How to Cancel Your Substack Subscription (2025)

Substack operates differently than Netflix. You are subscribing to individual writers, not the whole platform. Their policy states you can cancel anytime, but you will retain access only until the end of your current billing cycle. Refunds are rare. Since the money goes directly to the writer, Substack support usually cannot issue refunds themselves. You have to ask the writer directly, which is awkward and rarely works. Pissed Consumer reviews mention this "middleman" issue constantly. If you cancel, do it at least 24 hours before renewal to be safe.

Will I lose access immediately?

No. You keep access to the paid posts until your billing period ends.

Can I pause instead?

Some writers allow you to pause billing for a month or two. This option usually pops up right before you confirm cancellation.

What about my data?

Your account remains active as a free subscriber. You will still get free emails unless you unsubscribe from the mailing list entirely.

Still seeing charges? It happens. Here is what to check:

• Check the Platform: You might be trying to cancel on the web when you paid via Apple ID. Check your bank statement. If it says "Apple" or "Google," use your phone settings.
• Multiple Newsletters: Cancelling one newsletter does not cancel others. You have to cancel each paid subscription individually.
• Login Issues: If you use "Sign in with Apple" but try to log in with email, you might be in the wrong account. Weirdly, this happens a lot.
• Contact Support: If the button is missing, submit a request through their Help Center, though response times are slow.

With the massive shift of journalists moving to independent newsletters in the last 12 months, your inbox is likely overflowing with $5 charges that you forgot about. Pine AI cleans up the mess for you.

Step 1: Let's get started to cancel Substack Just tell us you want to cut the cord on specific newsletters. We will ask for a few details to locate the subscriptions.

Step 2: Pine gets to work We navigate the confusing menus, identify which newsletters are actually charging you, and handle the cancellation process. We don't just suggest it; we finish it.

Step 3: You're free from Substack The recurring $5 and $10 hits stop. You get your budget back without having to log into five different accounts. No "pause" offers, just a confirmed result.