How to Cancel Substack Paid Subscriptions (2026 Guide)

Updated February 2026 · Stop paying for newsletters you don't read

Cancel a Paid Newsletter Subscription

1. Go to substack.com/settings/payments
2. Sign in to your Substack account
3. You'll see a list of all your paid subscriptions
4. Click Cancel next to the newsletter you want to stop
5. Confirm — you keep access until the end of your billing period
6. Repeat for any other paid newsletters

Cancel From an Email

Every Substack newsletter email has a link at the bottom:

1. Open any email from the newsletter
2. Scroll to the very bottom
3. Click Manage your subscription
4. Click Cancel paid subscription

Cancel Substack Pro (for Writers)

If you're a Substack writer and want to stop your publication:

• Turn off paid subscriptions: Dashboard → Settings → Payments → Disable paid subscriptions
• Deactivate your publication: Settings → Publication details → Deactivate
• Export your subscriber list first: Dashboard → Subscribers → Export CSV — this is your list, take it with you
• Export your posts: Settings → Export data → includes all posts in a zip file

Cancel Substack+ (Reader Subscription)

Substack+ is the platform-level subscription that bundles multiple newsletters:

1. Go to Settings → Payments on substack.com
2. Find your Substack+ subscription
3. Click Cancel
4. You lose access to bundled newsletters at the end of your billing period

Getting a Refund

• Substack doesn't process refunds directly — the money goes to the writer, not Substack
• Email the newsletter writer directly and ask for a refund
• If the writer won't refund, contact Substack support as a last resort
• For Substack+ (platform subscription), contact support@substack.com

Downgrade to Free (Keep the Newsletter)

Most Substack newsletters have free posts alongside paid ones. After cancelling your paid subscription, you can stay subscribed to the free tier — you'll still get free posts in your inbox.

How to Audit Your Substack Spending

Go to substack.com/settings/payments and add up what you're paying per month. Common surprises:

• 3 newsletters at $5/month = $180/year
• Annual subscriptions you forgot about
• Newsletters you subscribed to during a free trial that auto-converted