I use to pay onetel for dial-up access and therefore had my main email address with them. When I got Pipex I just put Onetel onto 1p a minute (Never using it as I can access the emails via outlook using my ADSL Pipex connection).
Still get my old email. Pay them nothing. Don't know how long they will put up with it.
I originally paid for Globalnet before the advent of Freeserve etc. I cancelled my account with them but continued to be able to access my email and all of their services for a further year and a half. Though I rarely did unless out of interest to see if they had shut me out yet.
Hope this may be of some help.
DeepC