How to Pause Your DISH or DIRECTV Service

Did yous know that you tin temporarily suspend your satellite Boob tube service if y'all need to? That means no more than worrying most paying your bill during long vacations or periods of unemployment. Yup, with a little effort, you lot can salve coin on your household bills while you fly south for the winter.

What does pausing satellite Telly service mean?

DISH and DIRECTV both have ii-year contracts that make it expensive to abolish early. If you cancel before your contract is upwardly, you tin can terminate up paying up to $480 in early on termination fees (ETFs).1 Yikes! So, customers who accept DISH or DIRECTV sometimes experience like they're locked in to ii solid years of service—but that isn't actually the instance.

Both DISH and DIRECTV offer service break options. What's a service suspension? If you lot enquire for a service suspension (or a holiday agree), your service will be temporarily turned off and y'all can keep your equipment and setup correct where they are. You won't be billed for regular service (although there's a modest $five to $7 per month fee that you'll need to pay).2 If you pause in the middle of a month, yous'll be billed for the days yous had service simply not for the days your service is paused. Once you arrive back in town, you lot just plow your service back on (with a phone telephone call) and it'due south showtime again.

A service intermission comes in handy for people who travel during parts of the year. It'south also helpful for folks who need a break on their bills due to task loss or complications related to COVID-19. By pausing your service, y'all avoid paying early termination fees. And, once you're ready to resume service, y'all won't have to pay installation fees again or get through the hassle of getting a technician to come out and set up your service.

You don't have to call weeks in advance—you can accept your DISH or DIRECTV service paused the same day. And the same goes for turning your service dorsum on—just call the morn you leave the beach and it'll be switched on and fix to become when yous go far home.

How to pause DISH Boob tube service

You tin interruption or restart your DISH Television receiver service by calling DISH directly at one-866-974-0769. Information technology's not quite 24/seven customer service, just it's shut. They're open Monday through Fri from 7:00 a.m. to one:00 a.m. On weekends, they open a picayune later in the morning (7:30 a.1000.) and they close at midnight.

You tin't pause service with the DISH Tv app. Aye, this would be super convenient, just it isn't possible on the app.

You'll need to have your account number handy or phone call on the phone number associated with your business relationship. Y'all may accept to wait a bit (we waited an average of eight minutes every time nosotros called), simply they'll have care of information technology for you pretty speedily once the wait music ends.

You tin intermission your DISH service for upwardly to vi months. DISH charges $five per calendar month for accounts on hold. To larn more about DISH policies, bank check out DISH Satellite Idiot box Review.

How to pause DIRECTV

If yous're moving s for the wintertime or in with family for the summer, yous can suspension or suspend your DIRECTV services for a calendar month or more at a fourth dimension past calling 1-800-288-2020. When prompted, say "suspend account," and it will connect y'all with a service representative who tin can interruption your DIRECTV service. Just exist sure to have an one-time bill ready with your account number, or know the phone number associated with your account.

Like DISH, DIRECTV'south app doesn't allow you to pause service from the app. You have to telephone call to put your DIRECTV on hold. In one case you're ready to resume service, call over again and yous'll be ready to go.

You can pause your service upward to half dozen months with DIRECTV. DIRECTV charges $seven per month for accounts on concord. If you desire to dig deeper into DIRECTV pricing or policies, check out DIRECTV Satellite TV Review.

Press suspension to avoid big fees

Pausing service can salve y'all a lot of money. Early termination fees for satellite TV service can be pretty steep—up to $480, depending on how many months you have remaining on your contract. You'll pay $xx per month for each calendar month remaining on your contract (the charge per unit is the same for both companies). So, if you only have ii months remaining, it'll cost $40. Just if you have a twelvemonth left, it'll cost you $240.

In add-on to the early termination fees, you may too have to pay equipment fees if your equipment is damaged or doesn't go returned properly.

Pausing your service is a expert idea whenever possible because you won't incur those hefty fees. You can pause your service upwardly to half dozen months with DIRECTV or upward to nine months with DISH.

Early termination fees for DISH and DIRECTV

Satellite TV provider

Early termination fee (ETF)

DISH

$20/mo. for each mo. remaining on contract (up to $480)

DIRECTV

$20/mo. for each mo. remaining on contract (up to $480)

Info

Satellite Tv for RV? Yes, please!

If y'all need a portable satellite TV organization for an RV, we recommend DISH Outdoors. Y'all can take it with you on the road and you don't have to pay for service when your RV isn't in use. And if y'all take DISH service at habitation, you tin pause information technology when you go out for your seasonal travels.

What you demand to know before you break your DISH or DIRECTV service

A service pause won't change the terms of your contract. If you sign a two-year contract, the months your service is turned off won't count toward the two years. And so, if y'all have service turned off from May until September, a ii-year contract volition really last two years and four months to brand upwards for the four months of paused service.

Service pauses likewise won't cancel monthly installment payments for sports seasons. If yous signed up for NFL SUNDAY TICKET and yous're only role way through the flavor, you can't become out of information technology by pausing your service. If you pause, you'll even so have to pay the monthly installments for the season pass even if your service isn't active for the whole season.

And, if yous have a promotional discount, such equally $ten off for 12 months, your service break can't pause and resume a discount. If you have three months remaining on a $10 discount and yous pause your service for two months, yous'll accept only one more than month left of the discount when you resume service.

Other ways to relieve coin on satellite Television set

If your satellite Television receiver nib is getting a little too loftier, you lot can save money by cutting out premium channels. You might likewise be able to switch to a smaller TV package. Do you lot really need a package that includes all the Hallmark channels just for the few weeks a yr when your mom visits?

Be aware that sometimes switching to a less expensive program might restart your contract. This is why we recommend starting with a less expensive package and upgrading afterwards.

Both DISH and DIRECTV allow you to add or subtract premium channels at whatsoever time. Y'all can use this to your advantage past adding a premium channel like HBO® for a few months when a new season of your favorite show comes out, then dropping information technology after you've watched every episode. This is a much cheaper option than paying for an entire year's worth of premium channels.

If you combine the premium channel canceling strategy with downgrading your Television bundle, you tin can salvage money on your satellite TV. You'll just need to rotate between premium channels if you desire to lookout man season premieres on your favorite networks.

Concluding take: Pausing DISH and DIRECTV is easy

Pressing pause on your DISH or DIRECTV service is fairly easy and painless. And information technology'll save y'all money while you prowl the country in your RV or go alee on the bills during a downturn. While information technology'd be absurd if you could put a vacation hold on your service with an app, a phone call isn't much harder (which is bad news for people with phone anxiety simply good news for the rest of u.s.).

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FAQ most pausing DISH and DIRECTV

Is it free to pause DISH and DIRECTV service?

No, information technology is non free to pause DISH or DIRECTV, just it costs but $v to $7 per calendar month. You do not need to pay at the fourth dimension you put your account on hold, but you will need to pay a monthly service pause fee. DISH charges $five per calendar month for accounts on agree and DIRECTV charges $vii per month.

Y'all practise not need to pay an equipment rental fee with either of these services while your service is paused, even though yous will still take the equipment at your home. And fifty-fifty though your service is paused, you will nonetheless have to pay monthly installment payments for sports seasons like NFL Sun TICKET.

How long can you lot pause your DISH or DIRECTV service?

With DIRECTV, you lot can break your TV service for ane to six months at a time. With DISH, y'all can interruption your Idiot box service for one to nine months at a time.

How practise you pause DISH service?

To suspension your DISH network service, call DISH customer service at 1-866-974-0769. They'll ask you for your business relationship number so they tin pause your service. When you desire to resume it, but requite them another telephone call.

Can I pause my DIRECTV service?

Yeah, you tin can intermission your DIRECTV service by calling customer service at i-800-288-2020. When prompted, ask to append your business relationship. This places a hold on your service, which will be turned on when you call back to resume it.

Sources

  1. DISH, "How Much Does It Cost To Cancel DISH Network Early," July 2017. Accessed Baronial 20, 2020.
  2. AT&T/DISH network, "Put Your Service on Vacation Hold," [undated]. Accessed August 24, 2020.
  3. Willcox, James, Consumer Reports, "How Orby Tv Is Targeting Cord-Cutters," July 25, 2019. Accessed August 26, 2020.

Kristin Cooke

Written by

Kristin Cooke

After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Utah, Kristin learned to geek speak while working as a technical recruiter, interviewing software developers and tech companies. For over 20 years, she has created award-winning content for technology, wellness, and finance companies. Kristin is an advocate for affordable internet for all and writes most rural internet solutions, satellite internet news, and tech products at SatelliteInternet.com. Her work has been featured in New York Post, PCMag, Forbes, Business Insider, Telecompetitor, Space.com, and The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.