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Cancel software, cloud and gaming subscriptions

Checked on 4 October 2026

Software, cloud storage, AI services, apps and gaming subscriptions are almost always bought online and billed monthly or yearly. Before you cancel, check two things: what happens to your data, and whether you signed up as a private person or for a business.

Here you’ll find the checked cancellation routes of the main providers and the rules that apply in the EU and the UK.

Providers in this category

We have guides with a checked link for these 21 providers:

Notice period and minimum term

Many services call it “cancel plan”, “turn off auto-renewal” or “switch to the free plan”. It means the same thing: the paid plan runs out at the end of the current period.

Whatever your country, your own terms come first in practice: the minimum term, the notice period and the renewal date are usually in your account, your order confirmation or the terms and conditions. Check them before you cancel.

Notice periods depend on the law of the country you live in and on your contract, so there is no single answer for every reader. This site has detailed guides for Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain, with the rules that apply there.

In short: in Germany, contracts concluded since 1 March 2022 may require at most one month’s notice and can be cancelled monthly after the first term (§ 309 No. 9 BGB). In the Netherlands, after a tacit extension you can cancel at any time with at most one month’s notice (Art. 6:236 (j) Dutch Civil Code); newspaper and magazine subscriptions may instead renew for up to three months at a time (Art. 6:236 (p) and (q)). In France, the provider must remind you of the renewal deadline (loi Chatel), and contracts concluded online must be cancellable online. In Spain, you can end a contract the same way you entered it, without penalties (Art. 62 of the Spanish consumer law).

If you signed up online or by phone, you can usually withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason. In the EU this comes from the Consumer Rights Directive (Directive 2011/83/EU, Art. 9); in the UK from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Special cancellation rights

  • Withdrawal in the first 14 days: Contracts concluded online or by phone can usually be withdrawn within 14 days without a reason (Directive 2011/83/EU, Art. 9; in the UK the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). Withdrawing is not the same as cancelling: it undoes the contract. Under the EU directive, the right can end earlier for digital content and services that start straight away with your consent.

Common pitfalls

  • Back up your data: When the subscription ends, you often lose storage or access to files. Download what you want to keep beforehand.
  • Signed up for a business? Consumer rules usually protect private persons only. If you bought the plan for a company or organisation, the contract terms decide.
  • Annual plan, monthly payments: Some providers bill monthly but commit you for a year. Leaving early can then cost a fee; check your plan before you cancel.
  • Paid through Apple or Google? Subscriptions bought through Apple or Google are cancelled in the subscription settings of that account, not with the service itself.
  • Several accounts: Check whether you pay for the service with a second email address or through a family member.

Cancellation letter template

Copy the text into an email or a letter and replace the details in square brackets. You’ll find your customer and contract numbers on your invoice or in your account.

Cancellation of my contract “[Provider]”

[First name Surname]
[Street and house number]
[Postcode and town]
[Email address]

To: [Provider]
[Postal or email address of [Provider]]

[Place], [Date]

Customer number: [Customer number]
Contract number: [Contract number, if any]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hereby give notice to cancel my contract “[Provider]” at the earliest possible date.
Please confirm in writing that you have received this cancellation and the date on which the contract ends.

Yours faithfully,
[First name Surname]

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your contract and the law of the country you live in decide. If there is a dispute, your national consumer organisation or, in the EU, the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) can help.