Migrating @ntlworld.com email address to different Virgin account.

[RPSPNP]

Hi everyone!

I have a question which I have not seen addressed anywhere else on this forum yet. Apologies if it already has been addressed and I have not found it.

I have two Virgin Media accounts for two separate properties - one for my own home, and the other for a rental property (I pay the Virgin bill for the rental property, and the account is also in my name).

My primary everyday email address is an @ntlworld.com address, and it is associated with the rental property account. Because I used to live in that property previously, we had NTL back then (started with Diamond Cable), and naturally I had an @ntlworld.com email address. I have held onto that email address all these years, and it works for me.

My new home has its Virgin account under a rarely used @gmail.com account. I log into this account to view my bills using this @gmail account. I log into the rental property Virgin account using the @ntlworld.com email address.

This setup has worked for me for almost two decades. The problem now is that I am selling that rental property to my current tenants. I have given Virgin Media my 30 days notice since we are near completion. However, I am worried about losing my @ntlworld.com email address. I think I will have 90 days of access after disconnection (although worryingly I’ve read online it can be as few as 30 days).

How do I associate my @ntlworld.com address with my home address Virgin account? Migrate that email address across. That way, I won't lose it, because I am still a Virgin customer.

Hope this make sense, and hope this is possible.

Thank you.

[coenoby]

@RPSPNP 

"I have two Virgin Media accounts for two separate properties - one for my own home, and the other for a rental property"

"My new home has its Virgin account under a rarely used @gmail.com account."

" I log into the rental property Virgin account using the @ntlworld.com email address."

The fact that you are the account holder for both broadband accounts does simplify matters somewhat. If one of the accounts was in someone-else's name it would not be possible to switch the Ntlworld address over. However, there may still be issues in moving the Ntlworld address over to the other account.

Was the VM account for your new home set up after May 2022? That's when VM stopped issuing new email accounts which would explain why you use the Gmail account.

Just to give you some background.

VM have recently made a further radical change to their email system which means that all VM broadband customers who have VM email accounts now have to use a non VM email address to sign into their VM email account and also their "My Virgin Media" account to view my bills etc .  They can still use their existing VM / Ntlworld / Blueyonder email accounts and addresses but they now have to be linked to non VM email accounts.

That recent change, along with last years decision to stop issuing new email accounts does raise questions about the long term future for VM email accounts. Currently VM are just saying that they continue to support the VM email accounts of existing customers.

I am saying all this because if I was in your position I would think long and hard before making that Ntlworld email address my main email account going forward. Given that you already have a Gmail account set up there is a lot to be said for moving over to it and make it your main email account.

"I am worried about losing my @ntlworld.com email address. I think I will have 90 days of access after disconnection"

VM say they will delete email accounts 90 days after the broadband account is closed although they often seem to leave them open beyond that.  The fact that you need to be a VM broadband customer to use a VM email account is another thing to consider. By making your old Ntlworld address your main email account going forward you are effectively locking yourself into sticking with VM as your broadband provider in the future.

To come back to  your question:

"How do I associate my @ntlworld.com address with my home address Virgin account?"

 One of the Forum Team (VM staff) will contact you via this forum thread and they will be able to tell you whether that is possible. If it is possible they should be able to arrange it for you if that is what you decide to do.

Coenoby

[jaberwok]

"VM have recently made a further radical change to their email system which means that all VM broadband customers who have VM email accounts now have to use a non VM email address to sign into their VM email account and also their "My Virgin Media" account to view my bills etc "

Thank you for that useful information but - do you understand the logic behind the change? If so, can you explain it? All my email problems have started since this change after nearly 30 years with few problems.

[jpeg1]

VM never announced or explained the change, but there is speculation that it was a reaction to the widespread hacking into older VM email accounts earlier this year. 

No one knows when VM might finish with email, but there are many hints that they will. Moving over to a more reliable service now would be the sensible move. 

[coenoby]

---

@jaberwok wrote:

Thank you for that useful information but - do you understand the logic behind the change? If so, can you explain it?

---

I am not a VM employee so I have no knowledge of their reasons or motives for making that change.

However, as @jpeg1  has intimated it would seem that they may have introduced this change to improve the security of VM accounts.

There is now a new step in the password reset process. When you request a password reset they send a verification email to the non VM email account you have linked to your VM account. However, they could have done that without the need to change your username to a non VM address, many other online services just ask you to supply a "Password recovery" email account.

"All my email problems have started since this change after nearly 30 years with few problems."

I don't know what email problems you have had or are having. If you need any help or advice with those you could create your own thread on this forum.

VM have not really publicised any details about this change so a lot of people have been confused by it. However, remember that the entire VM email service was down for several days in June 2023. The cause of that was never explained but it was prior to the requirement to use a non VM address to access your VM account. 😉

Coenoby

[jaberwok]

Thank you and jpeg1.

My problem is that I can no longer access my ntlworld and virginmedia email accounts but this is covered in another thread.

[RPSPNP]

Thank you everyone for your replies, they have been helpful in understanding what's happening with Virgin emails.

Thanks particularly to coenoby, your detailed reply helped me to realise that I need to make the switch to my Gmail account, although I was dreading this for a long time, because it means contacting a lot of companies - banks, pension provider, utility companies etc, as well as others like online shops, supermarkets etc. I think if there's a limited future for ntlworld and other Virgin email services, it's better to start now whilst I still have access to my ntlworld email account. It would be a nightmare if ntlworld email accounts suddenly closed, or with short notice, then I would be panicking.

Thanks everyone again, wishing you all a great week!

[jpeg1]

A very wise decision. 

[coenoby]

@RPSPNP 

Needless to say I think that you've made the right choice.

When I retired I decided to move away from the (non VM)  email address I had used for social and business contacts for many years. My main reason was that it was getting loads of spam and I wanted to start with a clean slate.

In fact the move was not as difficult as I expected. In the process I found that there were many online accounts that I had not used for years. I hesitate to say but there were also a few contacts that I did not advise about my new email address. So the move was an opportunity for a bit of a spring clean as well. 😉

I do have VM email but I have only ever used it for communications from VM and to help here on the forum.

Now I use a Gmail account and a couple of email accounts on a private domain.

Gmail is fine but as they say,  "other email services are available". You might like to check these out https://www.lifewire.com/best-free-email-accounts 

Thanks for your kind words. 👍

Coenoby

[RPSPNP]

Some very wise words there Coenoby, and food for thought about a fresh start when migrating away from my @ntlworld.com email. I truly appreciate your time and help, I know you could be doing other things in retirement than helping others here, so thank you again. 👍