How to Cancel TDS Telecom Service

Quick Summary

• Call 1-888-225-5837 to cancel TDS residential service
• TDS keeps billing until it receives and verifies your cancellation notice
• Most TDS residential service is subscription-based, so refunds or credits generally do not apply if you cancel before the end of your billing period
• Some state and service combinations have specific full-month billing rules. Time your disconnect near the end of the paid billing cycle when you can
• Early termination charges can apply if your account has a specified minimum service term. The amount is account-specific, so ask TDS for the calculation before approving the disconnect
• If TDS equipment must be returned, TDS sends a return kit with a box and prepaid UPS label. TDS must receive required equipment within 30 days after service cancellation
• Keep your cancellation confirmation, return tracking, and final bill until the account is closed cleanly

How to Cancel

Phone is the verified general residential cancellation path for TDS. The cancellation support page and the residential service terms both point customers to calling TDS, and the residential contact form says it cannot help with disconnecting service.

Phone

Call 1-888-225-5837. Have your account number, service address, account PIN or security answers, billing cycle dates, and a list of services you want to disconnect.

Ask the rep to confirm:

• The exact disconnect date
• Whether each service is month-to-month or under a minimum term
• Any early termination charge for your proposed disconnect date
• Whether the account will be billed through the full billing cycle
• Which equipment must be returned
• The equipment return due date
• Your cancellation confirmation number

TDS requires account verification before it can discuss or change services, so have the account holder or authorized user ready for the call.

Contact Form / Chat

TDS has chat and contact options for support, but the public cancellation instructions say to call. The residential contact form says it cannot help with disconnecting service and points customers to the contact center for account-specific questions.

Use chat or the contact form for follow-up questions, return-kit problems, or billing clarification. Treat the phone confirmation number as the cancellation record.

QuickConnect Accounts

TDS QuickConnect customers have a separate account page. TDS QuickConnect support says those customers can log in through tdstelecom.com/quickconnect, choose Manage My Account, and select Cancel Service.

That route is specific to QuickConnect. Standard TDS residential customers should use the phone path above.

Porting a TDS Home Phone Number

If you want to port a TDS home phone number to another provider while keeping bundled internet or TV, call 1-888-223-0001 before starting the port. TDS says this avoids interruption to the bundled services you want to keep.

What It Costs

Early Termination Charge

TDS residential service is month-to-month unless you agreed to a specified minimum service term. A minimum term can be tied to discounted equipment, promotional pricing, or another signup offer. If you cancel that service early, TDS can charge an early termination charge.

TDS does not publish one universal ETF amount for every residential account. The amount should have been disclosed when you signed up, and TDS says you can contact them at any time for a calculation tied to a specific termination date.

Billing and Proration

TDS says most service is subscription-based, so refunds or credits generally do not apply when you cancel before the end of the billing period. The residential terms also say monthly service charges are billed for the full monthly charge without proration, subject to legal restrictions.

TDS publishes a non-proration page listing state and service combinations where full-month billing applies:

• Georgia and New Hampshire: internet and TDS TV
• Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont: internet and telephone
• Idaho, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Indiana: internet, TDS TV, and phone
• Arizona, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine, Mississippi, California, Michigan, New York, South Carolina, Washington, Virginia: internet

TDS terms list exceptions for active military deployment and for TV or data equipment leased from TDS.

Call before your billing cycle renews. Ask what date the account is paid through, then choose a disconnect date that avoids paying for unused days when possible.

Final Payment

After disconnection, TDS says customers lose access to TDS ePay. TDS lists three final-balance routes:

• Mail a check to the TDS Payment Center
• Pay by automated phone payment with a $3.95 fee
• Pay online with a Rush Payment with a $4.95 fee

If you want to avoid the processing fees, confirm the mailing address and final balance before sending a check.

Equipment Return

What You Return

TDS says some equipment must be returned and some may be exempt. The rep should confirm required return items when you request cancellation.

Common return items in the TDS equipment return guide include:

• Internet modems
• eero device and power cord
• TV receivers and remote controls
• TDS-provided ethernet or power cords

Equipment with a DO NOT REMOVE sticker, or equipment similar to the guide’s do-not-return examples, should stay in place. Return only the equipment TDS confirms for your account.

How to Return It

After cancellation, TDS sends a return kit with a box and prepaid UPS shipping label. Pack only the confirmed return items, apply the prepaid label, and drop the box at an authorized UPS location or drop box.

Keep the UPS receipt or tracking number until the final bill shows no equipment charges.

Deadline

TDS must receive required equipment within 30 days after service cancellation. The deadline is based on receipt by TDS, so shipping near the end of the window can still create a problem.

TDS says return processing can take up to two weeks to appear on the account. A charge that appears right after you ship may clear after processing, but you need tracking if it does not.

Unreturned Equipment Fees

If equipment is not returned within 30 days or is damaged, TDS terms say the customer will be charged an unreturned equipment fee determined by TDS. The public materials do not provide one fixed fee schedule.

The equipment return guide also says a $21.95 shipping charge may be applied to the account for returning TV equipment.

After You Cancel

Save these until the account is closed cleanly:

• Cancellation confirmation number
• Rep name and call notes, if you have them
• Final bill
• UPS return receipt or tracking number
• Any email confirmation from TDS

Watch the final bill for regular service charges through the billing period, any early termination charge, equipment shipping charges, unreturned equipment charges, and payment processing fees.

If the return kit does not arrive quickly enough to meet the 30-day received-by deadline, contact TDS immediately. Waiting creates an avoidable equipment-fee dispute.

Common Problems