In this guide
Before you start.
- Understand when the charge lands. MLB's terms state that a yearly subscription renews on or about March 1 each year, and that the card stored in the Payment Profile section of your MLB.com account is charged on or about March 1 of each subsequent year. Cancelling in October does nothing for a charge you have already taken, but it is exactly what stops the March one.
- Know that monthly is seasonal too. MLB's terms state that a monthly MLB.TV subscription renews monthly during the current season through and including October, and then annually on or about March 1, at the then-current season's regular full monthly price. A monthly plan you forgot about restarts by itself the following spring.
- If the charge already happened, check the date before anything else. MLB's refund policy runs on a 5 day window from the initial purchase or from an annual automatic renewal date, and MLB states it will not grant more than one refund during any given Major League Baseball season.
- Have a second card in mind. MLB's terms state that if it cannot process the charge to your primary card, an alternative card stored in your Payment Profile may be charged. Removing one card is not the same as cancelling.
- If you bought MLB.TV through ESPN rather than MLB, the account that holds it is different. ESPN states that current MLB.TV subscribers auto-renew through MLB and are billed by MLB, so check which of the two actually charged you before you start.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel MLB.TV, step by step.
Cancel in your MLB.com account
This is the route MLB's own terms name. The option sits under Audio/Video Subscriptions rather than in a general billing page, which is why people miss it.
- Log in to your MLB.com account with the email address that holds the subscription.
- Access the Audio/Video Subscriptions section of your account.
- Follow the cancellation instructions shown there for your MLB.TV subscription.
- Check afterwards that the subscription shows as cancelled rather than showing a next renewal date.
MLB's terms state that cancelling a yearly subscription takes effect at the start of the following subscription service year, and that the services stay accessible until the cancellation is effective. So a cancellation made in, say, November does not cut off the rest of your term: it stops the March renewal.
Cancel by email
MLB's terms name this as an equal alternative to the account page, which is useful when the account tools will not complete the cancellation.
- Email customerservice@mlb.com from the address on the account.
- State clearly that you are cancelling the MLB.TV subscription and that you do not want it to automatically renew.
- Include the account email and the date of the charge you are asking about.
- Keep the reply. A written cancellation dated before the renewal is what you would need if a March charge arrives anyway.
Cancel a subscription a store or partner bills
MLB.TV is also sold inside app stores and through partners such as T-Mobile and TV providers. MLB's own account page cannot stop a charge another company is making.
- Check the merchant name on your card or bank statement, because that names who actually bills you.
- If it reads Apple, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, and cancel MLB there.
- If it reads Google, open the Google Play subscriptions list and cancel it there.
- If it reads Roku or Amazon, cancel in that account's subscription list.
- If MLB.TV came with a mobile plan or a TV provider package, contact that provider, because the subscription belongs to the package rather than to your MLB.com account.
A store or partner sets its own renewal date and its own refund rules, and MLB's 5 day refund window does not apply to a charge it did not make.
What happens next?
- Access does not stop immediately. MLB's terms state that for a yearly service the cancellation takes effect at the start of the following subscription service year, and the services stay accessible until then.
- For a monthly service, MLB's terms state the cancellation takes effect at the completion of the then-current service month, and the services stay accessible until the thirtieth day after your most recent billing date.
- MLB's terms state that in no event will it provide partial or pro-rated refunds, so cancelling part way through a term does not return the unused part.
- A cancelled yearly subscription does not automatically renew in any subsequent year.
- MLB's terms also describe an option to cancel a monthly subscription for the current season while electing to have it automatically restart the following season. If you want the subscription gone permanently, make sure you are not choosing that option.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I was charged in March even though the season had not started
That is the documented renewal date rather than an error. MLB's terms state that yearly services renew on or about March 1 each year at the then-current year's regular full yearly price, and that monthly services also restart on or about March 1. MLB's terms are explicit that unless you notify it before the beginning of the next billing and renewal period, the subscription renews and you authorise the charge without further notice to you. If the charge is less than 5 days old, the refund route below is still open.
I cancelled months ago but it renewed anyway
Check which cancellation you made. MLB's terms describe two different outcomes for a monthly subscription: cancelling it in its entirety, including the annual automatic renewal in subsequent years, or cancelling it for the current season while electing to have it automatically restart the following season. The second one looks like a cancellation and behaves like a pause. If you are not sure which you chose, email customerservice@mlb.com and ask for the subscription to be cancelled in its entirety.
I removed my card and was charged on a different one
MLB's terms state that if it cannot process the charge to your primary credit or debit card, an alternative card stored in the Payment Profile section of your MLB.com account may be charged. Deleting one card does not cancel anything. Cancel the subscription in Audio/Video Subscriptions, then clear the payment profile if you want to.
My MLB.TV came through ESPN and I cannot cancel it at MLB
MLB.TV is now also sold through ESPN, and the two are billed separately. ESPN states that current MLB.TV subscribers auto-renew through MLB and are billed by MLB, while a plan bought on ESPN is managed in the ESPN account. ESPN also states that removing ESPN Unlimited from your subscription does not automatically cancel your MLB.TV subscription unless you cancel both at the same time in your account settings. Cancel in whichever account made the charge.
I want a refund and the account page will not offer one
MLB's refund policy is narrow and time-bound: a request made via the account management tools in the Audio/Video Subscriptions section, or by email to customerservice@mlb.com, within 5 days of your initial purchase or within 5 days of any annual automatic renewal date. MLB states it will not grant more than one refund during any given Major League Baseball season, and never partial or pro-rated ones. Outside that window the published policy does not provide for a refund.
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
When does MLB.TV renew?
On or about March 1 each year for yearly subscriptions, at the then-current year's regular full yearly price. Monthly subscriptions renew monthly through and including October, then restart on or about March 1. Both are stated in MLB's terms of use.
How do I stop MLB.TV renewing next season?
Log in to your MLB.com account, open the Audio/Video Subscriptions section and follow the cancellation instructions, or email customerservice@mlb.com. Do it before the next billing and renewal period begins, which for a yearly plan means before about March 1.
Does cancelling MLB.TV cut off access straight away?
No. MLB's terms state that a yearly cancellation takes effect at the start of the following subscription service year and access continues until then, and that a monthly cancellation takes effect at the end of the current service month.
Can I get an MLB.TV refund?
Only inside a 5 day window: within 5 days of your initial purchase, or within 5 days of an annual automatic renewal date, requested through the Audio/Video Subscriptions tools or by email to customerservice@mlb.com. MLB states it will not grant more than one refund per season and will not give partial or pro-rated refunds.
Provider resources
- MLB: terms of use, billing and automatic renewal policies
- ESPN Fan Support: how am I billed upon MLB season end?
- ESPN Fan Support: I already have MLB.TV through MLB, how will it autorenew?
- ESPN Fan Support: what happens after the one-month free trial offer
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of MLB.TV. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
