let your AT&T rep know you want to cancel your service—but prepare to fork over some money to cover early termination fees (ETFs) and any other charges (unless you cancel within 14 days of activating your AT&T service).

If you cancel your wireless service before your contract is up, you’ll pay an ETF. That fee changes depending on what type of phone or device you have.

• Smartphone with data agreement: Up to $325
• Basic phone, tablet, or other connected devices: Up to $150
• Learn more about the AT&T Wireless ETF

Whether you have AT&T Fiber or AT&T Internet, the ETF is the same.

• AT&T internet cancellation fee: Up to $180
• Learn more about AT&T internet fees

Have a DIRECTV subscription through AT&T? You may have a hefty fee if you cancel service early.

• AT&T DIRECTV cancellation fee: Up to $480
• Learn more about AT&T DIRECTV fees

The AT&T TV streaming service might stick you with extra charges if you cancel early. You can cancel within 14 days of subscribing without incurring an early termination fee (ETF), but after that the fee will be prorated depending on the number of months you’ve been signed up.

• AT&T TV cancellation fee: Up to $360
• Learn more about AT&T TV fees

You can possibly avoid the dreaded ETF—or at least lower your fees—by taking us up on one of these tips. If worst comes to worst, you at least tried to save some money, right?

• Bad service: If your service hasn’t met what’s outlined in your AT&T contract, you might be able to get your ETF reduced. Try to keep detailed records of outages, slow speeds, and anything else that’s not up to par, then share those records with an AT&T rep to start negotiating a lower ETF.
• Contract buyouts: If you’re switching to a new ISP, cellphone company, or TV service, try to convince your new provider to buy out your contract. This means they’ll pay your fees for you—if you’re lucky.
• Wait out your contract: Your ETF is prorated based on how many months of service you have left on your contract. So waiting until the absolute last minute to cancel just so you can pay a smaller fee makes a lot of financial sense.