How to Cancel Any Subscription in India (Step by Step, All Major Apps)
Subscribing takes two taps. Cancelling takes finding the right settings screen, which is rarely the one you expect. The reason is simple: you cancel wherever you originally paid, and most people have forgotten where that was.
Step 1: work out where you are being billed
There are four possibilities, and the cancellation route is different for each:
- Google Play — you subscribed through an Android app.
- Apple App Store — you subscribed through an iPhone or iPad app.
- The company directly — you subscribed on their website with a card.
- A UPI or card mandate — a recurring payment registered with your bank.
Check your email receipt. It always says who charged you.
Cancelling through Google Play
- Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture.
- Go to Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select the subscription and tap Cancel subscription.
Access continues until the end of the period you already paid for. You do not need to cancel on the last day.
Cancelling through the Apple App Store
- Open Settings, tap your name at the top.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription.
Same rule: you keep access until the paid period ends.
Cancelling a direct subscription
Sign in to the company’s website — not the app — and look under Account, Billing or Membership. This is where companies most often bury the cancel option behind several screens and a retention offer. Persist; it is always there.
Cancelling a UPI or card mandate
This is the one people miss. Under RBI rules, recurring payments must be registered as mandates, and they are visible in your banking or UPI app:
- Open your UPI app and look for Autopay or Mandates.
- For cards, check your bank app under standing instructions or e-mandates.
- Cancel the mandate itself.
Important: cancelling the bank mandate stops the money but does not always cancel the service properly. Do both — cancel with the merchant and remove the mandate.
When cancelling does not work
- You cannot find the subscription anywhere. Search your email for the merchant name plus the word receipt. The billing route will be in there.
- The cancel button does nothing. Take a screenshot, then contact support in writing so you have a record.
- You are still charged after cancelling. Raise it with your bank as an unauthorised recurring debit, with your cancellation confirmation attached.
How to avoid the problem entirely
Fixed-term plans that simply expire remove the cancellation problem altogether — nothing to cancel, because nothing auto-renews. That is how SubsHub plans work: they run for the term you buy and stop.
If you are doing a full clear-out, the process is in how to cut your monthly subscription bill in India, and the payment side is covered in paying for international subscriptions without a credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cancel a subscription in India?
Cancel wherever you originally paid — Google Play, the App Store, the company’s own website, or by removing the UPI or card mandate in your banking app.
Will I lose access immediately when I cancel?
No. On Google Play and the App Store you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for.
Does cancelling the UPI mandate cancel the subscription?
It stops the payment but does not always end the service cleanly. Cancel with the merchant as well as removing the mandate.
What if I am charged after cancelling?
Raise it with your bank as an unauthorised recurring debit, attaching your cancellation confirmation.
How do I find subscriptions I forgot about?
Search your email for invoice and receipt over the last year, and check the subscriptions list in Google Play or the App Store.