Advice on moving from Virgin Media email and separating shared Apple ID

[Epictantrum]

I have 2 tech issues which I was hoping for some advice on!

1. We currently have our email with virgin media and although they haven't contacted us yet, I understand they are stopping providing these so we will have to change to another provider. I don't want to pay much, if anything. Does anyone use their apple iCloud email address?
2. My husband and I currently share an Apple ID. It can cause complications, e.g. with text messages and phone calls getting confused. Ideally I think we should have 2 and share photos, calendars etc. Has anyone been through this process? It seems really complicated and I'm terrified of accidentally deleting all our photos or something. We are fully in the apple universe (with iPads, MacBook, phones).

Thanks!

You might already know this but you can keep your Virgin Media email - you have to transfer it over to Junara at https://junara.com/virginmedia/ and there's a monthly fee after the first year (😒) but I did mine yesterday because I couldn't face the hassle of losing an email address I've used for thirty years. No idea about Apple ID, though, sorry!

Create a gmail account it's free. I'm gradually moving all my logins and contacts to my gmail account so when it happens it should be all done already. A bit of a chore but I'm doing it in small bites.

Do you have an Apple shop nearby? They usually have staff around who can help you sort out basic issues like getting a new Apple ID and email address etc.

Also, a lot of local adult education colleges run tech/iPad courses that can help you learn the basics and more if your tech knowledge needs updating.

I run an informal weekly group for ladies in the 60’s/70’s and 80’s where we meet for coffee and organise outings etc. and helping them to resolve basic tech stuff is something I regularly do. (I’m in my 60’s too.)

There’s really no need to waste money paying for an email address as setting up a new email account is so easy. I helped my 81yr old sister sort hers out a few months ago and she now uses a separate email address for her online shopping to the one she uses for everything else.

Thanks all. I think we might use the junara option for the first year as it is only 99p I think, and will give us a bit of time to change all our emails over. It does seem really expensive after that if you are used to a free service.
You don't come across many people using an iCloud email address, not sure why.
DH is suspicious of me when I ask about separating our iCloud account, as if I'm about to ask for a divorce! But I read that sharing is strongly discouraged. I guess though we would have to change user every time we pick up the MacBook, which would be a pain. If anyone has done both ways (shared/individual) and knows the pros and cons that would be great!

I want to get it right because it is going to be a nightmare changing email over and I certainly don't want to do it twice!

I run two email accounts anyway fortunately so a lot of my stuff is on gmail already, which makes it a bit easier. I haven't been contacted yet either so am just getting a head start.

I can’t help with splitting iCloud accounts but I’d say go in and speak to the team at the back of the Apple Store as they can assist with that sort of thing.

I run 2 email accounts - a hotmail one I’ve had since before I went to uni over 25 years ago which I use for everything like shopping, newsletters and marketing. Then I have an ICloud account I’ve had for about 15 years and which I use for anything sensitive - banking, medical, children’s school and anything else I want to protect or when I want to look more “grown up” than having a hotmail account might imply! It helps because, if I get emails from “my” bank, DVLA etc if they’re not to the iCloud account, I know they’re scams as that’s the one I use for those things!!