Paid subscription services are commonplace in many areas of modern life. By going through the proper channels, everyday people can subscribe to anything from entertainment services to replacement air filters. The nature of a subscription is that it will renew and be paid automatically at predetermined intervals. Most commonly, services are paid for on a monthly basis, but many are available annually as well.
Apple products are no exception and allow for some subscriptions to be billed directly through iTunes. These include apps such as Spotify, Hulu, Netflix, and Apple Music. Once you are signed up for a subscription, you will need to go out of your way to end the service. If not done properly, the payments will continue to go out even if you delete an app or stop using the service.
Upon cancellation, you may still be able to use the service for whatever remaining time is already paid for by the last bill. For instance, if your final payment of a monthly subscription took place on May 2nd, you would be able to use the service until June 2nd, regardless of when you plan to cancel the service.
Read also: How to cancel your iTunes purchases
Cancelling a Service
Before you are able to cancel a subscription, you need to identify how it is being billed. Some subscriptions are obtained through a third-party, via their app or web page. These types of subscriptions need to be dealt with through the third-party company with whom the billing is arranged.
The type of subscription being discussed in this article are those set up directly through iTunes. Follow these steps to cancel the subscription and prevent further payments from being made. This includes both paid memberships and trial runs.
For iPad, iPod, or iPhone:
- On your Apple device, navigate to Settings> iTunes and App Store> Apple ID, and then find your name
- To look at your Apple ID, you may be asked to input your username and password
- Once in, choose “Subscriptions”
- From the list, pick the subscription you wish to end
- Push “Cancel Subscription” to officially end the service and payments
For Mac computer or PC running iTunes:
- Open the iTunes application
- Choose Account>View My Account. At this point, you will possibly be asked to enter your Apple ID and password
- Next, find the settings by scrolling down
- Once you find the “Subscriptions” area, pick “Manage”
- Lastly, choose the subscription service you are trying to stop and click on “Cancel”
If you cancel a subscription, and then decide you want it back, follow these steps below:
- On your device, navigate to Settings> iTunes & App Store> Apple ID> View Apple ID> Subscription.
- Here you will find cancelled or expired services. Choose the “re-subscribe” option to restore your previous plan.
Did you find an empty page with no subscriptions? If yes, double check that the Apple ID and password are correct and make sure you didn’t accidentally sign on to the wrong account.
The steps in order to stop a subscription to iCloud are similar:
- Find Settings>Your Name> iCloud> Manage Storage> Change Storage Plan> Downgrade Options.
- You should see the option that says “Free.” Tap this option to return to the unpaid iCloud service.
When it comes to correctly utilized subscriptions, they are a beneficial service. Instead remembering to pay a bill for a regularly used service, you can enter into an agreement with a company allowing them to automatically pay your bill. The downside to this, of course, is that they will continue to bill you automatically until you go out of your way to cancel the subscription.
It is important to keep track of any subscriptions you may have in order to prevent being billed for a service that you no longer want or need. If you don’t, you could be making a monthly “donation” to a company without even knowing it. The good news is that most honest companies make it very easy to opt-out of your subscription at any time.
Knowing how and when to cancel your subscriptions allows you to take full advantage of the benefits. By keeping an eye on the services, you are subscribed to, you will avoid long forgotten subscriptions that drain funds from your bank account.
