How to Cancel YouTube Channel Memberships in 2026

Last updated: February 2026 • Difficulty: Easy • Time: 30 seconds per membership

YouTube Channel Memberships vs. YouTube Premium

These are completely different subscriptions. YouTube Premium ($13.99/mo) removes ads across all of YouTube. Channel memberships ($0.99–$49.99/mo) support individual creators and give you custom badges, emojis, and members-only content for that specific channel. You can have dozens of memberships running simultaneously without realizing it.

Cancel on Desktop (Fastest Method)

1. Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships
2. You will see every active channel membership listed
3. Click Manage next to the channel you want to cancel
4. Click Deactivate
5. Confirm cancellation
6. Repeat for each membership you want to cancel

Cancel from the Channel Page

1. Go to the creator's channel page on YouTube
2. Click the Member badge next to the Subscribe button
3. Click Manage membership
4. Select Cancel membership
5. Confirm

Cancel on iPhone or Android

If you subscribed through the YouTube app on your phone, the membership might be billed through Apple or Google rather than YouTube directly. Here's how to check and cancel:

iPhone/iPad:

1. Open Settings → tap your name → Subscriptions
2. Find the YouTube membership
3. Tap Cancel Subscription

Android:

1. Open Google Play Store → tap your profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions
2. Find the YouTube membership
3. Tap Cancel

The Hidden Cost Problem

Channel memberships are sneaky because each one is small — $4.99 here, $9.99 there. But if you follow a lot of creators and impulsively joined memberships over the past year, those add up fast. Five $4.99 memberships is $300/year for emoji access and occasional members-only streams you probably don't watch.

Check your full list at youtube.com/paid_memberships — many people are surprised by how many active memberships they have.

What Happens After Canceling

• You keep access until the end of your current billing period
• Custom badges and emojis stop working after expiration
• Members-only posts and videos become inaccessible
• If you rejoin later, your loyalty badge resets (some creators exempt returning members)
• The creator is NOT notified that you specifically canceled

Better Ways to Support Creators

If you want to support a creator without a recurring charge, consider a one-time Super Chat during a livestream or Super Thanks on a video. You can also support them on Patreon where you have more control over billing, or simply watch their videos and share them — ad revenue from views adds up for creators.