In this guide
Before you start.
- List everything you are paying for before cancelling one thing. Each publication is a separate subscription with its own charge and renewal, and Substack publishes your full list at substack.com/settings/subscriptions and in your library.
- Use a browser. Substack states that at this time, cancelling a paid subscription to a publication can only be done on a web browser. Its own Android instructions tell you to open Manage Subscription from the three dots in the top right corner, then copy the link and paste it into a new tab on your mobile browser.
- Consider pausing rather than cancelling. Substack states you can click Pause Subscription and select from a drop-down how many months you would like charges stopped for, and that it emails a reminder three days before the subscription resumes.
- Know who holds the refund decision. Substack states that refunds are ultimately at the discretion of the publisher, and that refund requests should be made to them directly. Substack itself only steps in within narrow rules.
- If you are on a trial, cancelling ends it immediately. Substack states that if you are on a 7-day trial, the trial will end as soon as you cancel the subscription, so there is no benefit to cancelling early beyond not forgetting.
- Expect renewal without action. Substack states that a monthly or annual paid subscription will automatically renew, and that you receive an email reminder about a week before it is set to renew.
- If you subscribed inside the iPhone app outside the United States, Apple may be billing you. Substack states that subscribers pay Apple for subscriptions purchased in the App Store, and that because Apple does not allow external purchase links outside the US, international subscribers only see the in-app payment option when upgrading via the iOS app. Substack's own cancellation instructions do not cover that case, so check your Apple subscriptions too.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Substack, step by step.
Cancel a paid subscription in a browser
This is the route Substack documents, and the only one that works for a subscription Substack bills through its payment processor.
- Navigate to your Substack account Settings page at substack.com/settings.
- Under Subscriptions, click on the paid publication you want to cancel your subscription to.
- Scroll to the Account actions section and click on the link next to To cancel your paid subscription, click here.
- On the next page, select Cancel Subscription.
- Repeat for every other publication you are paying for, because each one is separate.
Substack states that once you cancel your subscription, it will terminate at the end of the billing period and you will not be charged again. Check your subscriptions list afterwards rather than assuming.
Pause instead of cancelling
Useful when you want a break from a newsletter you intend to come back to, rather than to leave it.
- Open the publication's subscription from your Substack settings in a browser.
- Click Pause Subscription.
- Select from the drop-down box how many months you would like charges to be stopped for.
- Note the resume date: Substack states it sends a reminder email three days before the subscription restarts.
Cancel from the Substack app
There is no in-app cancellation, but both apps give you a way to reach the web page that has one.
- On Android, click the three dots in the top right corner and select Manage Subscription, then copy the link and paste it into a new tab on your mobile browser.
- On iOS, Substack directs you to substack.com/settings/subscriptions in a browser, then Account Actions, then the To cancel your paid subscription, click here link, then Cancel Subscription.
- Complete the cancellation in the browser, because Substack states it cannot be done in the app.
Cancel a subscription Apple bills
Substack sells subscriptions through Apple's in-app payment system, and Substack states that readers pay Apple for those. Its own cancellation articles do not cover them, so this is the gap to check if the website route finds nothing.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Look for a Substack entry, which may be named after the individual publication.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Substack states that for subscriptions purchased in the App Store, refund requests are up to Apple's discretion. Substack cannot refund or cancel them for you.
What happens next?
- Substack states that once you cancel, the subscription terminates at the end of the billing period and you will not be charged again, so paid posts stay readable until then.
- A 7-day trial is different: Substack states the trial ends as soon as you cancel.
- You usually keep a free subscription to the publication after the paid one ends, so the newsletter continues in its free form rather than disappearing.
- Cancelling one publication does nothing to the others. Each paid Substack subscription renews on its own schedule.
- Substack states refunds are ultimately at the discretion of the publisher and that requests should go to them directly, so a cancellation does not start a refund.
Cancelling a Substack 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.
Pausing or freezing Substack.
Can I pause a Substack subscription?
Yes. Substack states you can click Pause Subscription and choose from a drop-down how many months to stop charges for, and that it emails a reminder three days before it resumes.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I cancelled but it still shows as set to renew
Go back through the flow in a browser and check that you reached the final Cancel Subscription page rather than stopping at the Account actions link. Substack states the subscription terminates at the end of the billing period once cancelled, so a renewal date still showing means the cancellation did not register. If it repeats, contact Substack support, which routes through its support bot and then an email ticket.
The subscription is not in my settings but I am still charged
Two causes. It may be on a different Substack account: the email address on the payment receipt is the one to sign in with. Or Apple is billing it, which Substack's own documentation makes possible: it states that subscribers pay Apple for subscriptions purchased in the App Store, and that international subscribers upgrading in the iOS app only see the in-app payment option. Check Settings, Subscriptions on your iPhone, where it may appear under the publication's name.
I want a refund and Substack sent me to the writer
That is its stated policy: Substack states refunds are ultimately at the discretion of the publisher and that refund requests should be made to them directly. Substack does issue refunds in defined cases: within 7 days of payment unless a subscriber perk has been claimed or the publisher has marked the subscription non-refundable, where a publication is dormant, and for payment processing errors such as duplicate charges. It also states that if one subscriber has submitted more than 3 refund requests, further requests may be left to the publisher's discretion.
The writer stopped publishing but I am still paying
This is one of the cases Substack handles itself. It states it will issue a refund if a publication is dormant, defining that as inactive for at least 6 months for yearly subscribers or at least 1 month from the date of payment for monthly subscribers. Cancel the subscription first, then raise the dormancy with Substack support.
There is no cancel option in the app
There is not meant to be. Substack states that cancelling a paid subscription can only be done on a web browser. On Android, use the three dots in the top right corner, select Manage Subscription, then copy the link into a mobile browser. On iOS, open substack.com/settings/subscriptions in a browser instead.
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 a Substack subscription?
In a browser, go to substack.com/settings, click the publication under Subscriptions, scroll to Account actions, click the link next to To cancel your paid subscription, click here, then select Cancel Subscription.
Does cancelling one Substack cancel them all?
No. Each publication is a separate subscription with its own charge and renewal date. Cancelling one leaves the others running, so check your full list at substack.com/settings/subscriptions.
Can I get a refund from Substack?
Substack states refunds are ultimately at the discretion of the publisher and that requests should go to them directly. Substack itself will refund within 7 days of payment unless a perk has been claimed or the publisher marked it non-refundable, where a publication is dormant, and for processing errors such as duplicate charges. It states refunds may take up to 10 business days to appear.
Provider resources
- Substack: how do I cancel my paid subscription
- Substack: cancelling a paid subscription on the iOS app
- Substack: cancelling a paid subscription on the Android app
- Substack refund policy
- Substack: will my paid subscription automatically renew
- Substack: paying on the iOS app
- Substack: see a list of all my subscriptions
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Substack. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
