Understanding the timeline prevents an unrecoverable loss.
AFTER CANCELLATION
The service is suspended at the cancellation date, and terminated after a period. At termination the account and its data are removed from the server.
AFTER SUSPENSION FOR NON-PAYMENT
The data remains in place during suspension. If the invoice is settled, the account reactivates with everything intact. After an extended period of non-payment the account is terminated and the data removed.
AFTER TERMINATION FOR ABUSE
For serious breaches, termination is immediate. Data may or may not be retrievable depending on the circumstances, and in cases involving criminal activity it may be preserved for authorities rather than released.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Take a full backup before cancelling anything, and verify it opens. Download your email separately with an IMAP client. Mail is what people most often realise too late is gone. Do not plan on requesting data after termination. Sometimes it can be provided; often it cannot, and there is no obligation to.
BACKUPS ARE NOT KEPT INDEFINITELY
Our server backups follow their own retention schedule, and are removed for terminated accounts. They are not an archive you can draw on later.
