How to cancel a subscription that won't let you cancel
When a provider makes cancelling difficult, the answer is rarely to keep clicking. It is to create a clear, dated, written record that you asked to cancel, send it somewhere they cannot ignore, and then deal with the payment separately.
First, check where the subscription is actually billed
Plenty of failed cancellations happen because people are cancelling in the wrong place. If you signed up through an app store, the provider often cannot cancel it for you and the control sits in your store account. The same applies to subscriptions bought through a third-party reseller or bundled with another service.
Put the cancellation in writing
Written notice is what settles arguments later. Email is ideal because it is timestamped and you keep a copy. State your account details, say plainly that you are cancelling, give the date, and ask for written confirmation and the date the service will end.
If the only route offered is live chat or a phone call, use it, but save the transcript or note the time, the agent's name and any reference number, and follow up in writing afterwards summarising what was agreed.
- Account name, email address and account or customer number.
- A single clear sentence: you are cancelling, effective from the date given.
- A request for written confirmation of the cancellation date.
- A copy kept somewhere you will still be able to find in three months.
Get past the retention loop
Retention flows are designed to keep you talking. Repeat one sentence, decline offers politely, and ask directly for the cancellation to be processed and confirmed in writing. If an agent says they cannot do it, ask to be transferred or ask how to escalate, and record what you were told.
Stopping the payment is a separate step
Cancelling the contract and stopping the money are two different actions. The FCA says you can ask either the business or your card issuer to stop a recurring card payment, and your card issuer cannot insist you contact the business first. For a Direct Debit, you can cancel it with your bank.
Stopping the payment does not end the contract, so do both. If you only stop the money, you may still owe amounts under the agreement.
If they still will not cancel
Raise a formal complaint using the provider's complaints process, in writing, and give them a reasonable deadline. If that fails, check whether the sector has an ombudsman or approved alternative dispute resolution scheme, and consider reporting persistent obstruction to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice. This is general information rather than legal advice.
What I'd do next
- Confirm who actually bills you.
- Send written cancellation and ask for confirmation.
- Save every transcript, reference and screenshot.
- Deal with the recurring payment separately.
- Escalate through the complaints process if nothing moves.
Official sources
Last reviewed: September 2026
Keep the cancellation on record
Feoh holds the provider's verified cancellation route where we have one, keeps your dates and references in one place, and reminds you to check it went through. It does not cancel on your behalf.
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Feoh is an admin tool, not legal or financial advice.