AT&T Military Cancellation and Number Hold: The SCRA Rules

AT&T’s military page, last updated May 1, 2025 and read August 15, 2026, is one of the more complete carrier policies: it names the branches, the transfer types, the filing channels, the number-hold length, and the installment-plan rule. It splits into two tracks, wireless and home services, with different forms and phone numbers.

Wireless versus home services

Eligibility on AT&T’s page is broad: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, PHS and NOAA commissioned corps, National Guard, state military forces, and militia called up by a governor, being transferred for 90 days or more (or your state’s period) for deployment, basic training, service school, a base-to-base move, a Reserve or Guard call-up, or a move outside AT&T coverage. Two conditions ride along: the account must be in good standing, and you must agree to pay the latest bill.

AT&T’s policy sits on top of 50 U.S.C. § 3956. The statute’s trigger is orders to relocate for 90 days or more to a place the contract does not support; its promises are no early termination charge, a 60-day refund of anything prepaid, and a held number for relocations of three years or less. The full guide has the section end to end, including the family-plan and stop-movement clauses.

How to file with AT&T

Cancel or hold AT&T service on orders

1. Wireless, online: sign in at AT&T’s military landing page (att.com/military/military-landing-page), choose Cancel, pick each number to cancel or place on hold, upload your deployment orders, and choose the date. AT&T says the line ends or goes on hold on that date.
2. Wireless, by fax: send to 847.513.5954 the account name as billed, account number, the numbers to cancel, the cancel date, the deploying member’s full name, deployment date, your choice (cancel, or cancel and hold), and the orders.
3. Wireless upgraded in the last 14 days: return the device to the point of sale, or to an AT&T-owned store if bought online, so the restocking fee is waived (AT&T says the waiver can change).
4. Internet, Phone, or U-verse TV: fill out the Service Member Notice of Service Suspension or Cancellation PDF, tick Suspend (12 months or less) or Cancel, sign, and either contact AT&T or email it with “Military cancel” in the subject to the address on AT&T’s page. Landline or DSL uses the separate cancellation and number-hold PDF. Allow up to 24 hours.
5. Prepaid: call 800.901.9878.
6. Keep the confirmation. To restore later, use the same channel (wireless) or call 800.288.2020 (home services) with your name as billed, account number, the number to reactivate, and the start date. AT&T says you pick from current plans and add-ons on return.

If you want the statute on the record as well, the letter generator drafts a § 3956 notice to attach.

Things members trip on at AT&T

The installment plan is the money question. AT&T’s page says you “may be able to keep your device without any more monthly installment payments” if the plan predates your orders and you are past the 14-day return window. That is more generous than the statute requires, since § 3956(e)(1) leaves obligations already due at termination payable, and it is phrased as a possibility. Get it applied to your account in writing before you cancel, and check the final bill.

Multi-line discounts fall off. Cancelling lines on a shared plan removes the associated discounts on the lines that stay. Price the remaining lines before you drop one; sometimes holding a number is cheaper for the family than cancelling it.

Two more bills, then AutoPay lingers. AT&T says to expect up to two additional bills, a partial-month charge if you cancel mid-cycle, and AutoPay running for 90 days after the final bill is paid. Sign up for paperless billing so the final bills reach you overseas.

Suspension does not move the contract end date. On home services, AT&T says your contract end date, if any, stays the same while service is held. A 12-month suspension therefore eats 12 months of the term, which is fine for you; it just means the contract can expire while you are away, in which case AT&T’s form points you to Cancel instead.

The email link. AT&T’s page prints ATTMilitaryRequest@att.com, but the mailto link behind that text pointed to ATTMilitarySupportTeam@amcustomercare.att-mail.com when read in August 2026. Use the link on AT&T’s own page, or fax or call, and keep a copy either way.

Not military, but deployed for the government? AT&T runs a separate suspension for Department of State and other non-military federal employees deployed internationally. It is a different program with different terms; the page links it under “Heads up.”

Orders that qualify here usually qualify for the apartment lease break too, and the deployment readiness checklist covers the rest of the paperwork.

The law behind this: 50 U.S.C. § 3956

Termination of certain consumer contracts: mobile, landline, internet, TV, gym, and home security: read the statute.