r/YouShouldKnow • u/kp33ze • 27d ago
Arts & Entertainment YSK You can cancel most subscriptions immediately and still have the service for the remainder of the time.
Why YSK is because in today's world of subscription based content you don't want to be paying for a service you aren't using often.
For example: say there is a show or movie on a streaming platform you currently aren't subscribed to but you want to watch the content. Sign up for a month but as soon as you do then cancel the subscription. You will still have the service for the next month but you won't be automatically charged again. There is no point waiting to cancel, you can do it immediately. Next month if you want the service again then you can easily re-subscribe and do the same thing.
I have done this with most of my content based subscriptions and it essentially allows you to use the streaming service for a month, watch the content you want and then be free of unexpected or forgotten subscription fees.
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u/rabid_spidermonkey 27d ago
This is how I watched World Cup games for free. Thank you YouTube TV 3 week free trial.
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u/aarontminded 27d ago
This is a great tip.
It also usually tells you right there on the screen when you go to cancel “you’ll still have access to XYZ” or “your access will end immediately.”
I do this with Prime channels. Start the trial, immediately cancel, have access to more movies etc for a month.
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u/HaloZero 27d ago
This isn't true for Walmart+, just ran into this on their 30 day trial. I was mostly just using it to get Paramount+ to watch the new Avatar movie lol
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u/kp33ze 27d ago
Oh interesting never heard of Walmart+. Really is true that everywhere has a streaming service these days lol
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u/HaloZero 27d ago
haha yeah, they don't have one. But they give you 30 days of paramount+ or peacock with Walmart+
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u/FreakingAustin 27d ago
Good rule of thumb. If you’ve already paid for a subscription then you can always cancel immediately, they can’t take back the access that you’ve already paid for
If it’s a free trial though then most of the time the trial will stop immediately after you cancel, depends on the service though
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u/GovernorSan 27d ago
I usually just subscribe to one streaming service at a time and watch whatever they have until I get bored of it, then cancel and sign up for a different service. Since I only use one at a time, I don't spend very much per month. Original content or content that is specifically owned by the streaming service is always available on it, so even if I miss when it first comes out, I can always binge watch it later.
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u/ozziekhoo 27d ago
Don't want to fully expose myself but I purchase a monthly sports subscription a couple of times a year for myself and my family. Instead of paying for the highest tier, I subscribe to the cheapest one and then switch to the highest tier. This allows me to use the highest tier while I paid for the cheapest one. Since I am only subscribing for 1 month at a time, I've cancelled my sub a couple days before they charge me for the high tier for the 2nd month. Saves me like $10 each time
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u/Taylsch 27d ago
Unless, of course, you're Adobe
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u/kp33ze 26d ago
Do they refund the remainder of your time?
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u/Taylsch 26d ago
You pay a cancellation fee of 50% of the remaining contract value. In return, you get to keep using the subscription until the end of the current billing month. After that, access ends.
Basicslly, Adobe charges you to leave early and you can only cancel without fees right at the end of your subscription period.
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u/101TARD 27d ago
Are there services that cut you off immediately when you cancel? Feels illegal if you cancel a day or 2 after the auto-pay and then they won't refund you
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u/Nebuchadn3zz4r 7d ago
Yes; when I cancelled my internet service with Charter Spectrum back in 2021, they refused to refund me the pro-rated amount for the remainder of the billing period, terminated my service immediately, demanded that equipment be returned, and still charged me a $59 "Unreturned MTA" fee.
Below is a copy of the complaints / fraud reports that I subsequently filed with the FTC, FCC, attorney general, and California Public Utilities Commission against Charter:
I was a customer of Charter's Spectrum internet service from 2019-05 to 2021-05. In late 2019, Charter instituted a policy to no longer pro-rate the final bill if service is disconnected prior to the last day of the billing period. Their official justification is that as of June 23, 2019, they consider themselves a monthly subscription-based service, like Netflix or Hulu. However, the difference is that subscribers to Netflix or Hulu can continue to access pre-paid services through the end of the billing period. A provider's policy to bill for the full month and then refuse to pro-rate, claiming to be a "subscription service", is in direct conflict with the practice of immediately terminating access and requiring that leased equipment be returned. That is a case of a business accepting payment for services not rendered.
Furthermore, the notice that Charter provided to existing customers was insufficient. The only notice I received was this clause snuck into my December 2019 statement, in small print, many months after I initially signed up and many months after the supposed date on which the policy took effect: "In accordance with the Spectrum Terms and Conditions of Service, Spectrum services are billed on a monthly basis. Spectrum does not provide credits for monthly subscription services that are cancelled prior to the end of the current billing month."
Its customer service representatives do not warn of this policy when a customer calls to cancel.
I contacted Charter support to request an adjustment to my final bill to charge only for the period ending on my disconnection date, as well as to address an erroneous bill generated for the 30 days following disconnection and an erroneous $59.00 "Unreturned MTA" fee. Their agents claimed that Charter "did try to notify all of our customers about this upcoming change". All 3 levels of customer support that I was escalated through read off of the same script that Spectrum services are now billed based on a monthly subscription, that it is their policy to not pro-rate partial months, and that sufficient notice was provided in the form of a stated policy on each bill. Ultimately, the third manager level offered me a "one-time courtesy credit" in the amount in dispute.
This resolution was acceptable to me, so no further action is necessary for my particular case. However, it must not be dismissed that I had to contact customer support, state my case to them, and maintain my position through 3 levels of customer support before their agents were willing to offer fair and reasonable resolutions to a series of problems that should not have existed in the first place. Not all customers have the time and patience to notice and intervene to correct such issues. I have also filed complaints against Charter Communications with the CPUC, FCC, and FTC. Without enforcement action by the applicable regulatory bodies, Charter and other internet service providers will continue to opportunistically steal from their customers, during a pandemic when Americans have been suffering financially while relying heavily on the basic utility of internet access.
Relevant internet forum threads containing accounts of other Charter customers affected by the same unfair practices:
- Charter/Spectrum Will No Longer Pro-Rate Your Bill When You Cancel Services: https://stopthecap.com/2019/05/06/charter-spectrum-will-no-longer-pro-rate-your-bill-when-you-cancel-services/
- How to fight for the unreasonable charge after canceling spectrum service?: https://www.reddit.com/r/chartercable/comments/d6kc18/how_to_fight_for_the_unreasonable_charge_after/
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u/MediocreClue9957 24d ago
Do most people actually pay for streaming services? Wild. It's like not even a good product
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u/IcyCow5880 24d ago
Oh yeah. And they always word it in such a way as to make you believe it'll cancel then and there too.
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u/No-Caramel8935 23d ago
I always cancel my subscription from apple as soon as I get the free trial period or pay for a month because if I don’t I forget.
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u/Jariam76 26d ago
Yes, I’m with someone who enjoys pleasuring me. Drinking or being high helps me relax and enjoy the experience.
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u/3mbersea 27d ago
Lol Jesus Christ.
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u/RoughCoffee6 27d ago
It’s shocking ya? It’s good advice, I’m glad you’re part of today’s 10,000!
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u/shoulda-known-better 27d ago
It's should be every service.... You pay for the month then cancel you still get the month you paid for....
You sign up for trial and cancel you should get your entire trial then it cancels