A nice PR move from Free, which is using the introduction of cancellation fees for certain mobile plans at Bouygues Telecom to get people talking about it.
A few days ago, Bouygues Telecom announced new cancellation fees for subscribers to a B&You mobile plan without commitment. Leaving the operator will now cost €5 starting June 9, 2025. This type of practice is widespread for fixed-line internet offers, but this is the first time it has been extended to mobile plans. Bouygues Telecom is undoubtedly trying to stem the phenomenon of changing plans every year to take advantage of the benefits for new customers with this cancellation barrier.
The reaction from users was swift, and Free is taking the opportunity to further undermine its competitor. “Duty obliges us: Free will cover up to €10 of your mobile cancellation fees,” the operator reacted on X (Twitter). “We’ll reimburse them if you switch to Free,” added its boss, Xavier Niel. In short, Free is getting a nice PR stunt at the expense of Bouygues Telecom.
Free is taking advantage of Bouygues Telecom's bad buzz
For the moment, we don't know Free's conditions for benefiting from this refund. We imagine that subscribing to the €2 plan doesn't make you eligible; it remains to be seen whether the Free 200 GB Series is affected or if the offer only concerns the Free 5G Plan
350 GB.
In response to Free's tweet, some Internet users pointed out that Bouygues Telecom now charges €1 for the physical SIM card or eSIM activation, while Free Mobile continues to charge €10 for this service. Others noted that Free's internet box migration fees were too high or that the operator only made efforts for new subscribers, leaving existing customers to pay the full price.
Operators are looking to scrape together a few euros where they can. It's complicated to increase the monthly price of packages given the competition in the market, but they're banking on the small lines to make a little money here and there. Bouygues Telecom was already the first to raise its termination fees to 59 euros for fixed-line internet, since joined by Free and SFR.
Duty obliges us: Free covers up to €10 of your mobile termination fees. https://t.co/Y6Iw0VGCQP
— Free (@free) May 5, 2025
We will reimburse you if you switch to Free https://t.co/8MprvhMKao
— Xavier Niel (@Xavier75) May 5, 2025
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