How to cancel a subscription (and make sure it actually stops)
6 min read · Updated 2026-05-30
Cancelling a subscription should be one click, but companies design the exit to be harder than the entrance. The trick is knowing where a subscription is actually billed — directly, through an app store, or via a reseller — because that determines where the off switch lives. Cancel in the wrong place and the charge keeps coming.
Before you can cancel anything, you need to know who is charging you. A Spotify subscription bought on the web is cancelled on Spotify's site; the same subscription bought through an iPhone is cancelled in Apple's settings, and Spotify can't stop it for you. Getting this wrong is the single most common reason a “cancelled” subscription keeps billing. Your inbox receipt usually reveals the billing source: look at who actually charged you.
Find where the subscription is billed
- Check the receipt for the payment source. Open the most recent receipt email. If it's from Apple (“Your receipt from Apple”) or Google Play, the subscription is billed through the app store, not the service. If it's from the service itself or a processor like Paddle or Stripe, it's a direct subscription.
- For app-store billing, cancel in the store. On Apple: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. On Google Play: Play Store → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions. The service's own “cancel” page won't stop an app-store charge.
- For direct billing, use the account's billing page. Log in to the service, find Account, Billing, or Membership, and look for “Cancel subscription” or “Turn off auto-renew.” It's often buried a few clicks deep — that's deliberate.
- Decline the retention offers. Many services interrupt the cancel flow with a discount, a pause option, or a “are you sure?” gauntlet. A pause is not a cancellation. Keep going until you see explicit confirmation that the subscription has ended.
- Get the cancellation in writing. A real cancellation produces a confirmation email or an on-screen end date. If you don't get one, you're probably not cancelled. Screenshot the confirmation and keep the email.
Make sure it actually stopped
A cancellation isn't done until the next billing date passes without a charge. Note the date your access ends — you've usually paid through it — and check your statement afterward. If a charge still appears, reply to the cancellation confirmation, or dispute it with your bank using that confirmation as evidence. For annual plans, set a reminder a week before renewal so you can cancel on your own schedule rather than reacting to a surprise charge.
Avoid the common traps
- “Pause” and “snooze” are not cancellations — they restart billing automatically. Only an explicit cancel ends the charge.
- Cancel before the trial ends, not after. Once it converts, most services won't refund the first full charge.
- Deleting the app does nothing to an app-store subscription — you must cancel in Apple or Google's settings.
- If you can't find the off switch, search your inbox for the service name plus “manage subscription” — the link in the receipt usually lands on the right page.
Frequently asked questions
I cancelled but I'm still being charged. Why?
Almost always because the subscription is billed somewhere other than where you cancelled — typically through an app store. Check your receipt for an Apple or Google charge and cancel there. If the billing source matches and charges continue, dispute them with your bank using your cancellation confirmation.Will I get a refund when I cancel?
Usually not for the current period — most services let you keep access until the end of the term you've already paid for, then stop. Refunds for an accidental renewal are at the company's discretion; ask promptly and politely, and quote the charge date.How do I cancel a subscription I can't even identify?
Match the mystery charge to its receipt: search your inbox for the amount and date, which usually reveals the real service behind a cryptic processor name. Scanning your whole inbox at once makes this faster — sub-hunt lists each charge with its brand and a link to the source email.Is there a faster way to see everything I'm subscribed to?
Yes. Export your mailbox to an .mbox file and scan it with sub-hunt in your browser. It surfaces your subscriptions, their amounts, and their billing cadence in one view, so you can decide what to cancel without hunting through years of email.
Ready to scan your inbox?
Once you have your .mbox file, drop it into sub-hunt.com. Everything is parsed in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Open the scanner