Leaving BT

[Fraught]

If I leave BT, will the emails I have downloaded currently in Inbox, Drafts etc be lost? Am finding it all confusing reading about messages saying you’d go on to premium mail but then be moved to basic email, about some of the information from BT having not been updated etc. Think all the confusion is why so many people choose not to switch.

[licquorice]

The simplest way to ensure you don't lose any emails is to download them all to a mail client such as Thunderbird and then create a set of offline folders and transfer the mails to the folders.

Premium Mail costs £7.50/m and allows the use of mail clients and apps, Basic Mail is free but only allows webmail access.

As you say, the rules keep changing and I'm not entirely sure if you have to take out Premium Mail initially and then downgrade to Basic or if you are automatically put on Basic if you do nothing.

[NeilO]

@Fraught you might find this help page useful, what happens to my email address when my BT Broadband service stops?

Thanks

Neil

[gg30340]

See this link

What happens to my email address when my BT Broadband service stops? | BT Help

If you do nothing you will be downgraded to the BTMail basic system which can only be viewed on a web browser. All your emails and folders will remain the same as now.

[Fraught]

Thanks for the reply. I seem to remember you were extremely helpful with another problem I had a while ago

Am reading this on iPad and unfortunately the link didn’t work. Will try and find a way to it later.

Have been looking on BT for information on what Basic email is and can only find it about Premium email.

I’m wanting to make sure the emails I have now, can be kept/ moved to give me time to go through them if I switch. Wouldn’t know what to do re Thunderbird in previous reply.

I was thinking I might be able to forward them to my gmail account though somebody mentioned having difficulty in importing them to gmail  as were directed elsewhere, not to BT mail. I don’t particularly want them jumbled up with my other gmail, as keep BT address for personal contacts, so presumably I have to open a second gmail address? Not sure if auto forwarding them with BT will work. Presumably I would still keep the email and that wouldn’t disappear into the ether? 🤔

Being able to get help on this forum is the only place to get answers! As a communications company you would think BT would be able to provide them all!

[Fraught]

Thanks. Managed to get the link NeilO provided, from  yours. So is the Basic email just the same except for having to read in a web browser? BT don’t seem to explain anywhere exactly what it is, unless I just haven’t found it. Maybe that’s the idea?

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

Yes, basic mail is only available via a web browser. You will not lose any of your emails if you have basic mail.

[NeilO]

Sorry @Fraught I fixed the link I posted. There is another link on that help page that brings you to this one which explains what basic mail is.

Thanks

Neil 

[Fraught]

Thank you so much for this. I feel I’ve finally got somewhere, but if I do switch, whatever am I going to do without you guys to help? Your help is always brilliant and saves hours going round in circles.

[TG99]

Hi Liquorice

Just came across this string and am another long term BT subscriber who is leaving for an alternative provider.  I've read the BT statements about Basic and Premium email but being a dinosaur I'm still not sure whether I need to do anything to retain my BT email address plus contacts and folders. Also, if I choose to go Premium, when should I ask for this to happen. Before or after the switch over. Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks