How to Cancel CNN

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Sign in to CNN where you subscribed

   CNN's help says to sign in on the device you used to start your subscription. On a computer that's cnn.com/account/settings; on a phone, tablet or TV it's the CNN app. Use the same sign-in you subscribed with: an email and password, Continue with Apple or Continue with Google. Deleting the CNN app doesn't cancel anything, and CNN says to cancel at least 24 hours before your next billing date.

2. 2

   Open Subscription & billing and choose Cancel subscription

   On a computer, choose your profile, then Settings, and find the Subscription & billing section. In the app on a phone or tablet, tap the Settings icon (the person) and find Manage subscription. On a TV, choose the Settings icon (person, upper right), then Subscription, and follow the on-screen steps. Choose Cancel subscription. If the page says subscriptions purchased through an app can't be managed on the web, Apple, Google Play, Amazon or Roku bills you, so skip to that step below.

3. 3

   Pass the Stay and save offer and select Cancel subscription

   CNN's cancel page is set up to lead with an offer for some subscribers. It may be headed "Stay and save" with a Review offer button, or on Basic it can read "Stay and start streaming today", with an All Access first-year deal or a discount on Basic behind See all offers. Neither cancels anything. Select Cancel subscription under the offer; the line below it gives the date your access ends. With no offer, the page is headed "Cancel your subscription", and the same Cancel subscription button finishes it. These labels come from the text in CNN's own cancel-page code; we couldn't walk a live account, so your screen may differ.

   Heads up: The offer is a retention play. CNN's account-page code describes an accepted one as a promotional price that starts on your next billing date and then renews at the full price, so taking it keeps the plan renewing. It isn't a cancellation.

4. 4

   Check the confirmation and the end date

   CNN confirms with "You've canceled your subscription" and the date you keep access until. It may then ask "Please tell us why you canceled"; the cancellation has already gone through, so the survey is up to you. Back in Settings, your plan should read "Ends on" a date instead of "Automatically renews on". If it still says it renews, choose Cancel subscription again.

5. 5
   If this applies to you

   If Apple, Google Play, Amazon Fire TV or Roku bills you

   CNN can't cancel these, and its settings page tells app buyers to cancel where they subscribed. Apple: in Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, CNN and Cancel Subscription (Apple says no Cancel button, or an expiration date in red, means it's already cancelled). Google Play: open play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions, select CNN (Manage on a computer), choose Cancel subscription, then pick a reason and confirm. Amazon Fire TV: on amazon.com go to Your Account, Your Apps, then Your Subscriptions (CNN links amazon.com/appstoresubscriptions) and turn off auto-renewal for CNN. Roku: at my.roku.com/subscriptions select CNN, then Manage subscription and Turn off auto-renew, or press the Star button on the CNN app on your Roku. CNN says each stays active until the end of the billing period.

6. 6
   If this applies to you

   If you get All Access through Prime Video Channels

   Amazon bills it, so cancel at Amazon. Amazon's help: go to amazon.com/myac, select Subscriptions from the top menu, find CNN All Access, select Unsubscribe and confirm. CNN's own article still calls the page Manage Your Prime Video Channels and the button Cancel Channel. Amazon says your end date shows on the confirmation screen and you keep access until then, unless you accept a self-service refund it offers, which ends the subscription at once.

7. 7
   If this applies to you

   If you only want to stop paying for streaming

   All Access ($6.99 a month or $69.99 a year) includes the live streams and shows; Basic ($3.99 a month or $29.99 a year) is articles only. To keep reading, choose Change plan in Subscription & billing instead of cancelling. CNN says a switch to Basic starts on your next billing date, and it keeps billing you, just less. If you watch CNN through a cable or satellite login, that covers the video but not unlimited articles, which is what Basic adds.

8. 8
   If this applies to you

   If you can't find the subscription or can't sign in

   Check your card statement for who charges you: CNN, Apple, Google, Amazon or Roku. CNN's help says a different email may be tied to your account, so try the Forgot password steps at cnn.com/log-in with each address you use; if you signed up with Apple, your account may use a Hide My Email address. A member who bought through Apple was told their account was on another email and said CNN couldn't tell them which one. Another, charged for CNN they said they hadn't used in years, found it "IMPOSSIBLE to get a hold of any person or site to actually CANCEL or DISPUTE the charges." CNN's route for an unexpected charge is the Contact Us chat on help.cnn.com.

9. 9
   If this applies to you

   Don't delete your CNN account before your access ends

   CNN says deleting your account doesn't cancel your subscription, and it won't let you delete while the plan is active. Once you've cancelled, deleting the account ends your access straight away, with no refund for the time left. If you want the account gone, wait until the end date, then go to cnn.com/account/settings, choose Manage account, then Delete account, and confirm. Deleting also unsubscribes you from CNN newsletters.