February 8, 202610 min readHow-To Guides

The Complete Guide to Canceling Streaming Subscriptions

Service-by-service cancellation guide for Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and more — including difficulty ratings and direct links.

Why Streaming Costs Add Up Fast

The promise of streaming was simple: cut the cable cord, pick one or two services, save money.

But in 2026, the average household has 4.3 streaming subscriptions, spending $87/month on streaming alone. That's $1,044 per year — more than many cable packages cost.

How did we get here?

Content fragmentation. Every studio launched its own service and pulled their content from others. Now The Office is on Peacock, Friends is on HBO Max, and Marvel shows are on Disney+. To watch everything you want, you need multiple subscriptions.

Price increases. Netflix has raised prices 7 times since 2014. What started at $7.99/month is now $15.49 for the standard plan. Other services followed suit.

The "just one more" trap. Each service launches with a must-watch show. Signing up for "just one month" to watch that show turns into forgetting to cancel, which turns into another year of charges.

The fix isn't necessarily canceling everything. It's being strategic: keep what you actually use, cancel what you don't, and consider the rotation strategy (more on that below).

This guide covers how to cancel the most popular streaming services — including the difficulty level, cancellation methods, and direct links to make it fast.

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Netflix — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Standard with ads: $6.99/month
Standard (HD, no ads): $15.49/month
Premium (4K, 4 screens): $22.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to Netflix.com and sign in
Click your profile icon → Account
Under "Membership & Billing" click Cancel Membership
Confirm cancellation

2. In the app:

Netflix mobile apps don't allow cancellation directly
You must use the website or call customer service

3. If you subscribed through iTunes/Google Play:

You must cancel through Apple or Google, not Netflix
iPhone: Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions → Netflix → Cancel
Android: Google Play → Menu → Subscriptions → Netflix → Cancel

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until the end of your current billing period
Your account stays active for 10 months in case you return
Your viewing history, profiles, and ratings are preserved

Retention offers: Netflix doesn't typically offer retention discounts

Direct link: [Cancel Netflix →](https://www.netflix.com/cancelplan)

Pro tip: If you only use Netflix occasionally, cancel after finishing your current show and resubscribe when the next must-watch series comes out. This is cheaper than staying subscribed year-round.

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Disney+ — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Disney+ with ads: $7.99/month
Disney+ (no ads): $13.99/month or $139.99/year
Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+): Starting at $14.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to DisneyPlus.com and sign in
Click your profile icon → Account
Under "Subscription" click Cancel Subscription
Confirm cancellation

2. In the app:

Open Disney+ app → Profile → Account
Select "Billing Details"
Choose "Cancel Subscription"

3. If you have the Disney Bundle:

Canceling Disney+ cancels the entire bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+)
To keep Hulu or ESPN+, you'll need to subscribe to them individually

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until the end of your billing period
Downloads are removed immediately
Account is saved for easy reactivation

Retention offers: Disney+ rarely offers retention deals

Direct link: [Cancel Disney+ →](https://www.disneyplus.com/account)

Pro tip: If you have kids, consider the annual plan ($139.99/year = $11.67/month) instead of monthly. Or subscribe during school breaks only.

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Hulu — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Hulu with ads: $7.99/month
Hulu (no ads): $17.99/month
Hulu + Live TV: $76.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to Hulu.com and sign in
Click your name → Account
Under "Your Subscription" click Cancel
Confirm cancellation (they'll offer a pause option — decline if you want to cancel)

2. In the app:

Hulu mobile apps don't allow direct cancellation
You must use the website

3. If you subscribed through a third party:

Roku, Amazon, Spotify, etc.: Cancel through that provider
iTunes/Google Play: Cancel through Apple or Google

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until the end of your billing period
Watch history and preferences are saved
Easy to reactivate anytime

The "Pause" Trap:

When you try to cancel, Hulu offers to "pause" your subscription for up to 12 weeks. This sounds good but:

Your subscription auto-resumes after the pause
You'll forget about it and get charged again
If you want to cancel, cancel — don't pause

Retention offers: Hulu occasionally offers $1.99/month for 3 months if you're canceling

Direct link: [Cancel Hulu →](https://secure.hulu.com/account)

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HBO Max (Max) — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Max with ads: $9.99/month
Max (no ads): $15.99/month
Max Ultimate (4K, no ads): $19.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to Max.com and sign in
Click your profile icon → Settings → Subscription
Click Manage Subscription → Cancel Subscription
Confirm cancellation

2. In the app:

Not available — must use website

3. If you subscribed through a third party:

Cable provider, Roku, Apple, Google: Cancel through them
Direct HBO Max subscriptions must be cancelled on Max.com

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until the end of your billing period
Account remains active for reactivation
Download offline content expires immediately

Retention offers: HBO Max doesn't typically offer retention discounts

Direct link: [Cancel Max →](https://www.max.com/account)

Pro tip: HBO Max is excellent for binge-watching. Subscribe for one month, watch everything you want, cancel, repeat in 6 months when new content arrives.

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Amazon Prime Video — Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Medium

Current Pricing (2026):

Prime Video only: $8.99/month
Amazon Prime (includes Video): $14.99/month or $139/year

How to Cancel:

If you have Prime Video as a standalone subscription:

1. Go to Amazon.com → Account & Lists → Memberships & Subscriptions

2. Find Prime Video → Manage Subscription → Cancel

If you have Amazon Prime (full membership):

1. Go to Amazon.com → Account & Lists → Prime Membership

2. Click Update, cancel, and more → End membership

3. Confirm (they'll try hard to keep you with offers)

Important note:

Canceling Amazon Prime cancels ALL Prime benefits:

Free 2-day shipping
Prime Video
Prime Music
Prime Reading
Prime Gaming

If you mainly use Prime for shipping, keep Prime and skip the streaming services. If you mainly use Prime for streaming, consider downgrading to Prime Video only and losing the shipping benefits.

What happens after you cancel:

Prime: You lose access immediately but get a prorated refund
Prime Video only: You keep access until end of billing period

Retention offers: Amazon often offers discounted Prime rates (50% off) if you're an existing member trying to cancel

Direct link: [Manage Prime →](https://www.amazon.com/mc)

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Apple TV+ — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Apple TV+: $9.99/month
Apple One (includes TV+): Starting at $19.95/month

How to Cancel:

1. On iPhone/iPad:

Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions
Tap Apple TV+ → Cancel Subscription

2. On Mac:

App Store → [Your Name] → View Information → Subscriptions
Find Apple TV+ → Cancel

3. On Apple TV:

Settings → Users and Accounts → [Your Account] → Subscriptions
Select Apple TV+ → Cancel

4. On the web:

Go to tv.apple.com
Click Account → Settings → Manage → Cancel

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until the end of your billing period
Downloads expire immediately
Easy to resubscribe anytime

Retention offers: Apple rarely offers retention discounts

Direct link: [Manage Apple TV+ →](https://tv.apple.com/settings)

Pro tip: Apple TV+ has the smallest content library of major streaming services. Perfect for subscribing 1-2 months per year to catch up on their original shows, then canceling.

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Peacock — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Peacock with ads: $5.99/month
Peacock Premium (fewer ads): $11.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to Peacocktv.com and sign in
Click your profile icon → Account
Select "Cancel Subscription"
Confirm cancellation

2. In the app:

Not available — must use website

3. If you subscribed through a cable provider:

Contact your cable provider to cancel

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until end of billing period
Revert to free tier (limited content with ads)
Account stays active

Retention offers: Peacock occasionally offers discounted rates (e.g., $1.99/month for 3 months)

Direct link: [Cancel Peacock →](https://www.peacocktv.com/account)

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Paramount+ — Difficulty: ⭐ Easy

Current Pricing (2026):

Paramount+ Essential (with ads): $5.99/month
Paramount+ Premium (no ads, live TV): $11.99/month

How to Cancel:

1. On the website:

Go to ParamountPlus.com and sign in
Click your profile icon → Account
Under "Subscription" click Cancel Subscription
Confirm (decline pause offers)

2. In the app:

Not available — must use website

What happens after you cancel:

You keep access until end of billing period
Account is saved for reactivation

Retention offers: Rare

Direct link: [Cancel Paramount+ →](https://www.paramountplus.com/account/)

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The Rotation Strategy: Save 50-70% on Streaming

Here's the secret most people miss: you don't need all streaming services at once.

Instead of paying $87/month for 5-6 services year-round, rotate through them:

Month 1-2: Netflix

Month 3-4: HBO Max

Month 5-6: Disney+

Month 7-8: Hulu

Month 9-10: Amazon Prime Video

Month 11-12: Apple TV+

This way:

You catch up on all the must-watch shows on each service
You're never paying for more than 1-2 services at once
Total annual cost: ~$180-240 instead of $1,044
Saves you $800-900 per year

The only downside: You can't binge everything the day it comes out. But most people don't actually do that anyway.

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Quick Comparison: Which Services Are Worth It?

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Track All Your Subscriptions in One Place

Canceling is the first step. Staying canceled is harder.

The average person resubscribes to 2-3 streaming services they already cancelled, simply because they forgot they had it before or forgot to cancel the "just one month" subscription.

[Use LowerMySubs](https://lowermysubs.com) to:

See all your streaming subscriptions in one dashboard
Track your total monthly streaming spend
Get cancellation links for every service
Set renewal reminders so you can cancel before the next charge

It's free for tracking and takes 30 seconds to set up.

[Start tracking your subscriptions →](https://lowermysubs.com)

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