News or magazine subscription cancellation letter template
Pick your news & magazines 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
Writing a news or magazine subscription cancellation letter
News and magazine subscriptions are known for low introductory prices that step up after a few months, and many publishers prefer to take cancellations by phone or chat rather than in writing.
The guides below show how each publisher takes cancellations, what to check about print and digital plans, and where a written request gives you a record.
Publishers often move you from an introductory price to the standard rate and can steer cancellations towards phone or chat, so a written request is the record that you asked.
Of the 147 companies in our news & magazines category, 147 take cancellations by mailed letter, 0 by email and 0 by either. 24 of them were checked by hand against the company’s own pages. Most mailing addresses on file are in Noord-Holland (16), NY (13) and CA (8).
Have these to hand. The email on the account, the delivery address for print copies and the subscription or reference number from your latest invoice. Add them to the letter so the company can match it to your account on the first read.
Check these before you send it
- Print and digital access can be separate subscriptions. Ask for each of them to be ended.
- Introductory prices end after a set period. Check the date of your first full-price charge.
- Gift subscriptions and bundles may be billed to a different person. Use the name on the billing record.
- Ask for the effective date of the cancellation in writing, and keep the confirmation.
Print and digital are often separate subscriptions: name both.
Cancellation guides for news & magazines
Each guide shows how the company takes cancellations and the mailing address on file.
- How to cancel The New York Times
Online, chat, or phone.
- How to cancel The Washington Post
Online (My Post > Manage subscription).
- How to cancel The Economist
Online. For new or renewing subscriptions on or after April 14 2025, cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
- How to cancel Kindle Unlimited (Kindle+)
Online. Membership stays active until the next billing date.
- How to cancel Substack
Online (Manage subscription page). Paid access continues to the end of the billing period; no further charges.
- How to cancel Medium
Online (Settings). Cancel any time; benefits last to the end of the billing cycle.
- How to cancel The Athletic
Chat via NYT Customer Care.
- How to cancel Apple News+
Device settings (Apple subscriptions).
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
What to do if they keep charging you
Collect your records
Gather the letter, the mailing receipt, the tracking page showing delivery and any confirmation the company sent.
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.
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.
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 news or magazine subscription?
Which news & magazines companies can I pick?
Do I have to cancel with a letter?
Does the letter need to go by certified mail?
Which date should I put on the letter?
What if I cannot find the company’s mailing address?
Do I need to give a reason?
Can I send the same letter by email instead?
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