Virgin Media has confirmed it is deleting email addresses unless users pay 99p to transfer to a £65-a-year service. The broadband and TV provider is ending its free email service, meaning customers with Virgin Media, NTL or Blueyonder email addresses must pay a 99p transfer fee within 45 days if they want to keep their email.
Migration to Junara
Email inboxes are being migrated to Junara, a cloud-based email provider owned by Atmail. Users can continue using their emails for 99p for the first year, after which they will be charged £65 a year to keep accessing their accounts.
One Virgin Media customer contacted the firm after receiving an alert from Thames Valley Alert, which warned: “We are contacting you as we can see that you are registered on Thames Valley Alert with a Virgin Media email address. This is just a reminder that you may need to update the email address on your member account as a result of some upcoming changes that are detailed in the link below.”
Official confirmation
The alert continued: “We are aware that Virgin Media will soon be stopping the provision of free email addresses, so any members with @virgin.net @ntlworld.com and @blueyonder.co.uk, @virginmedia.com addresses will be required to either keep their existing email with an associated fee or set up a new free email.”
The user who received the message then contacted Virgin Media via X to ask if the message was “correct or a scam”. Virgin Media confirmed the information, stating: “We can reassure you that this isn't a scam. If you have a Virgin Media, NTLWorld or Blueyonder email address, you will receive an official email from us when your mailbox is due to be migrated.”
45-day window to act
Virgin Media added: “The email will include a link to start the transfer process to Junara. Once you receive that communication, you'll have 45 days to complete the migration. As an existing customer, you'll be able to continue using your email address with Junara for a 99p one-off fee for the first year. If you choose not to migrate, your mailbox will eventually be suspended and then deleted, so it's important to follow the steps in the email when it arrives.”
A spokesperson for Virgin Media said: “As we focus and prioritise our investments and resource on ensuring our customers have the best connectivity experience, we have taken the decision to close the remaining Virgin Media email accounts. We’re transferring our email service to Junara, a specialist cloud-based email provider owned by Atmail, giving users a clear route to keep their existing Virgin Media email address if they choose to.”
The spokesperson added: “We are writing directly to all impacted customers to clearly explain the changes and will provide a 45-day window to either sign up with Junara, move to an alternative email provider, or close their account. To support users through this transition, all current Virgin Media customers wishing to move to Junara will receive their first year of service free of charge, with additional support available for those who need it.”
“By transferring these email accounts to a specialist provider, we can focus our attention and investment on what we’re ultimately here to do – provide fast and reliable broadband, mobile, landline and TV services, and give our customers the best possible experience.”
