Guides · Bills and refunds

How to Cancel a Hard-to-Cancel Subscription

By Reza Kuweiti · October 29, 2026

Some subscriptions are easy to start and hard to stop. Work through these steps in order and keep everything in writing.

1. Find out who actually bills you

Look at the charge on your statement. If it says Apple, Google Play or Amazon, the subscription is billed through that store, and you cancel it there, not with the app's maker:

• iPhone or iPad: Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions.
• Android: Google Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.

Also check which email address the account uses. Many "I can't find it" problems are an old email address.

2. Look for the cancel option in your account

Sign in on the company's website (not only the app) and check pages called Account, Membership, Billing, Plan or Subscription. In California, if you signed up online for a subscription that renews automatically, the law requires the company to let you cancel online too.

3. No button? Cancel in writing

Use the company's support email, web form or chat, and save a copy. Ask for a written confirmation:

Hello,

Please cancel my subscription on the account under [email address], effective immediately, and stop all future charges.

Please confirm in writing that it is cancelled, the date it ends, and that I won't be charged again.

Thank you,
[Your name]

If they offer a discount to stay and you don't want it, just repeat that you want to cancel. In California, a company that shows a "stay" offer while you cancel online must also show a clear "click to cancel" option.

4. Save the proof

Keep the confirmation email or a screenshot of the cancellation page, with the date. If you are charged again, this is what gets your money back.

5. Watch your next statement

If a charge still shows up after the cancellation date, send the company your proof and ask for a refund. If they don't fix it, dispute the charge with your card issuer. The steps are the same as in How to dispute a double charge.

Blocking the payment at your bank may stop the money, but it doesn't always close the account, so cancel with the company first.

General information only, not legal or financial advice. Every company and card issuer has its own rules.