Guide to Email Addresses
Choosing your main email address, the risks of broadband provider email, and having your own
WHY YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS MATTERS
Your main email address is more than a way of keeping in touch. It’s how your bank, your GP surgery, your energy supplier and almost every website you use contact you, and it’s how you get back into an account if you forget the password. Losing it, or having to change it, can be a real upheaval.
THE PROBLEM WITH BROADBAND PROVIDER EMAIL
Many people still use the address that came with their broadband, such as a btinternet.com, sky.com, talktalk.net or virginmedia.com address. The trouble is that it ties you to that provider, and several providers have now stopped running email themselves, handing it to other companies that charge for it after an introductory period.
| Provider | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| BT | If you leave BT, a free basic service with limited features, or £7.50 a month for full access. |
| Sky | Free to keep if you leave, but it can be closed if you don’t sign in regularly. |
| TalkTalk | If you leave TalkTalk, your email moves to a separate company, Everymail, and must be paid for. |
| Virgin Media | Moving to a separate company, Junara, from September 2026. Free for the first year, then paid. Accounts are deleted if no action is taken. |
| Plusnet | Moving to a separate company, Greenby. Free for two years, then paid. |
Correct as of October 2026. Providers change these terms from time to time.
These moves haven’t always gone smoothly, and some people have been left unable to send or receive email for a time. Emails sent from some broadband provider addresses are also more likely to end up in the recipient’s junk folder. If you’re still using one, now is a good time to plan a move, at a pace that suits you.
YOUR OPTIONS
YOURS FOR LIFE
Your own domain name
An address such as jean@jeansmith.co.uk, using a web address that you own.
Benefits: It never needs to change. You can move to a different email service, or switch broadband, and keep the same address for the rest of your life. It also looks personal and is easy to remember.
Drawbacks: There’s a yearly cost and it needs setting up properly. The domain must also be renewed every year: if it lapses, someone else could buy it and receive your emails, so it should always be set to renew automatically.
SIMPLE AND FREE
Gmail, Outlook.com or iCloud Mail
Benefits: Free, reliable and independent of your broadband provider, with good protection against spam and scams. Emails you send are rarely mistaken for spam, it works on every device, and you may already have one.
Drawbacks: The address belongs to that company, so if you were ever locked out of the account, you’d lose access to your email too. The free versions of Gmail and Outlook.com show adverts.
AVOID
Broadband provider email: fine for now if you’re happy where you are, but it makes switching provider harder, and you could lose the address altogether.
HAVING YOUR OWN DOMAIN
A domain name ending in .co.uk or .uk typically costs between £5 and £15 a year. You’ll also need an email service to go with it. These are the ones we recommend:
- If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, an iCloud+ plan, from 99p a month, includes your own domain and can be shared with your family. This is the simplest option for Apple users.
- Zoho Mail costs from around £1 a month for each person. It’s reliable and inexpensive, with no adverts, and works on any device.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Google Workspace cost around £5 to £7 a month for each person. They’re designed for businesses, but work just as well at home.
SETTING IT UP PROPERLY
Whichever service you choose, a few technical settings need adding to your domain. These prove that emails sent from your address really come from you. Without them, your emails are much more likely to end up in the recipient’s junk folder, or be rejected altogether. It’s worth having them set up by someone who knows how.
MOVING TO A NEW ADDRESS
Changing your address takes a little planning, but there’s no need to do it all at once. Running both addresses side by side for a few months makes the move much less stressful, but does require some commitment.
- Set up your new address, and copy your old emails and contacts across to it.
- Update your Microsoft, Google and Apple accounts, so that security messages reach your new address. Our Guide to Online Accounts explains why this matters.
- Change your address with your bank, GP surgery, energy supplier, council and anyone else who contacts you by email, starting with the most important.
- Let family and friends know your new address.
- Keep checking your old address, or forward it to your new one, for at least six months. Whenever something arrives there, update that sender.
- Only close the old address once nothing important is arriving there.
WE CAN HELP
We can help you choose the right address, register your own domain if you’d like one, set everything up on your devices and move your emails and contacts across.
TAKE A COPY
You’re welcome to download this guide as a PDF to print or share with family and friends.
Or enter your name and email address below, and we’ll email you a link to this guide straight away.