How to Cancel Spotify (2026)
Quick answer
Cancel Spotify Premium from your account page: go to 'Manage your plan' and select 'Cancel subscription'. You keep Premium until your next billing date, then move to the free, ad-supported plan โ your playlists and saved music stay. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, cancel in that store instead, because Spotify cannot cancel or refund a plan billed by a partner.
How to cancel Spotify, step by step
Online (web browser)
- 1Open your account pageGo to spotify.com, log in to the account with Premium, and open your account overview (accounts.spotify.com).
- 2Select 'Manage your plan'In the 'Your Plan' area, choose 'Manage your plan' (older layouts show 'Change Plan').
- 3Cancel Spotify PremiumSelect 'Cancel subscription' (shown as 'Cancel Premium' in some regions), then continue past the confirmation prompts to finish.
- 4ConfirmSelect the final 'Yes, cancel' / 'Cancel subscription' button. Premium then stays active until your next billing date and does not renew.
Billed through Apple or Google
- 1Cancel in the storeIf you pay through the App Store or Google Play, cancel in that store's subscription settings โ Spotify can't cancel it for you.
โฐ Deadline
Cancel anytime. Premium stays active until your next billing date, then switches to free.
๐ต Fees
No cancellation fee.
โฉ๏ธ Refunds
Spotify generally does not offer refunds when you cancel โ instead you keep Premium until the end of the period you've already paid for, then move to the free plan. If you were billed through a partner such as Apple or Google, Spotify cannot issue the refund; you must contact that partner (their details appear on your account page under 'Your Plan').
Retention traps to expect
- Spotify generally does not refund when you cancel, so cancelling mid-cycle just keeps Premium until the next billing date with no money back.
- If you subscribed through Apple or Google, the cancel button isn't in the Spotify app โ you must cancel in that store's settings, and only that partner can refund you.
The bottom line on cancelling Spotify
Spotify is one of the easy ones: cancel Premium from your account page under Manage your plan, with no fee, and you keep Premium until your next billing date before dropping to the free, ad-supported plan. Nothing is lost โ your playlists and saved songs stay. The main trap is expecting a refund; Spotify generally does not give one, so cancel just before renewal.
The other snag is where you pay: if you subscribed through Apple or Google, the cancel button is not in the Spotify app โ you cancel in that store's settings, and only that partner can refund you.
Ways to cancel Spotify at a glance
| Method | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online (web browser) | โ Yes | 4 steps |
| Billed through Apple or Google | โ Yes | 1 step |
Cancelling Spotify vs Apple Music vs Pandora
How the cancellation experience stacks up against similar services.
| Spotify | Apple Music | Pandora | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel online? | โ Yes | โ Yes | โ Yes |
| Ease of cancelling | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Refund fairness | 3 / 5 | 3 / 5 | 3 / 5 |
| No dark patterns | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 3 / 5 |
Spotify cancellation โ FAQ
๏ผ โ Will I lose my playlists if I cancel Spotify Premium?
No. Your playlists, saved songs, and account remain โ you simply move to the free, ad-supported plan.
๏ผ โ Why can't I find the cancel button in the Spotify app?
If you subscribed through Apple or Google, the cancel option is in that store's settings, not in the Spotify app.
๏ผ โ Do I get a refund when I cancel Spotify?
Usually no, but Premium continues until the end of your current billing period.
What to use instead of Spotify
Cancelling usually means you still need the thing. These are the alternatives worth looking at โ with the honest downside of each.
Spotify Free
FreeBest for: Anyone who cancelled purely over the price and doesn't want to relearn a new app
- Every playlist, saved album, and follow stays exactly where it is โ cancelling Premium moves you here automatically, so there's nothing to migrate.
- Ads between tracks, no offline downloads, and on phones most albums play in shuffle rather than on demand.
YouTube Premium (includes YouTube Music)
From $13.99/moBest for: People who already watch a lot of YouTube and would rather pay one bill than two
- Removes YouTube ads and adds background play plus a full music service, so it replaces two subscriptions at once.
- Costs more than Spotify alone, and YouTube Music's playlists and recommendations are noticeably weaker.
Apple Music
From $10.99/moBest for: iPhone, Mac, and HomePod households that want lossless audio included
- Lossless and spatial audio at no extra charge, with far tighter integration across Apple devices and Siri.
- There's no free tier to fall back on, and if you ever cancel, your streaming library disappears โ only purchases stay.
Amazon Music
Included with Prime; Unlimited from $9.99/moBest for: Existing Prime members who mostly listen in the background
- Prime already includes a large ad-free tier, so many people can cut the music bill to zero without losing streaming entirely.
- The app is clunkier than Spotify's, and the Prime-included tier restricts on-demand picking compared with Unlimited.
Some links are affiliate links โ we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which alternatives we list or what we say about them.
Full Spotify alternatives guide โ
Sources & official policy links
This guide is independently written and not affiliated with Spotify. Cancellation terms can change at any time โ always confirm the current policy on the official website before cancelling.