In this guide
Before you start.
- Understand what is driving the bill. Mailchimp prices by contact count: your plan type plus your pricing tier determines the amount of your monthly bill. A charge that grew without you changing anything is usually your audience growing past a tier.
- Mailchimp states that when you exceed your contact limit you will see an additional charge on your bill, and that if the higher count is permanent you should update your pricing tier to increase your contact limit so it removes the additional charges. Deleting or archiving contacts is the other way to bring the bill down.
- Decide between three actions. Downgrading keeps the account and its data on a lower or free plan. Pausing stops billing temporarily while retaining your data so you can use the account again. Deleting removes everything permanently.
- Mailchimp states the Free plan supports up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month. If your audience is larger than that, a downgrade to Free will require you to reduce the audience first.
- A downgrade is not instant. Mailchimp states the downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, so the current month is still charged at the current rate.
- Export before you delete, not after. Mailchimp states it removes all data associated with audiences, campaign archives and reports when an account is deleted, and that the username becomes unavailable for reuse.
- Mailchimp states you need to pay any outstanding balance before deleting an account.
- Mailchimp does not sell subscriptions through the Apple App Store or Google Play: its mobile app carries no in-app purchases, so the billing is on the website whichever device you use.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Mailchimp, step by step.
Downgrade to Free or a smaller tier
This is the right action for most people: it stops the paid charge while keeping your audience, templates and campaign history in the account.
- Log in at mailchimp.com and click your profile icon, then choose Account.
- Click the Billing drop-down and choose Monthly plans or credits.
- In the Marketing Plan section, click Change Plan.
- Select the Free plan or the lower tier and contact limit you want.
- Review the feature changes Mailchimp lists, then click Downgrade.
- Make any changes Mailchimp asks for first: it states these could include deleting contacts, seats or audiences.
- Check the billing page afterwards to confirm the new plan and the date it starts.
Mailchimp states the downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, while an upgrade gives you the new features, contact limit and send limit immediately. The asymmetry is deliberate.
Pause the plan instead
Worth knowing if you send seasonally. Mailchimp states pausing retains your data so you can use the account again, and that you keep the ability to create, edit and view content.
- Click your profile icon and choose Account.
- Click the Billing drop-down and choose Monthly plans or credits.
- In the Marketing Plan section, use Change Plan and look for the pause option.
- Choose the pause length Mailchimp offers, which runs for a number of months rather than indefinitely.
- Note the date the plan resumes, because billing restarts on its own at the end of the pause.
A pause is temporary by design. If you do not want to come back, a downgrade to Free is the action that does not restart on a timer.
Delete the Mailchimp account permanently
Only do this when you want the data gone. It is not reversible and it is not the way to stop a charge if you might return.
- Export your audiences, campaign reports and any templates you want to keep, and pay off any outstanding balance.
- Click your profile icon and choose Account & billing, or Account.
- Click the Settings drop-down and choose Manage my plan.
- Click Delete my account.
- Review the suggestions Mailchimp shows, then click Continue to delete.
- Confirm your password and enter DELETE in the confirmation fields.
- Click Permanently delete to delete your Mailchimp account.
Mailchimp states that after an account is deleted it is permanently closed and cannot be restored, that it removes all data associated with audiences, campaign archives and reports, and that the username becomes unavailable for reuse.
What happens next?
- The current cycle is still charged. Mailchimp states the downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, so the change you make today shows up on the invoice after this one.
- On the Free plan the limits bind rather than delete. Mailchimp states the Free plan supports up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, and that a downgrade may require deleting contacts, seats or audiences before it goes through.
- Your audience and campaign history stay with a downgraded or paused account. Mailchimp states pausing retains your data so you can use the account again.
- Deletion is the one-way door. Mailchimp states the account is permanently closed and cannot be restored, all audience, campaign archive and report data is removed, and the username cannot be reused.
- Contacts you no longer mail still count while they sit in an audience. Archiving or deleting them is what moves you down a pricing tier, since Mailchimp bills on the tier your contact count falls into.
- Pay-as-you-go credits and a monthly plan are different products. Credits you bought do not become a recurring charge, and ending a monthly plan does not consume or refund them.
Pausing or freezing Mailchimp.
What is the difference between pausing and cancelling Mailchimp?
Pausing stops billing for a set number of months and Mailchimp states it retains your data so you can use the account again, with billing resuming automatically afterwards. Downgrading to Free has no timer. Deleting the account is permanent and removes your audiences, campaign archives and reports.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I downgraded and Mailchimp charged me again anyway
Check the date on the charge. Mailchimp states a downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle, so a downgrade made mid-cycle leaves the current month charged at the old rate. Upgrades behave the other way and apply immediately, which is why people expect a downgrade to be instant.
Mailchimp will not let me downgrade
You are almost certainly over a limit on the plan you are moving to. Mailchimp states it will let you know if there are changes you need to make in your account before you downgrade, and that these could include deleting contacts, seats or audiences. The Free plan supports up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, so an audience above that has to be reduced first.
My bill went up without me changing my plan
Contacts grew past your tier. Mailchimp bills by contact count, and it states that when you exceed your contact limit you see an additional charge on your bill. It also states that if the higher count is permanent you should update your pricing tier to increase the limit, which removes those additional charges. Cleaning the audience is the other lever.
I deleted my account and want it back
There is no route back. Mailchimp states that after an account is deleted it is permanently closed and cannot be restored, and that it removes all data associated with audiences, campaign archives and reports. It also states the username becomes unavailable for reuse, so you cannot even recreate the same account name. Downgrade to Free instead if there is any chance you will return.
I cannot delete the account because of a balance
Mailchimp states you need to pay any outstanding balance before deleting an account. Settle the invoice on the billing page first, then run the deletion steps. If you only wanted to stop the recurring charge, downgrading to Free does that without requiring the account to close.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel my Mailchimp subscription?
Downgrade rather than cancel. Click your profile icon, choose Account, click the Billing drop-down and choose Monthly plans or credits, then in the Marketing Plan section click Change Plan and select the Free plan. Mailchimp states the change takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle.
Do my contacts get deleted when I downgrade Mailchimp?
Not by Mailchimp, but you may have to reduce them yourself. Mailchimp states the Free plan supports up to 250 contacts and that a downgrade may require deleting contacts, seats or audiences first. Export your audience before you cut it.
Why is Mailchimp charging more than my plan price?
Your contact count crossed the tier. Mailchimp states that exceeding your contact limit produces an additional charge on your bill, and that raising your pricing tier to cover the real contact count removes those additional charges.
Can I cancel Mailchimp through the App Store?
No. Mailchimp's mobile app sells no in-app purchases, so Apple and Google Play do not bill the plan. The billing lives in your account on the Mailchimp website whichever device you signed up on.
Provider resources
- Mailchimp: change or pause your pricing plan
- Mailchimp: close an account
- Mailchimp: about Mailchimp pricing plans
- Mailchimp: change your account billing settings
- Mailchimp on the App Store: in-app purchase listing
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Mailchimp. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
