In this guide
Before you start.
- Check which account you are signed into. Medium states that if there is no option to cancel your membership in Settings, the account you are currently signed in to does not have a subscription attached. This is the single most common Medium cancellation problem and it is an account problem, not a missing button.
- Know how to reach the right account. Medium's own instruction is to sign out, then request a sign-in link to the email address associated with your membership account: on the homepage click Sign in, choose Sign in with email, enter the address and click Continue, then open the email and click the sign-in link.
- Check who bills you. Medium names credit card, PayPal, iTunes and the Google Play Store as separate billing channels, and states that a membership purchased through iTunes or the Google Play Store has to be cancelled directly through that service.
- Do not delete your account as a way of cancelling. Medium states plainly that uninstalling the app or deleting your Medium account will not automatically cancel a membership purchased through iTunes or the Google Play Store, and that you will still be charged.
- If the issue is price rather than the service, note that Medium lets you switch between monthly and annual instead. Medium states you can change your subscription plan at any time, and that the subscription converts to the new plan once the current billing period ends.
- Expect access to continue. Medium states that once you cancel you will still be able to use all your membership benefits until the end of the billing cycle.
How to find all your subscriptions How to cancel a membership
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Medium, step by step.
Cancel a membership billed by card or PayPal
This is the route for a membership bought on Medium's website, where Medium or PayPal takes the payment.
- On a desktop computer, go to your Settings page.
- Scroll down to the Membership section.
- Click Cancel your membership.
- Complete the confirmation.
- Check the Membership and payment tab afterwards, where Medium shows your subscription plan and billing period.
Medium states that if there is no cancel option here, the account you are signed into does not have a subscription attached. That is a sign-in problem rather than a cancellation problem.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad
Medium cannot cancel an Apple-billed membership, and it warns specifically that account deletion will not do it either.
- On your phone or tablet, go to Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Tap Medium membership from the list.
- Tap Cancel subscription and confirm.
Medium states that uninstalling the app or deleting your Medium account will not automatically cancel a membership purchased through iTunes, that you must cancel through iTunes to end it, and that if you uninstall or delete the account without cancelling you will still be charged.
Cancel on Android
The same division applies on Android, with the same warning about deleting the account.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Google Play Store app.
- Open the menu and tap Subscriptions.
- Choose the Medium subscription.
- Tap Cancel and follow the instructions.
Medium states that uninstalling the app or deleting your Medium account will not automatically cancel a membership purchased through the Google Play Store, and that you will still be charged if you do that without cancelling.
Switch plan instead of cancelling
If the annual charge rather than Medium itself is the problem, changing the billing frequency keeps the membership at a different price.
- On your homepage, click your profile picture and click Settings.
- In the Membership and payment section, select the plan you prefer, monthly or annual, in the Billing section.
- Confirm the change on the confirmation prompt.
- For an Apple-billed membership, Medium directs you to the Subscriptions list in iOS Settings, where the plan can be changed from the Medium membership entry.
Medium states your subscription will be converted to the new plan once the current billing period ends, so the change is not immediate.
What happens next?
- Medium states you will still be able to use all your membership benefits until the end of the billing cycle, so access does not stop on the day you cancel.
- The Medium account itself stays open after a membership ends, and you can keep reading what is not member-only.
- Your own stories, highlights and responses belong to the account rather than to the membership, so they are not removed by cancelling.
- A membership bought through iTunes or Google Play keeps charging until it is cancelled in that store, regardless of what you do on Medium.
- Refunds are governed by Medium's Paid Terms, and for a store purchase they are the store's decision rather than Medium's.
Cancelling a Medium 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 your membership option in my Settings
Medium answers this directly: it means the account you are currently signed in to does not have a subscription attached. Sign out, then request a sign-in link to the email address associated with your membership account. On the homepage click Sign in, choose Sign in with email, enter that address and click Continue, then open the email and use the link. The other possibility is that iTunes or Google Play bills you, in which case the option is in that store.
I deleted my Medium account and I am still being charged
Medium warns about exactly this. It states that uninstalling the app or deleting your Medium account will not automatically cancel a membership purchased through iTunes or the Google Play Store, that you must cancel through that service, and that if you delete the account without cancelling you will still be charged. Go to the store's subscription list and cancel there, which works even with the Medium account gone.
I cancelled but still have access
That is expected. Medium states that once you cancel you will still be able to use all your membership benefits until the end of the billing cycle. What matters is whether another charge is scheduled, so check the Membership and payment tab for the billing period rather than judging by whether member stories still open.
I have two Medium accounts and cannot tell which one pays
Follow the receipt rather than the login. The email address the payment receipt goes to is the account that holds the subscription, and Medium's sign-in-by-email link will take you into it. If the receipt comes from Apple or Google rather than Medium, the Medium account is beside the point entirely and the store list is where to look.
I wanted to downgrade, not cancel
Medium supports changing between monthly and annual from the Membership and payment section in Settings, and states the subscription converts to the new plan once the current billing period ends. That is a different action from cancelling and it keeps the membership running, so do not do both expecting one outcome.
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 Medium membership?
On a desktop computer, go to Settings, scroll to the Membership section and click Cancel your membership. If iTunes or Google Play sold you the membership, cancel it in that store instead, because Medium cannot end it for you.
Why is there no cancel option in my Medium settings?
Medium states it means the account you are signed in to does not have a subscription attached. Sign out and request a sign-in link to the email address associated with your membership account, then try again from that account.
Does deleting my Medium account cancel the membership?
No. Medium states that uninstalling the app or deleting your account will not automatically cancel a membership purchased through iTunes or the Google Play Store, and that you will still be charged if you do that without cancelling in the store.
When does my Medium membership end after I cancel?
Medium states you can use all your membership benefits until the end of the billing cycle, so the membership runs out rather than stopping immediately.
Provider resources
- Medium: trouble cancelling membership subscription
- Medium: manage your subscription
- Medium membership terms of service
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Medium. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
