In this guide
Before you start.
- Work out which subscription you hold, because it decides the route. The FT states that Standard Digital, Premium Digital and Digital Trial subscriptions can be cancelled online in the Subscription tab of My Account, and that for all other subscription types you should contact Customer Care using live chat or phone.
- If you have print or a bundle, gather the details before contacting them. The FT asks for your full name or the person on the billing information, the account email address or account number, the billing or delivery address including the postcode, and a contact telephone number.
- Understand the digital refund waiver before you subscribe or cancel. The FT's terms state that you agree it may start your subscription immediately and that you waive your statutory right to cancel within 14 days of the confirmation email, so a digital subscription has no cooling-off refund.
- Print is different and better. The FT states that if your subscription includes newspaper delivery, you have 14 days from receiving your first newspaper to cancel for a full refund, minus the cost of any newspapers already delivered.
- If you are on a trial, the end date is the deadline. The FT states your subscription renews automatically at the end of the trial period at the full subscription price unless you cancel before the trial ends.
- You should get warning of a price rise. The FT states it gives at least 14 days' notice of any increase in the price of your subscription, taking effect at your next renewal date.
- Check who bills you. The FT sells subscriptions as in-app purchases through the App Store, and a subscription bought there is cancelled in Apple's subscription settings rather than in My Account.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Financial Times, step by step.
Cancel a digital subscription in My Account
This is the self-service route, and the FT limits it to Standard Digital, Premium Digital and Digital Trial subscriptions.
- Sign in to the FT and go to My Account.
- Open the Subscription tab.
- Select the Cancel subscription option. Subscribers report it sits at the foot of the page, so scroll to the bottom rather than assuming it is absent.
- Work through the prompts to a confirmation.
- Check the Subscription tab afterwards to confirm the subscription shows as ending.
The FT states that all cancellations will be processed at the end of your current subscription term, so access continues until then and there is no refund of the unused part.
Cancel a print or bundled subscription
For anything including newspaper delivery, the FT does not offer the online option and routes you to Customer Care. Its terms go further and require notice by chat, phone or email.
- Contact FT Customer Care using live chat or phone, or email help@ft.com.
- The FT's terms ask you to state: I hereby give notice that I cancel my subscription.
- Have ready the subscriber's full name, the account email address or account number, the billing and delivery address including the postcode, and a contact telephone number.
- If you are within 14 days of receiving your first newspaper, say so and ask for the refund the terms provide.
- Ask for written confirmation and the date access and delivery end.
Phone numbers and opening hours are shown by region on the FT help centre, so use the numbers it displays for your location rather than one quoted elsewhere. The FT states that if you are eligible for a refund it will process it within 14 days of receiving your cancellation request.
Cancel an FT subscription billed by Apple
The FT sells Standard Digital, Premium Digital and FT Edit as in-app purchases. Apple bills those, and My Account will not end them.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the Financial Times or FT Edit entry.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
A refund on an Apple charge is Apple's decision under its own policy, not the FT's.
What happens next?
- The FT states that all cancellations are processed at the end of your current subscription term, so access continues until then.
- For a digital subscription, the FT states you are not entitled to a refund except where there is a fault in its provision of the FT services, because you waived the 14-day statutory right at sign-up.
- For a print or bundled subscription cancelled within 14 days of the first newspaper, the FT states it reimburses all payments received, less a pro-rated amount for each newspaper you received before cancelling.
- Where a refund does apply, the FT states it will process it within 14 days of receiving your cancellation request.
- The FT's terms also give a remedy for outages: it states you may terminate immediately in writing if FT.com is unavailable or inaccessible for any 72 hour period during your subscription, or for more than five 24-hour periods over a 30 day period.
Cancelling a Financial Times free trial.
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 button on my subscription page
Two explanations. The option sits at the bottom of the Subscription tab, and subscribers regularly report missing it until they scroll all the way down. Or your subscription is not one the FT lets you cancel online: it limits the online route to Standard Digital, Premium Digital and Digital Trial, and directs print and bundled subscriptions to Customer Care by live chat or phone.
I was told there is no cooling-off period
For a digital subscription that reflects the FT's terms. It states that by placing your order you agree the subscription starts immediately and that you waive your statutory right to cancel within 14 days of the confirmation email, and that you are not entitled to a refund except where there is a fault in the FT's provision of its services. A print or bundled subscription is different: there the FT gives 14 days from receiving your first newspaper for a full refund minus the papers delivered.
My trial renewed at the full price without notice
The FT states it informs you of the full subscription price payable at the start of the trial period, and that the subscription renews automatically at the end of the trial at that price unless you cancel before the trial ends. So the notice is given at the beginning rather than near the end, which is why the jump feels unannounced. Once the charge has landed, the digital refund waiver leaves little room to reverse it.
I phoned to cancel but the cancellation was never processed
Use the wording the FT's own terms specify and keep evidence of it. The terms say to inform the FT by online chat, by calling your regional telephone number, or by emailing help@ft.com stating that you cancel your subscription, together with the name, account email or number, addresses and telephone number. Email leaves a record that a phone call does not. Then check the Subscription tab in My Account rather than relying on the conversation.
The FT is charging a different amount than I expected
Check whether an introductory or trial rate has ended, since the FT states a trial renews at the full subscription price. For a standard increase, the FT states it gives at least 14 days' notice of any price rise, taking effect at your next renewal date, so check the email address on the account for that notice. Either way the increase does not cancel itself.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel my FT subscription?
For Standard Digital, Premium Digital or a Digital Trial, visit the Subscription tab in My Account and select Cancel subscription. For print or print plus digital, the FT directs you to Customer Care by live chat or phone.
Can I get a refund from the FT?
On a digital subscription, generally no: the FT's terms state you waive your statutory 14-day right to cancel and are not entitled to a refund except where there is a fault in its provision of the service. On a print or bundled subscription, it gives 14 days from receiving the first newspaper for a full refund minus the papers already delivered.
When does my FT subscription end after cancelling?
The FT states that all cancellations are processed at the end of your current subscription term, so you keep access until then rather than stopping on the day you ask.
Do I have to call the FT to cancel?
For a digital subscription, no: the FT documents an online Cancel subscription option in the Subscription tab. For print or bundled subscriptions it routes you to Customer Care, and its terms ask for notice by chat, phone or email to help@ft.com.
Provider resources
- FT: how do I cancel my subscription
- FT: what are my cancellation rights
- FT: what is your cancellation policy
- FT terms and conditions
- FT help centre
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Financial Times. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
