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Cancellation letter for military deployment

Federal law lets a servicemember end certain contracts after receiving military orders to relocate. Section 3956 of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act covers mobile phone and telephone service, internet access, subscription video service, gym memberships and fitness programs, and home security services.

This letter gives the notice the law asks for. Pick your company, add your details and the date the service should end, then enclose a copy of your military orders. The paragraph after the opening states the reason, the section of the law and what you ask the company to do.

Write your letter

1. The company

Not in the list? Type the name as it appears on your bill.

The address your letter goes to. Find it on your bill or agreement.

2. Your details

Exactly as it appears on the account.

One line per row. The company uses it to find your account.

Where the company sends its written confirmation.

Printed on your bill or in your welcome email.

3. When it should end

Your letter

[Highlighted fields] fill in as you type.

[Your full name][Your street address][City, state and ZIP code][Your email address]

[Today’s date]

[Company name][Company mailing address]

Subject: Termination of contract on military orders, 50 U.S.C. § 3956 – [Company name]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally request the termination of my active subscription. Please process this cancellation at the earliest opportunity, effective from today’s date and subject to any applicable notice requirements.

I am a servicemember. On [date of orders] I received military orders to relocate for a period of not less than 90 days to a location that does not support this contract, and I entered into this contract before I received those orders. Under 50 U.S.C. § 3956, I terminate this contract as of the cancellation date stated in this letter. A copy of my military orders is enclosed. Please do not impose an early termination charge, and refund within 60 days of that date any amount I paid for a period after it, other than the remainder of the monthly or similar billing period in which the termination occurs.

For verification purposes, please find my account details below:

Name:
[Your full name]
Address:
[Your street address], [City, state and ZIP code]
E-mail:
[Your email address]
Cancellation date:
As soon as possible

I ask that you honor the terms of service through the cancellation date and remove any stored payment methods from my account.

Additionally, pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), I request the prompt deletion of all personal data you hold on me, except where retention is permitted under Section 1798.105 of the CCPA.

Please send written confirmation of this cancellation to the email address listed above at your earliest convenience. To the extent my requests are not honored, I will consider pursuing any and all available legal rights and remedies, including, but not limited to, disputing charges with my financial institution, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely,[Your full name]

Want it to arrive with proof?

We print this letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Send it by certified mail for me

Next you find your company, then we take it from there.

Before you send it

  1. Check that the contract is covered

    Section 3956 covers contracts for commercial mobile service, telephone exchange service, internet access service, multichannel video programming service, a gym membership or fitness program, and home security services. The contract must have been entered into before you received the orders, and the orders must tell you to relocate for a period of not less than 90 days to a location that does not support the contract. A second case covers a permanent change of station followed by a stop movement order. If your orders fit that case, edit the paragraph to say so.

  2. Enclose a copy of your orders

    The law asks for written or electronic notice of the termination, a copy of your military orders and the date the service is to end, delivered in accordance with industry standards for notification of terminations. Send the letter by Certified Mail with a copy of your orders, and keep the originals.

  3. Handle equipment and phone numbers

    Return any equipment the provider owns, such as a router or a cable box, within 10 days after the service is disconnected. If you end mobile or telephone service and your relocation lasts three years or less, the provider must let you keep your number if you re-subscribe within the 90 days that begin on the last day of the relocation.

  4. Check what the company may charge and owes you

    The provider may not impose an early termination charge. Anything due and unpaid at the time of termination is still yours to pay. Within 60 days of the termination date, the provider must refund what you paid for a period after that date, except the rest of the billing period in which the termination occurs.

Source: 50 U.S.C. § 3956, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: termination of certain consumer contracts (GPO)

How to send it so you can prove it was received

  1. Print the letter and sign it

    Use the print button on the tool. Sign above your printed name and keep a copy for your files.

  2. Send it by Certified Mail

    Buy Certified Mail at a Post Office and ask for the postmarked mailing receipt. Add Return Receipt to get the signature of the person who accepts it.

  3. Keep the receipt and the tracking number

    Write the date and tracking number on your copy of the letter. Check the tracking until it shows delivered.

  4. Note the company’s notice rule

    Some companies need notice a set number of days before the next billing date. Allow for delivery time: the company may count from the day the letter arrives, not the day you posted it.

Prefer not to queue at the Post Office? We print the letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Source: USPS: Certified Mail and Return Receipt

Cancellation letter questions

Does this apply to a deployment or a move?

The law is written around military orders. One case is orders to relocate for a period of not less than 90 days to a location that does not support the contract. The other is a permanent change of station followed by a stop movement order. Read your orders against those descriptions, and edit the letter’s paragraph if yours differ.

Can a family member use this letter?

The statute names some family members, including a spouse or dependent who accompanies the servicemember on the relocation in the stop movement case, and the spouse or dependent of a servicemember who dies in service. It also lets the person who holds a mobile phone contract end it for the servicemember, and for every designated beneficiary if they all go along on the relocation. Read section 3956 before you send the letter for someone else.

Which law is this?

50 U.S.C. § 3956, titled Termination of certain consumer contracts, part of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The 2023 edition on govinfo.gov, linked in the sources below, is the text this page follows.

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