How to Cancel LinkedIn Ads in 2026 — Stop the Bleeding

Updated March 3, 2026 • 6 min read

Step 1: Pause All Campaigns (Immediate)

This stops charges within minutes:

1. Go to linkedin.com/campaignmanager
2. Select your ad account
3. Click Campaigns in the left nav
4. Select the checkbox next to each active campaign (or "Select All")
5. Click Pause from the bulk actions menu
6. Confirm — all campaigns stop immediately

Note: You may still be charged for clicks/impressions that occurred before pausing. Check your billing for charges up to 48 hours after pausing.

Step 2: Remove Payment Method

Even paused campaigns can accidentally restart. Remove your card to be safe:

1. In Campaign Manager, go to Account Settings
2. Click Billing Center
3. Select your payment method
4. Click Remove
5. Without a payment method, no campaign can spend money

Step 3: Deactivate Campaign Manager (Optional)

If you want to fully close your advertising account:

1. Go to Campaign Manager → Account Settings
2. Look for Deactivate Account or Close Account
3. Pay any outstanding balance
4. Confirm deactivation

This does NOT affect your personal LinkedIn profile. Your Campaign Manager is a separate entity. Your connections, posts, and profile stay intact.

Why LinkedIn Ads Underperform for Most Businesses

LinkedIn ads make sense for a narrow set of use cases. For most businesses, they're a money pit:

• High CPC: $5-15+ per click means you need high customer lifetime value to break even
• Low click-through rates: LinkedIn CTR averages 0.4-0.6% (vs 2-3% on Google Search)
• Professional audience fatigue: Users are increasingly blind to LinkedIn ads
• Minimum $10/day: Can't test cheaply — you're spending $300/month before seeing meaningful data

When LinkedIn Ads Actually Work

Keep your campaigns if:

• B2B with high deal values: If your average deal is $10K+, even expensive CPCs can ROI
• Targeting specific job titles/companies: LinkedIn's targeting by title, company, industry is unmatched
• Account-based marketing: Targeting specific companies for enterprise sales
• Recruiting: Job ads and InMail for hard-to-fill positions

Cheaper Alternatives for B2B Marketing

• Organic LinkedIn posts: Free, higher engagement than ads, builds credibility. Consistent posting beats paid every time for thought leadership
• Google Ads (Search): Lower CPC, higher intent — people are actively searching for your solution
• Cold email: Tools like Apollo.io, Lemlist, or Instantly for $50-100/month reach the same B2B audience directly
• Content marketing + SEO: Long-term investment that compounds. Write content your target audience searches for
• Reddit ads: Surprisingly effective for B2B SaaS at $2-5 CPM

Check for LinkedIn Premium Too

While you're at it — are you also paying for LinkedIn Premium? Many professionals have both running:

• LinkedIn Premium Career: $29.99/month
• LinkedIn Premium Business: $59.99/month
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: $99.99/month
• LinkedIn Recruiter Lite: $170/month

Cancel Premium at: linkedin.com → Me → Premium Subscription Settings → Cancel