In this guide
Before you start.
- Establish whether you are on annual or monthly, because only one of them has a refund. Coursera states that Coursera Plus annual subscriptions come with a 14-day money-back guarantee and that you are eligible for a refund if you cancel within 14 days of your original payment. For monthly, Coursera states you will not be eligible for a refund once your trial period ends, so the 7-day free trial is the only exit without paying.
- A course bought outright follows a different rule again, and it is shorter than people assume. Coursera states that for courses purchased with a one-time payment you may receive a full refund if you cancel within 7 days of payment or before earning a certificate, whichever comes first, and that this holds even if you earn the Course Certificate within those 7 days. Earning the certificate closes the window early.
- Understand what a refund costs you in credentials. Coursera states that if you completed a course within the 14-day window you will no longer be able to access that Course Certificate after you request a refund for your annual subscription, and that you would need to pay the course fee to access the certificate. A refund and a certificate are alternatives, not both.
- Check where the subscription was started, because it decides whether you can cancel on the web at all. Coursera states that if you started your subscription in the Coursera mobile app it is managed by Apple or Google Play and you will not see the option to cancel using a web browser on Coursera.org, and that a subscription started on Coursera.org can be cancelled either in a browser or in the mobile app.
- Coursera Plus does not stop by itself. Coursera states that Coursera Plus subscriptions will not auto-cancel, unlike some Specialization and Professional Certificate subscriptions, so leaving it alone at the end of a programme keeps it billing.
- Download what you need first. Coursera states that after your payment period ends your course access will switch to preview mode, that all of your progress in your courses will be saved including grades received on assessments, and that certificates you earned during the subscription are found in your Certificates tab.
- If you are in the EU or the UK, a separate statutory right may apply. Coursera states that in those markets you have a right of withdrawal for 14 days from the date a contract commences, and that where a subscription comes with a free trial the trial period counts as part of those 14 days. Coursera states that countries such as the United States, Mexico and India do not provide extended refund or withdrawal periods beyond its free trial period.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Coursera Plus, step by step.
Cancel Coursera Plus on the website
This is the route for a subscription started on Coursera.org in a browser, which covers most subscribers. Coursera's terms name the My Purchases page as the place to do it.
- Log in to Coursera.org with the account that holds the subscription.
- Go to your Purchases.
- Under the Subscriptions tab, find the subscription you want to cancel.
- Click Cancel subscription and complete the confirmation.
- Check the Subscriptions tab afterwards to confirm no further payment is scheduled.
Coursera's terms state that cancellation is effective at the end of the current billing period, so access continues until then. If no cancel option appears on this page, that is the signal the subscription was bought in the mobile app and is billed by Apple or Google Play instead.
Cancel in the Coursera mobile app
Coursera states that a subscription started on Coursera.org can also be cancelled in the mobile app, which is useful when you do not have a computer to hand.
- Log into your Coursera mobile app.
- Tap the settings gear icon in the top right.
- Tap My Subscriptions.
- Next to the subscription you want to cancel, tap Manage Subscription.
- Tap Cancel subscription and confirm.
This works for a subscription that was started on the web. A subscription started inside the app is an Apple or Google Play purchase, and tapping through here leads to that store's settings rather than to a Coursera cancellation.
Cancel a Coursera subscription billed by Apple
Coursera states that payments made in the app on Apple devices are processed as App Store purchases connected to your Apple ID, and that these cannot be cancelled on Coursera.org.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the Coursera entry.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Refunds follow the same split. Coursera states that for purchases made through a third-party marketplace it cannot process refunds and the marketplace determines eligibility, and that its support team is not able to assist with refunds for purchases made through Apple.
Cancel a Coursera subscription billed by Google Play
Coursera states that payments made in the app on Android devices are processed through Google Play Billing, so Google holds the subscription.
- Open the Google Play Store app with the Google Account that bought the subscription.
- Tap your profile icon in the top right.
- Select Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select Coursera.
- Tap Cancel subscription and complete the steps.
Coursera describes a split on Google Play refunds by time: within 48 hours of the purchase the request goes through Google Play's own refund process, and after 48 hours Coursera asks you to contact it instead. That is different from Apple, where Coursera states it cannot assist at all.
What happens next?
- Coursera states that when you cancel you lose access to the included content after your current payment period ends, and that your course access will then switch to preview mode.
- Progress is kept. Coursera states that all of your progress in your courses will be saved, including any grades you have received on assessments.
- Certificates you already earned stay. Coursera states that if you earned any certificates during your subscription you will find those in your Certificates tab, and that for an unfinished Specialization you keep your Course Certificates while progress in courses where you have not yet earned one is saved for when you re-subscribe.
- A refund is the one thing that can take a certificate back. Coursera states that if you completed a course within the 14-day window you will no longer be able to access that Course Certificate after requesting a refund on your annual subscription, and would need to pay the course fee to access it.
- Coursera states that refunds for subscription plans are not provided except where required by law, where you have upgraded to another plan and wish to cancel the upgrade, or in limited cases it states explicitly, and that refunds will not be provided for renewal charges on annual subscription plans.
Cancelling a Coursera Plus free trial.
Is there a free trial for Coursera Plus?
On monthly, yes. Coursera states that monthly Coursera Plus subscriptions start with a 7-day free trial and that you will see the Start Free Trial option when you enroll if it is available. Annual does not come with a trial: Coursera states it comes with the 14-day money-back guarantee instead. Coursera also states that if you complete a course during the free trial you are not eligible to receive a Course Certificate until the trial ends and your first monthly payment has completed.
How do I cancel an App Store free trial before I’m charged?
For a trial billed by Apple, open Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Select the trial, choose the cancellation option and confirm. Apple advises cancelling at least 24 hours before the trial ends to prevent renewal. Check the confirmation for your access end date. If you track it in Subex, enter the date the trial converts as the renewal date and set a reminder 1 or 3 days before.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
There is no Cancel subscription button on my Purchases page
That is the signal that Coursera is not the biller. Coursera states that if you started your subscription in the Coursera mobile app it is managed by either Apple or Google Play, that these are processed as in-app subscriptions, and that you will not see the option to cancel your subscription using a web browser on Coursera.org. The cancellation has to happen in the store's own subscription settings. Coursera states the opposite case too: a subscription started on Coursera.org in a browser can be cancelled either on the web or in the mobile app.
I was refused a refund on my monthly Coursera Plus
Monthly has no refund window. Coursera states that the 14-day money-back guarantee applies to Coursera Plus annual subscriptions, and that for monthly you will not be eligible for a refund once your trial period ends. Its terms go further, stating that refunds for subscription plans are not provided except where required by law, where you are cancelling an upgrade, or in limited cases it states explicitly. The 7-day free trial on monthly Coursera Plus is the point at which leaving costs nothing.
My course refund was refused even though it was within a week
Two conditions have to hold at once, and the certificate one catches people out. Coursera states that for a one-time course purchase you may receive a full refund if you cancel within 7 days of payment or before earning a certificate, whichever comes first, and that this is still the case even if you earn the Course Certificate within 7 days of your original payment. Finishing the course fast closes the window early. For a Specialization bought outright, Coursera states you must not have earned a Course Certificate for any of the included courses.
I cancelled and lost access to my courses
Coursera states that after your payment period ends your course access switches to preview mode, which is a reduced form of access rather than the full course. Your work is not deleted: Coursera states all of your progress is saved, including grades received on assessments, and that certificates earned during the subscription are in your Certificates tab. If a certificate you expected is missing, check whether a refund was issued, since Coursera states a refunded course certificate becomes inaccessible until the course fee is paid.
My employer or university gave me Coursera and I cannot cancel
Then the billing is not yours. Coursera's terms state that where an organization is using its services, separate terms apply and those terms do not govern the relationship between the organization and Coursera. Access provided through an employer, school or sponsored learning programme is administered by that organization's administrator rather than from your personal Purchases page. Coursera also states that refund policies for Degree and University Certificate programs are set and administered by the content provider offering the program, so an institution's own policy governs those.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
What is Coursera's refund window?
There are three different ones. Coursera states that Coursera Plus annual subscriptions come with a 14-day money-back guarantee from your original payment. Monthly subscriptions have no refund window: Coursera states you are not eligible once the 7-day free trial ends. A course bought with a one-time payment can be refunded within 7 days of payment or before you earn a certificate, whichever comes first.
Do I keep my certificates if I cancel Coursera Plus?
Yes. Coursera states that certificates you earned during the subscription are found in your Certificates tab, and that for an unfinished Specialization you keep your Course Certificates while saved progress waits for you to re-subscribe. The exception is a refund rather than a cancellation: Coursera states that a course completed within the 14-day window becomes inaccessible as a certificate once you request the refund, unless you pay the course fee.
Does cancelling Coursera Plus refund a course I bought separately?
No. A one-time course purchase and a Coursera Plus subscription are separate transactions with separate rules. Coursera states the course refund runs 7 days from payment or until you earn a certificate, whichever comes first, while the annual subscription guarantee runs 14 days from the original payment. Cancelling the subscription stops the subscription charges and does nothing to a course you bought outright.
Provider resources
- Coursera: cancel a subscription
- Coursera: refunds
- Coursera: terms of use, refund and cancellation policy
- Coursera: Coursera Plus
- Coursera: payments on the Coursera app
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Coursera Plus. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
