Keeping your email address BT to Plusnet

[hubbys]

Good afternoon.

I have been considering options moving from BT to Plusnet, as my Broadband provider. My existing contract with BT expires in Feb 2026, so I have time to choose alternatives, or even stay with BT of I get a better offer than I have at the moment. As an ex BT engineer I have had BT Broadband since it was first introduced, and noticing comments referring to Plusnet and EE, that there seems to be confusion,  whether you can keep your email address, when moving to those ISP’s. As Plusnet and EE are within, the same BT group, I understand that the BT email address can be used, if transferring to either, and you would be able to use a mail app, and email client. But there is also, reference to other comments, saying you can only access the BT emails as a web client. 
Can someone please clarify, whether moving from BT Broadband to either EE or Plusnet, that you are allowed to keep your BT email address and access your emails via an email client/app, like you do with BT.

Thank you

Regards,

Paul

[imjolly]

this was answered recently

https://community.bt.com/t5/General-email-queries/BT-email-after-Broadband-switch-from-BT-to-plusnet...

[hubbys]

This is still not clear, as an ex-colleague has recently moved from BT internet to EE and kept all his BT  mail service with an email client. Admittedly it was BT sales that offered him EE and explained that gradually residential customers will be moved over to EE. So, under a different  scenario, if you requested to move across to EE, then BT decide not allow you access, to use a mail client, and you would only have the web base facility to access emails? Plusnet, maybe a different situation, but it is still under the BT group. So, is the reasoning that only if BT move you off their own email system onto EE you keep all email facilities. I know BT do not offer to move you onto Plusnet but they are still part of the BT group. There needs to be clear definition on this for August 2025, and not referring to previous years.

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

Why does there need to be clear definition….BT have never said moving to anyone other than an official migration to EE keeps the BT email access as it is  …the Uswitch article speculated that PN was the same as EE without any evidence of it , the only reasonable thing to do  is to assume if someone moves to PN from BT , the BT email address will not be accessible from a email client,  BT don’t confirm it for switchers to Sky or Virgin or Talk Talk , AFAIK BT have never said PN are the same as EE when it comes to maintaining email access for ex BT customers, as you state , BT will facilitate a move to EE , they don’t do the same with PN, therefore PN are likely to be the same as a switch to Sky …..BT email access from a browser only .

[gg30340]

You can keep your BTMail email accounts when you leave BT and go to any other ISP that you care to use.

Your BTMail accounts will however be "downgraded" to a BTMail Basic account that can only be used with a web browser. If you want to continue being able to use them with an email client or an email app you will need to pay for a BT Premium email account. 

https://www.bt.com/help/email/bt-email-products

Because BT were previously moving BT customer to EE  so as to "sweeten" the move and not cause any upset BT stated that your BTMail account would remain as it was on BT. As a result if you migrate to EE you can keep your BTMail account as it is at present which is a BTMail Standard account.

Your email account does not become part of your EE Broadband service. It remains as a BT product and is managed through your MyBT account not your MyEE account. If you subsequently leave EE your account will be downgraded as above.

There is no such arrangement nor I would imagine there ever will be such an arrangement if you leave BT and take out a Plusnet Broadband package. If you move to Plusnet your BTMail account will be downgraded to BTMail Basic.

Since 2022 BT no longer supply an email service to new customers so I would think it fair to assume at some point in the future BT will close their email service in the same way that most other ISPs have closed theirs.

The fact that Plusnet are part of the BT Group has no bearing on whether they will allow you to have the same products as other members of the Group. They are all separate companies for all intents and purposes although BT was going to merge/morph into EE and as such there is some crossover there in particular apparently with the Customer Service Departments.

[hubbys]

Thank you. That is a much clearer explanation.
Much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Paul

[hubbys]

That’s brilliant. Thank you very much Distinguished Sage for the clear explanation. That’s very helpful.
Much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Paul