How to cancel Netflix: all the steps you need to stop your subscription on mobile, TV and desktop

How to cancel Netflix: all the steps you need to stop your subscription on mobile, TV and desktop
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

With inflation staying stubbornly high and the price of everyday goods continuing to rise, it's hardly surprising more and more people are cancelling their streaming services. If you're thinking of doing the same, take comfort in the fact you are not alone – at the end of last year, Brits culled more than 2 million subscriptions to streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ in a bid to make ends meet.

Netflix starts at £4.99 / $6.99 / AU$6.99 a month, but that's for the ad-supported tier. The Premium option costs £15.99 / $19.99 / AU$22.99 a month, so cancelling could save you £192 / $240 / AU$275 a year. Which would certainly help if money is tight.

Here's how to cancel your Netflix subscription on mobile, desktop and TV.

How to cancel Netflix on the mobile app

How to cancel Netflix on the mobile app

(Image credit: Future)
  • 1. Tap the user icon
  • 2. Tap Account > Membership & Billing > Cancel Membership
  • 3. Tap Finish Cancellation

How to cancel Netflix on desktop

How to cancel Netflix on desktop

(Image credit: Netflix)
  • 1. Click the drop-down menu in the top right of the screen
  • 2. Click Account > Membership & Billing > Cancel Membership
  • 3. Click Finish Cancellation

How to cancel Netflix on your TV

  • 1. On the home screen, click the drop down menu in the top right of the screen next to your profile name
  • 2. Click Account > Membership & Billing > Cancel Membership
  • 3. Click Finish Cancellation

Does Netflix stop as soon as you cancel?

Not necessarily. If there's any time left in your billing period, you can continue to use Netflix until the period ends. To see when your billing periods are – and when your account will stay active until – check your billing details.

What happens if I deactivate Netflix on my TV?

Deactivating Netflix on your TV or streaming device merely signs you out of your account, so you won't cancel your subscription. You'll continue to be charged as normal. But deactivating can be helpful if you want to sign in with a different account, or with a new password, for example.

How do I reactivate my Netflix subscription?

To reactivate your subscription, just sign in as normal and select Restart Your Profile. You can do this from any profile except a Kids one. You'll then be asked to restart your membership – your billing date will become the date you restarted your membership.

How do I cancel if I have Netflix through Sky?

If your Netflix subscription is included as part of your Sky bill, you have to contact Sky direct in order to cancel Netflix. Head to sky.com/upgradenetflix to find out how. 

Netflix is included with Sky's Ultimate TV package, but if you took it out before 4th March 2020 and haven't changed your options, you'll have the Ultimate On Demand package. If you have Netflix though Sky, you'll need to cancel your Ultimate TV (or Ultimate On Demand) package to get out of Netflix. This is a rolling 30-day contract, so it's just like cancelling Netflix normally. But you may have signed up to longer terms (12 or 18 months) to begin with, and may have to pay an early termination charge if you're still within that time period.

If you already had Netflix before you started taking it through Sky, Netflix will keep charging you, so you'll have to cancel direct with them too. But if Netflix doesn't have an up to date payment method for you, your account will go on hold and you'll need to reactivate your account with Netflix if you want to keep your subscription active, or cancel direct to stop subscribing.

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Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.