What to send back, and what proof to keep

Separate rented gear from gear you own

A return is about ownership, not about the box the gear arrived in. If the provider rented or leased the gateway, the provider wants it back when you cancel, move, or swap it. If you bought the modem or the router, that piece is yours. Sending your own router to the provider does not close the rental, and it can leave you without the only router that already works in the new place.

Write the serial number of each rented piece before you unplug it. Match that number to the device list in the account. A household often has a gateway, a voice adapter, a TV box, and a remote. The internet return may not cover every one of those. Xfinity’s return article, re-read Nov 3, 2026, says its steps do not cover Xfinity cameras or Xfinity Mobile gear. Those have their own paths. Read the list for the account you are closing, not a list from a neighbor’s plan.

Our guide to renting or buying the modem and router is the decision you make while the service is on. This page starts when that service is ending. The switching checklist is the overlap between the old line and the new one. Do not ship the old gateway on the morning the new line is supposed to start, unless you already have a working connection without it.

Three Xfinity routes, and what each one proves

Xfinity’s return article describes one product family’s routes. Another provider can use a store, a shipper, or a technician and still name them differently. Use this table as the worked example, then read the page that belongs to the account you are closing.

A drop-off that nobody scans is the failure mode. At the store, the article says to give the gear to a representative, not to leave it on a counter. On the UPS path, the tracking stub is the receipt you can still hold after the box is gone. If you already started a return, the same article points at a pending-return page so you can see whether the label was created.

Pack only what that article names. Extra cables make the box heavier and do not prove you returned the gateway. A missing power cord is the piece people forget, because it looks like any other cord in a move. Put the cord in the box before the tape goes on, and photograph the serial number on the same day.

What AT&T says to send, and what stays on the wall

AT&T’s return page, re-read Nov 3, 2026, is about All-Fi hubs, extenders, and the power supplies that go with them. It is not a universal rule for every fiber company. It is a second worked example, so you can see how the “what stays” list differs from Xfinity’s cable-and-wire note.

The fee is real on that page, and the dollar figure is not repeated here. Ask the account for the amount that applies to your gear. The useful part of the sentence is the clock: 21 days from the change or the disconnect, not 21 days from the day you feel like packing.

The wall-mounted terminal is a different object from the Wi-Fi gateway. AT&T’s equipment page says the optical network terminal is installed at setup and should never be removed (checked Sep 24, 2026). The Nov 3 return page says the same thing in return language: leave wall-mounted gear where it is. Pulling a fiber jack out of the wall to “be helpful” can turn a simple return into a repair. If you are unsure which box is the terminal, photograph it and ask before you unscrew anything. Our fiber installation checklist is the visit where that terminal was placed.

Keep proof until the last bill agrees

A return is finished when the account says the gear was received, not when the box leaves your hands. Xfinity’s UPS path can take up to two weeks to show. AT&T’s store path gives you a tracking receipt at the counter, and the account update can still lag the truck. Save the receipt, the tracking number, and the serial list in the same folder as the cancellation note.

Match the final bill to that folder. If a line still names a device you returned, send the receipt with the dispute and keep a copy. Do not throw the stub away because the store clerk said it was “in the system.” Systems lag. The stub is what you can still show.

A move makes this harder, because the old address and the new address are easy to mix on the label. Put the return account number on the note, not the new provider’s order number. If you are checking internet before the move, the move-in checklist is the place to book the new line. This page covers the old gear.

Owned gear stays with you. Rented gear goes back. If a page on the provider’s site disagrees with a chat transcript, trust the written return page for that account and save both. Two providers in one week can each want a different box. Do not assume the Xfinity packing list is the AT&T packing list.

What to do next

When the new address is ready, Check plans at your address before you ship the only gateway that still works. If the next order is Xfinity, See Xfinity plans. If it is AT&T, See AT&T plans. Our methodology treats a provider’s own return page as the source for that provider’s route, and it does not turn one company’s list into a rule for every company.