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Genealogy plan cancellation letter template

Pick your genealogy company or type its name. Your details go into a full cancellation letter on the page, ready to copy, print or mail.

Write your letter

1. The company

Not in the list? Type the name as it appears on your bill.

The address your letter goes to. Find it on your bill or agreement.

2. Your details

Exactly as it appears on the account.

One line per row. The company uses it to find your account.

Where the company sends its written confirmation.

Printed on your bill or in your welcome email.

3. When it should end

Your letter

[Highlighted fields] fill in as you type.

[Your full name][Your street address][City, state and ZIP code][Your email address]

[Today’s date]

[Company name][Company mailing address]

Subject: Subscription termination – [Company name]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally request the termination of my active subscription. Please process this cancellation at the earliest opportunity, effective from today’s date and subject to any applicable notice requirements.

For verification purposes, please find my account details below:

Name:
[Your full name]
Address:
[Your street address], [City, state and ZIP code]
E-mail:
[Your email address]
Cancellation date:
As soon as possible

I ask that you honor the terms of service through the cancellation date and remove any stored payment methods from my account.

Additionally, pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), I request the prompt deletion of all personal data you hold on me, except where retention is permitted under Section 1798.105 of the CCPA.

Please send written confirmation of this cancellation to the email address listed above at your earliest convenience. To the extent my requests are not honored, I will consider pursuing any and all available legal rights and remedies, including, but not limited to, disputing charges with my financial institution, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely,[Your full name]

Want it to arrive with proof?

We print this letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Send it by certified mail for me

Next you find your company, then we take it from there.

Writing a genealogy plan cancellation letter

Genealogy plans usually renew for six or twelve months at a time, and your family tree, saved records and DNA results can sit on the account long after you stop searching.

The guides below show how each genealogy service takes cancellations and what to check about renewal dates, saved data and any separate DNA kit or results.

Genealogy plans renew in long blocks and keep your tree and results on the account, so the request should end the plan and say what should happen to the data stored with it.

Of the 3 companies in our genealogy category, 3 take cancellations by mailed letter, 0 by email and 0 by either. 3 of them were checked by hand against the company’s own pages. Most mailing addresses on file are in UT (1).

Have these to hand. The email on the account, the name of the plan and the date of your last renewal. Add them to the letter so the company can match it to your account on the first read.

Check these before you send it

  • Plans renew for six or twelve months at a time. Find the next renewal date and write before it.
  • Download or export your family tree and records first. Access can narrow when the plan ends.
  • DNA results and kits are often separate from the search plan. Say whether you want those deleted too.
  • Ask for written confirmation that auto-renewal is off, and check the next statement.

Export your family tree first, and write before the renewal date.

Cancellation guides for genealogy

Each guide shows how the company takes cancellations and the mailing address on file.

All genealogy cancellation guides

What to include in a cancellation letter

A short, plain letter works best. Whoever opens it should be able to find your account and act on it without writing back to you.

  • Your name and address

    Use the name and address on the account. Companies match the letter to a customer record, and a mismatch is the most common reason a request stalls.

  • Your account or membership number

    It is printed on your bill, your welcome email or your member card. If you cannot find one, the email address on the account does the same job.

  • A clear sentence that you are cancelling

    Say that you cancel the subscription, not that you want to pause it, and ask for every add-on and linked plan to end with it.

  • The date it should end

    Write “as soon as possible” or a specific date. A date turns a vague request into one the company can be held to.

  • A request for written confirmation

    Ask the company to confirm the cancellation in writing at your email address. That confirmation is your second record.

  • A request to stop all future charges

    Ask them to remove your stored payment details so nothing renews by accident.

How to send it so you can prove it was received

  1. Print the letter and sign it

    Use the print button on the tool. Sign above your printed name and keep a copy for your files.

  2. Send it by Certified Mail

    Buy Certified Mail at a Post Office and ask for the postmarked mailing receipt. Add Return Receipt to get the signature of the person who accepts it.

  3. Keep the receipt and the tracking number

    Write the date and tracking number on your copy of the letter. Check the tracking until it shows delivered.

  4. Note the company’s notice rule

    Some companies need notice a set number of days before the next billing date. Allow for delivery time: the company may count from the day the letter arrives, not the day you posted it.

Prefer not to queue at the Post Office? We print the letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Source: USPS: Certified Mail and Return Receipt

What to do if they keep charging you

  1. Collect your records

    Gather the letter, the mailing receipt, the tracking page showing delivery and any confirmation the company sent.

  2. Write back with the delivery date

    Reply to the company with the date your letter was delivered, list each charge made after that date, and ask for those charges to be refunded.

  3. Remind them of the rule

    Federal law requires sellers who bill you online for a recurring subscription to give you a simple way to stop the charges. Mention that you asked in writing for the charges to stop.

  4. Dispute the charge with your card issuer

    If you paid by credit card, write to the issuer’s billing-error address within 60 days of the statement that shows the charge. Include copies of your records.

Source: 15 U.S.C. § 8403 (Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act); 15 U.S.C. § 1666 (Fair Credit Billing Act, billing errors)

Cancellation letter questions

What is different about cancelling a genealogy plan?

Genealogy plans renew in long blocks and keep your tree and results on the account, so the request should end the plan and say what should happen to the data stored with it. Export your family tree first, and write before the renewal date.

Which genealogy companies can I pick?

We hold cancellation details for 3 genealogy companies, 3 of them checked by hand. Pick one and its mailing address fills in. If yours is not listed, type the name and the address from your bill.

Do I have to cancel with a letter?

Not always. Many companies accept cancellations online or by phone. A letter matters when your agreement asks for written notice, which is common for gyms and print subscriptions, and whenever you want a dated record of the request.

Does the letter need to go by certified mail?

Check your agreement for how notice must be given. Most do not name certified mail, but it is the way to prove the date the company received your request. A letter in a plain envelope gives you nothing to point to if they say they never got it.

Which date should I put on the letter?

Pick “as soon as possible” unless you want the subscription to run until a date you know, such as the end of a billing period you have paid for. If your agreement sets a notice period, the company may apply it either way.

What if I cannot find the company’s mailing address?

Check your agreement, your latest bill and the contact page on the company’s website. Search the company above to see the mailing address we hold for it, and compare it with those.

Do I need to give a reason?

No. A cancellation request does not need one. The template keeps to the request, the date and the confirmation you want.

Can I send the same letter by email instead?

Yes. Copy the letter into an email to the company’s cancellation or support address. Email is quick, but it leaves you without a delivery record, so keep the sent message and any reply.

More cancellation letter templates

Sources