How to Cancel Netflix (2026) — The Password Crackdown Escape Guide
Updated February 2026 · 7 min read
⚠️ Netflix has raised prices 7 times since launching. The Standard plan is now $17.99/month ($216/year). Premium with 4K is $22.99/month ($276/year). Plus they charge $7.99/month per extra member outside your household.
Netflix killed password sharing in 2023, added an ad tier, and keeps raising prices. If you're watching less Netflix than you used to (most people are — the average watch time has dropped as competition increased), here's how to cancel and when to come back.
💰 2026 Pricing
- Standard with Ads: $6.99/month ($84/year)
- Standard: $17.99/month ($216/year) — 2 simultaneous streams
- Premium: $22.99/month ($276/year) — 4K, 4 streams
- Extra member: $7.99/month per person outside your household
- Total if sharing with 2 people: $22.99 + $15.98 = $38.97/month ($468/year)
How to Cancel
- Go to netflix.com/account
- Click "Cancel Membership" under Membership & Billing
- Click "Finish Cancellation"
- That's it — Netflix is actually one of the easiest to cancel
- You keep access until the end of your billing period
💡 Netflix saves your profile for 10 months. If you resubscribe within 10 months, all your watchlist, ratings, and viewing history come back. This makes the rotate strategy painless.
📺 The Streaming Rotation Strategy
Instead of paying for Netflix year-round, smart streamers rotate:
Month 1-2: Netflix ($18/mo) — binge new releases
Month 3-4: Disney+ ($14/mo) — Marvel/Star Wars drops
Month 5-6: Max ($17/mo) — HBO originals
Month 7-8: Hulu ($18/mo) — current TV seasons
Months 9-12: Repeat favorites or take a break
💰 Cost: ~$134/year vs $216+ for Netflix alone. You get 4 services for less than one.
🔐 The Password Sharing Crackdown
Netflix now requires all users to be in the same household. If you're paying for extra members:
- Remove extra members before canceling to avoid that final $7.99/extra member charge
- Go to Account → Manage Extra Members → Remove
- If your family lives in separate homes, each household needs their own subscription
- The workaround: one person subscribes, watches on their home Wi-Fi. Other households subscribe on their own months (rotate who pays).
🎬 What Happens to Your Data
- Profiles: Saved for 10 months
- Watch history: Saved for 10 months
- My List: Saved for 10 months
- Downloads: Deleted immediately upon cancellation
- DVD.com queue: Netflix DVD is gone (ended 2023)
- After 10 months: Account is permanently deleted
🔄 Free Alternatives
- Tubi — free, ad-supported, surprisingly good movie selection
- Pluto TV — free live TV channels + on-demand
- Kanopy — free through your library card, indie/art films
- Hoopla — free through your library, movies + TV + books
- YouTube — free full movies (ad-supported), plus endless content
- Your library — DVD/Blu-ray checkout is still free and has new releases
✅ Cancellation Checklist
- ✅ Remove extra members first (save $7.99/each on final bill)
- ✅ Watch downloaded content (deletes on cancellation)
- ✅ Note your billing date (you keep access until then)
- ✅ Save your My List somewhere (screenshot or note app) for when you resubscribe
- ✅ Cancel through the SAME platform you subscribed on (App Store, Google Play, or netflix.com)
- ✅ Set a calendar reminder to resubscribe when a show you want drops
🔍 Find All Your Streaming Subscriptions
Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ — most people have 4-6 streaming services. Upload your bank statement to find them all.
Scan Your Statement Free →