To cancel your Optus plan, you need to contact Optus directly by phone or message; stores can’t process cancellations, and there’s no one-tap option in the My Optus app. Most current plans are month-to-month with no fee for cancelling the plan itself, but any remaining device repayment becomes due immediately, and if you want to keep your phone number you have to start the port with your new provider before you disconnect.
Before You Call
Have three things in front of you. Your Optus account number, which appears on your monthly bill and in the My Optus app under account settings. Whether you’re on a month-to-month plan or an older fixed-term contract, because that changes whether you’ll face a plan cancellation fee. And your remaining device balance if you’re paying off a handset, visible in the app or on a recent bill.
Optus will verify your identity, so keep your full name, date of birth, and any account PIN handy. If someone else is cancelling on your behalf, they’ll need proper authorisation on the account first. Sorting this out beforehand saves the loop of being asked to call back.
How to Contact Optus
Optus accepts cancellations through two channels: calling their support line or messaging them. Their contact details are on the Optus contact page, and from overseas you can reach them on +61 2 8082 5678.1Optus. Cancelling Services and Returning Equipment Retail stores cannot cancel your service.
Expect a retention pitch when you get through. The representative will usually try to address your reasons for leaving and offer alternative plans. You’re not obliged to accept. If you still want to go ahead, they’ll walk you through when your service will actually be cut off, any fees or device payout charges, the impact on your number, and whether equipment needs to come back.1Optus. Cancelling Services and Returning Equipment
Ask for written confirmation. A reference number, email summary, or chat transcript is what protects you if a charge later shows up that doesn’t match what you were told on the call.
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you want to take your number to a new provider, start the porting process with the new carrier before you cancel with Optus. This is the single most important sequencing detail. Only an active service can be ported. Once Optus disconnects the account, the number is gone and generally cannot be recovered.2ACMA. Rules for Porting a Phone Number
Under ACMA rules, Optus must port your number when your new provider requests it, and they cannot refuse or delay the port even if you owe them money.2ACMA. Rules for Porting a Phone Number You contact the new provider with your Optus account number and personal details, and they handle the transfer. Once the port completes, your Optus service is effectively cancelled; you don’t need to call Optus separately to disconnect a ported number. A final bill from Optus will still arrive for any outstanding charges.
Fees and Device Repayments
Most current Optus mobile plans are month-to-month with no plan cancellation fee. Optus Choice plans can be cancelled at any time without a fee on the plan itself,3Optus. Optus Choice Month-to-Month Mobile Plans Critical Information Summary and the My Plan Plus range works the same way.4Optus. $65 My Plan Plus 24 Months Critical Information Summary
The real cost is the device. If you’re paying off a handset through Optus and you cancel early, the full remaining device balance is due immediately, and any monthly device credits or discounts Optus had been applying get forfeited.3Optus. Optus Choice Month-to-Month Mobile Plans Critical Information Summary That means the payout figure is typically higher than the sum of your remaining monthly payments. If Optus was knocking $20 a month off your device cost as a plan incentive, cancelling early loses all those future credits and leaves you with the full retail balance remaining.
Older fixed-term contracts can still carry a cancellation fee, usually calculated based on how far through the term you are and decreasing toward the end. Check your plan’s Critical Information Summary, the document Optus provided when you signed up, for the exact terms.
Your Final Bill
Optus sends a final bill on your regular bill issue date after cancellation, and it arrives even if the amount is zero.5Optus. Understanding Your Final Bill It can include:
- Service charges up until the end of the billing cycle in which you cancelled.
- Any remaining equipment repayments if you were on a device payment plan.
- Cancellation fees, only if you were on an older fixed-term contract.
For month-to-month Optus Choice plans, you get a pro-rated refund of the plan’s access fee based on when in the cycle you cancelled.3Optus. Optus Choice Month-to-Month Mobile Plans Critical Information Summary Cancel two weeks into a four-week billing period and you should see a credit for the unused portion.
If you have auto-pay set up, the final bill will likely come out of your saved payment method. You may also lose access to the My Optus app once service is disconnected, which makes reviewing or disputing the final charges harder. Check the bill carefully when it arrives and contact Optus promptly if something looks wrong.
Returning Equipment
If Optus needs equipment back, such as a 5G wireless modem or a Fetch set-top box, they’ll give you an eParcel return code and instructions for sending it through Australia Post.1Optus. Cancelling Services and Returning Equipment Don’t take gear to an Optus store. Stores won’t accept returns, and a shopfront drop-off doesn’t count.
Keep the Australia Post tracking receipt until Optus confirms they’ve received everything. Without proof of return, there’s no way to dispute a non-return charge if one appears. If the cancellation representative doesn’t mention equipment during your call, ask explicitly.
If You Don’t Pay the Final Bill
Ignoring the final bill doesn’t make it disappear. If the account has been cancelled and you don’t pay what’s owed, Optus may refer the debt to a collection agency and report it to a credit reporting agency.6Optus. What Happens When I Miss My Bill Due Date A default listing on your credit file can affect your ability to get loans, credit cards, or even new phone contracts for years. The collection agency may also charge recovery costs on top of the original debt.
If you dispute a charge, contact Optus before the due date. Simply withholding payment because you disagree with an amount doesn’t protect you from the collections process.
If Optus Won’t Cooperate
Sometimes cancellations don’t go smoothly. Optus might keep billing after you’ve cancelled, refuse to process the disconnection, or charge fees you were never told about. If you’ve tried to resolve it directly and gotten nowhere, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman handles these disputes. You can lodge a complaint online at tioonline.com.au, by phone on 1800 062 058, or by email or post using their complaints form.7Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Complaints The TIO will ask what you’ve already done to sort it out with Optus, so attempt that first. In practice, mentioning the TIO during a call with Optus often moves things along, because telcos pay an administrative fee for every complaint lodged.