How to write a cancellation letter

1. 1

   Your details, exactly as on the account

   Use the name, postal address and email address the company has on file. A letter is matched to a customer record, and a different spelling or an old address can hold the request up.

2. 2

   The date and the company's address

   Put today's date at the top and the company's mailing address below your own, as in any formal letter. Use the address for cancellations or correspondence if the company gives one.

3. 3

   A subject line

   One line such as “Cancellation of membership, account number 123456” tells the person opening the post where to send it.

4. 4

   The account or member number

   It is on your bill, your welcome email or your member card. If you cannot find it, give the email address on the account and the plan name.

5. 5

   One clear sentence that you are cancelling

   Write “I am cancelling my subscription” rather than “I would like to cancel” or “please consider”. Ask for every add-on and linked plan to end with it.

6. 6

   The date it should end

   Write “with immediate effect” or a specific date, such as the end of the period you already paid for. If your agreement sets a notice period, say that you are giving notice under it.

7. 7

   Stop the charges and confirm in writing

   Ask the company to stop all future charges, remove your stored payment details and send written confirmation to your email address.

8. 8

   Your signature

   Sign by hand above your printed name. Some agreements and laws describe cancellation as a signed and dated notice; California's law for health studios is one example.

Copy this and replace the parts in square brackets. Our cancellation letter template does the same on screen and lets you print or save it.

• A reason. You do not need to give one, and a reason invites a retention offer.
• Questions. “Can I cancel?” asks for a reply. “I am cancelling” asks for an action.
• Your full card number or passwords. The account number and email address are enough to identify you.
• Threats or long complaints. A calm, short letter is easier to act on and reads better if you later need to show it to your card issuer.
• Original documents. Send copies and keep the originals.

Some situations call for one or two extra lines.

• You tried to cancel before. Give the date and method of the earlier attempt and any reference number, and ask for charges made after that date to be refunded.
• Your contract allows cancellation for a reason, such as a move or a medical condition. Name the clause, state the reason and enclose a copy of the evidence.
• You are cancelling for someone who has died. Say you are writing as their executor or next of kin and enclose a copy of the death certificate.
• The company has a notice period. Say “I am giving [number] days' notice under my agreement” so the clock starts with your letter.

For gyms and clubs, read our guide to cancelling a gym membership by mail. For contracts with a notice period, see how to cancel a contract with a notice period.

1. 1

   Print two copies

   Sign one for the company and keep the other. Write the date you mailed it on your copy.

2. 2

   Send it by Certified Mail

   Certified Mail gives you a receipt and shows when the letter was delivered or that delivery was attempted. Present it at the counter to get a postmarked receipt.

3. 3

   Add Return Receipt if you want a signature

   Return Receipt gives you a record, by mail or email, showing the signature of the person who accepted the letter.

4. 4

   File everything together

   Keep the letter, the receipt, the tracking record and the company's reply. USPS does not keep copies of your receipts.

Our guide to certified mail for cancellations explains what each record proves. The same letter style works for writing to your card issuer: the FTC's advice for billing disputes is to send the letter by certified mail with a return receipt and keep a copy (FTC).

Yes, if the company accepts cancellations by email. Paste the same text into the message, send it to the address the company names for cancellations, and keep the sent email and any reply. Email is fast, but it does not give you an independent record that the message was received. Where the date matters, send the letter by mail as well. If you would like us to print and post it for you, see how it works.