In this guide
Before you start.
- Work out which company bills you, because The Athletic can be billed by The Athletic, by The New York Times, or by an app store, and the route differs in each case.
- If you hold both, cancel both. The Times states in its Terms of Sale that cancelling your New York Times subscription does not automatically cancel your subscription to The Athletic, and that digital subscriptions to The Athletic may be billed separately and must be cancelled separately.
- Cancel before the period ends rather than after. The Times states that in order to avoid future charges, you must cancel your subscription prior to the end of your current subscription period, and that the cancellation becomes effective at the end of that period.
- Watch the promotional cliff, which is where most unexpected Athletic charges come from. The Times states that if your subscription includes a promotional rate you will be charged that rate for the relevant number of periods, and upon completion your subscription continues to automatically renew at the full rate. To avoid the full rate you must cancel before the promotional period ends.
- A trial cancels differently. The Times states that for subscriptions cancelled within a free trial period the cancellation becomes effective immediately, while for all others it takes effect at the end of the current period.
- If you have credit on the account, using it up matters. The Times states that if you cancel prior to using all of a pro-rated credit, you may no longer have access to any unused portion of it.
- Allow time if you need to speak to someone. The Times publishes phone on 866-273-3612 in the US and chat through Contact Customer Care, and its help centre has carried a notice that higher than normal volume means long wait times.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel The Athletic, step by step.
Cancel in your Athletic account settings
This is the route when The Athletic bills you directly, which is the case for most subscriptions taken on its own site.
- Sign in to The Athletic with the account the subscription is on.
- Open your account settings.
- Select Cancel Subscription.
- Follow the instructions to complete the cancellation.
- Check the account afterwards to confirm no renewal is scheduled, and keep any confirmation email.
The Times states that if your subscription is billed through The Athletic, you cancel it in your account settings for The Athletic. It also states you can cancel at any time on your Athletic account page or by contacting customer support.
Cancel an Athletic subscription billed by The New York Times
A subscription bought as part of a Times bundle is billed by The Times, and is cancelled in the Times account rather than on The Athletic.
- Sign in to your account at nytimes.com.
- Select Subscription Overview.
- Select Cancel your Subscription in the Manage Subscription section.
- Follow the instructions to cancel, and check whether the account holds other subscriptions that are still running.
- If the online option is unavailable, call 866-273-3612 in the US or select Contact Customer Care to chat with a Customer Care Advocate.
Times phone and chat hours are published as 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. E.T. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. E.T. on weekends and holidays on the help article, though the Terms of Sale list wider hours. Check before relying on a late evening attempt.
Cancel a subscription billed by Apple or Google Play
The Athletic sells subscriptions as in-app purchases, and neither The Athletic nor The Times can stop those charges.
- On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, select The Athletic and tap Cancel Subscription.
- On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, select Payments & subscriptions then Subscriptions, select The Athletic and tap Cancel subscription.
- Check your Athletic or Times account afterwards in case a second subscription is also billed directly.
The Times states that if you purchased through a third party such as Google Play or the Apple App Store you need to contact them directly, and that it does not have the ability to initiate, cancel or refund such a subscription on your behalf.
What happens next?
- The Times states that you may initiate your cancellation at any time, but the cancellation becomes effective at the end of your current billing period. Access continues until then.
- A cancellation within a free trial is the exception: The Times states it becomes effective immediately.
- Cancelling The Athletic does not cancel a New York Times news subscription, Cooking, Games or Wirecutter, and cancelling The Times does not cancel The Athletic. Each is separate.
- The Times states that one-time purchases cannot be cancelled or refunded unless its terms specify otherwise.
- Unused pro-rated credit can be lost: The Times states that if you cancel before using all of it, you may no longer have access to the unused portion.
Cancelling a The Athletic 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.
I cancelled The New York Times but The Athletic keeps charging me
This is documented rather than a fault. The Times states in its Terms of Sale that cancelling your New York Times subscription does not automatically cancel your subscription to The Athletic, and that Athletic subscriptions may be billed separately and must be cancelled separately. Go to your Athletic account settings and cancel there as a second action.
My Athletic subscription suddenly cost much more
That is the promotional rate ending. The Times states you are charged the promotional rate for the relevant number of periods and that on completion the subscription automatically renews at the full rate, and that to avoid the full rate you must cancel before the promotional period ends. The increase is not a new subscription, so it does not need accepting, but it does need cancelling if you do not want it.
I cancelled and was charged anyway
Check the timing first: The Times states you must cancel prior to the end of your current subscription period to avoid future charges, so a cancellation made on or after the renewal date lands too late for that charge. Then check where you cancelled, because an Athletic-side cancellation does nothing to an Apple or Google Play subscription and the reverse is also true. If the charge stands, raise it as a complaint with the company that billed you and keep the cancellation confirmation.
I cannot find The Athletic's own help centre
The Athletic's separate help site no longer resolves, because support has been folded into The New York Times. The Times help centre is the documentation of record for The Athletic now, including its cancellation article, and Times customer care handles the contact routes on 866-273-3612 and through Contact Customer Care chat.
My trial converted without warning
The Times states a recurring subscription automatically renews at the stated frequency until you cancel, and that a cancellation within a free trial period takes effect immediately. So a trial left alone becomes a paid subscription by design. Cancelling during the trial ends access at once rather than at the end of the trial, which is worth knowing before you act early.
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 The Athletic?
If The Athletic bills you, cancel in your account settings for The Athletic by selecting Cancel Subscription. If The New York Times bills you, use Subscription Overview in your Times account. If Apple or Google Play bills you, cancel in that store.
Does cancelling The New York Times cancel The Athletic?
No. The Times states that cancelling your New York Times subscription does not automatically cancel your subscription to The Athletic, and that Athletic subscriptions may be billed separately and must be cancelled separately.
When does my Athletic subscription end after I cancel?
The Times states the cancellation becomes effective at the end of your current billing period, and that to avoid future charges you must cancel before that period ends. A cancellation inside a free trial takes effect immediately.
Can I get a refund from The Athletic?
The Times states that one-time purchases cannot be cancelled or refunded unless its terms specify otherwise, and that it cannot refund a subscription billed by a third party such as Apple or Google Play. A refund is a request rather than an entitlement, so ask the company that took the money and keep the correspondence.
Provider resources
- New York Times: cancel your subscription
- New York Times terms of sale
- New York Times help centre
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of The Athletic. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
