When to switch suppliers?

My broadband contract ends on 04/04/2019 and given that the monthly charge increases at the end of the contract, I don't want to paying for too many days at the higher rate.

I was wondering, when is the best date to sign up to a new deal if going to another provider? If I sign up today, do providers let you set 05/04/2019 as the start date?

Or am I allowed to leave within a certain number of days before the end date without incurring penalties?

If you go to your chosen new supplier's website you can most likely try to place an order and see what the latest start date you can request is. Certainly works with both Plusnet and Vodafone. You don't have to complete the order to find this information out. You would need to ask your existing supplier what happens if you leave a few days early.