Lots of digital subscriptions are vying for your money. Everything from streaming services and desktop software to smart cameras and fitness groups come with attached subscriptions that you typically have to pay to access the best features or even access the app, site, or service at all.
For many of us, Netflix at times seems almost as important as water and electricity. But is this true? These days, a Netflix subscription can cost as much as $25 a month, which is a significant amount of money that you'll have to pay 12 times a year.
Perhaps you've already gotten everything Netflix has to offer, or you're looking to save money, or both. Cancelling is actually very easy, and you can always go back to Netflix at any time.
I've decided to take a break from Netflix for a while, at least until the final season. Stranger Things comes – and this is the process you need to go through. I will also explain what happens after cancellation and how you can get back.
How do I cancel Netflix?
Netflix has a history of regularly raising prices, but in the interests of balance, it's also very easy for you to cancel your subscription if you want to. You can do this in a web browser:
- Hover your mouse over your account image (top right).
- Click Check And Membership Management.
- Click Cancel membership.
- Click to confirm Cancel And Complete cancellation.
You will be asked to explain the reason for your cancellation, but this is not required. You can also cancel through the Netflix apps for Android or iOS:
- Tap My Netflix (bottom right).
- Click the menu button (top right).
- Choose Check.
- Choose Cancel membership.
- Tap Complete cancellation to confirm.
You may also see the option to pause your membership while completing these steps. You can only do this for up to three months, and it's not available on the cheapest basic plan, but it allows you to skip the monthly payment while keeping your account. Netflix is ​​blocked for that month and after that you continue as normal.
What happens next?
You can continue to use Netflix until the end of your current billing period, as long as you have another month left. This might be the perfect time to finish a series you haven't finished yet. You can check how much time you have left to access Netflix on your account page on the web or on your mobile device.
Since I canceled my Netflix plan, I have been receiving fairly regular emails from Netflix. They tell you about new shows and movies on the platform, any special offers available on new subscriptions, and especially new seasons of shows I've watched before. One of them was called “3 Good Reasons to Come Back” and they are all apparently designed to get you to renew your subscription, which you can do with the click of a button.
To be honest, I haven't missed it much over the past few months, although obviously your experience may vary. The other streaming subscriptions I'm also subscribed to, as well as free and ad-supported content, were more than enough to keep me going. I even went to a real movie theater a couple of times. I actually wasn't as dependent on Netflix as I thought I was.
What happens to my history and recommendations?
Netflix, of course, really wants to encourage users who have stopped subscribing to come back – and it's very easy to do. You'll actually still be able to sign in using your old credentials, but all you'll get is a button that will allow you to renew your membership again, regardless of whether you're on the same plan as before or a different one.
There's no rush to get back to Netflix: your viewing activity, ratings, recommendations, account information, gameplay history, and game saves are stored for 24 months (at the time of writing). If you renew your subscription within a few years, you can still pick up where you left off.
I'll definitely be subscribing to Netflix again at some point—I've already heard about a few new shows and movies I want to watch, and I need to know how. Stranger Things is finally ending, but I'm glad I took a step away for a few months. This means I have a little more money to spare and spend a little less time sitting in front of a screen.
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