How to Cancel Bluehost (2026 Guide) — Stop Overpaying for Shared Hosting That's Slow Anyway

Updated 2026-02-28 · 5 min read

Bluehost hooks you with $2.95/month introductory pricing, then renewals jump to $11.99-26.99/month. That first-year deal was $35 — your renewal is $144-324/year. Plus they auto-add "SiteLock," "CodeGuard," and "SEO Tools" that together cost an extra $100-200/year. Here's how to cancel and where to host for less.

💸 The Renewal Bait-and-Switch

Bluehost (owned by EIG/Newfold Digital, same company as HostGator) is infamous for low intro rates and high renewals. They also auto-opt you into add-ons during checkout: SiteLock ($24.99/yr), CodeGuard ($35.88/yr), Domain Privacy ($15.88/yr). Check your renewal invoice — you're probably paying for services you never knowingly purchased.

Before Canceling — Back Up Your Site

Log into Bluehost cPanel
Use File Manager to download your public_html folder
Use phpMyAdmin to export your database
Or install the free All-in-One WP Migration plugin for a one-click WordPress backup
Download the backup file to your computer

How to Cancel Bluehost

Log into my.bluehost.com
Go to My Products
Find your hosting plan
Click Manage → Cancel
If you can't find cancel online, use live chat or call

Cancel by Phone (Usually Required)

Call 1-888-401-4678 (24/7)
Say "Cancel my hosting account"
Ask them to also cancel ALL add-ons (SiteLock, CodeGuard, Domain Privacy)
Request confirmation email
Ask about your domain — transfer it out before it expires

Bluehost Refund Policy

30-day money-back guarantee on hosting (new accounts only)
Domain registration fee is non-refundable ($15.99 deducted from refund)
Add-ons: Usually refundable within 30 days
After 30 days: No refunds, period

Where to Move Your Website

Cloudflare Pages (free) — static sites, unlimited bandwidth, free SSL
DigitalOcean ($4/month) — VPS droplet, way more powerful than Bluehost shared hosting
Hetzner ($3.79/month) — best value VPS in the industry
Vercel/Netlify (free) — perfect for WordPress alternatives (Next.js, Hugo, etc.)
WordPress.com ($4/month) — managed WordPress without the hosting hassle

Domain Transfer

Transfer your domain to Cloudflare (at-cost pricing, ~$10/year for .com) or Porkbun ($9.73/year). Bluehost charges $22+/year for domain renewal. Unlock the domain in your Bluehost dashboard, get the EPP/auth code, and initiate the transfer at your new registrar.

🔍 Find All Your Hosting and Web Charges

Bluehost, domains, SSL, add-ons, CDN — web hosting generates multiple separate charges. Scan your statement to find them all.

Scan Your Statement →

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Quick Cancel Guide: Bluehost Detailed

Direct cancel link + step-by-step instructions