Spotify lures you in with a free trial but then if you forget to cancel, you will end up paying about $10 a month.
We’ve all been there where you forget to cancel the free trial, get charged, and tell yourself you’ll cancel before the next month. But before you know it, you might be a few months, and charges, down the line.
Perhaps you’ve just had your premium account for a while and you’re ready to cancel and/or move to another music streaming service.
Regardless of why you decide to cancel, Spotify has made it pretty easy to get out of their premium subscription.
To cancel your Spotify Premium, go to your phone Settings>tap on your name>tap on Subscriptions>select Spotify>tap on Cancel Subscription. Your premium account will automatically switches to a free account on the next billing date.
Alternatively, you can also cancel Spotify Premium with your Android, PC, Mac, mobile app, or through your mobile or internet provider.
If you have the Spotify premium free trial, you can cancel before the trial ends and still keep the service until the trial runs out. You can also cancel it right after you sign up and still use the Premium trial for three months.
After your trial expires, it will automatically switch back to a free, standard account. Depending on where you purchased your plan, you may have to cancel on iTunes or through your mobile service provider or internet provider.
You Cannot Cancel via App
Currently, there is no way to cancel Spotify Premium in the app. Spotify does not offer a way to sign up for or cancel Spotify Premium in the app; it must be done online through iTunes, or through your mobile or internet provider.
Spotify apologizes to users with this message in the app: “You can’t upgrade to Premium in the app. We know, it’s not ideal.”
How to Cancel on iPhone
There are essentially two ways to cancel Spotify Premium on your phone, but unfortunately, it’s not through the Spotify app.
First, if you signed up for Spotify Premium through iTunes, then you’ll have to cancel through iTunes. Otherwise, you’ll need to do it in your internet browser app, like Safari or Chrome.
If you purchased Spotify Premium with iTunes, you can cancel your subscription in your iPhone settings. On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, follow these steps:
- Open your Settings app
- Click on your name
- Click on Subscriptions
- Select Spotify
- If you don’t see Spotify listed, try canceling on a computer. See the next section for instructions on how to do this.
- Click Cancel Subscription
If you didn’t purchase Spotify Premium through iTunes, open your web browser and follow the same instructions for how to cancel on a computer.
iTunes: If you purchased Spotify Premium through Apple iTunes, you’ll need to cancel with Apple instead of with Spotify. To cancel with iTunes, you can follow the same instructions for how to cancel on an iPhone.
How to Cancel on Android
On any Android device, follow these steps to cancel Spotify Premium:
- Open a web browser (any browser will do)
- Go to accounts.spotify.com
- Log in with your account information
- Click Account settings
- Tap subscription
- Select Change or Cancel
- Finally, click Cancel Premium and Yes, Cancel
How to Cancel on PC or Mac
To cancel Spotify Premium on any computer, follow these steps:
- Log into your Spotify account at spotify.com/account
- Locate Your Plan and select CHANGE PLAN
- Scroll down to Spotify Free and select CANCEL PREMIUM
Alternatively, you can cancel Spotify Premium by filling out this form and sharing it with Spotify.
If your account is already set to Spotify Free, you have nothing to cancel, and there is no charge for the account. However, if you have more than one Spotify account, you could be getting charged on another one. Try logging out and back in to check other accounts.
If you don’t have the option to change your plan, which means that your plan is part of your mobile provider or internet provider. See the next section on how to cancel with them.
How to Cancel on Mobile or Internet Provider
If your purchased Spotify Premium through your mobile or internet provider, then you may not be able to cancel through your Spotify account. According to Spotify Support, you should be able to cancel by contacting them on your account page under Payment. This should pull up what service provider you got Spotify Premium through. You may need to visit their website or call their customer support to get it canceled.
However, if you can’t remember and find which service provider you signed up for Spotify Premium with, then you can simply call Spotify customer support and they will walk you through how to cancel.
How To Confirm Cancellation
You should get a confirmation notice after you have completed the cancellation process, but if you want to double-check that your Spotify Premium membership is canceled, follow these steps.
- Log in to your account at spotify.com/account
- Select Your Plan
- Look for the option to Change or Cancel
If the option to change or cancel is not available, then you know you don’t have a Spotify Premium subscription anymore. If it is available, select Cancel Premium to end your subscription.
If you have any troubles canceling Spotify Premium or verifying that it’s canceled, you can always contact Spotify support. They are generally pretty responsive and will do their best to help you out.
What Happens When You Cancel
Even after you cancel Spotify Premium, you still have access to Premium services until your trial runs out.
You can keep your playlists and saved music. After your account switches back to free, you can still access everything in your Spotify account; however, you will now have to deal with ads.
Can You Keep Your Downloaded Files After You Cancel Spotify? Unfortunately, once you cancel Spotify Premium, you cannot keep your songs downloaded.
They will still be available on your playlists and under ‘likes’, but they will not be available for offline listening.
What You Need to Know Canceling Spotify Premium:
- Spotify Premium is $9.99 a month (about $120 a year)
- You can cancel Spotify Premium at any time under your account options
- If you cancel before your trial ends, you will still have full access until the trial ends
- If you cancel after your card has been charged, you will still have access to Spotify Premium until the next billing period
- Even after you cancel Spotify Premium, you will still have your saved music and playlists
- After canceling premium you will lose downloaded music and go back to music with ads
- Once you cancel, your credit card information is removed and Spotify will no longer charge you
It is Possible to Get Refund
Spotify does not typically offer refunds when you cancel Spotify Premium. However, you might be able to get help with a refund if you contact customer support directly.
According to some Spotify customers, they have reported getting a refund through chatting live with a support agent.
If you do get a customer support agent to agree to issue you a refund, it can take a few days to process.
Spotify says that the time to get your refund will depend on your payment provider (AKA your bank) but typically takes three to five business days.
As a rule of thumb, Spotify always refunds purchases that were incorrect or if you got multiple charges.
However, Spotify can never refund gift cards or payments through iTunes or other third parties.
If you signed up for Spotify Premium with iTunes, you’ll have to contact them about getting a refund. Reaching out to their customer service is probably your best bet.
Spotify Premium vs Spotify Standard
There are several perks of upgrading to Spotify Premium including unlimited skips, downloads, and no ads, but at $9.99 a month (about $120 a year) you have to decide if it is worth it for you.
The table below shows the common differences between Spotify Premium and Spotify Standard.
| Feature | Spotify Standard | Spotify Premium |
| Skip tracks | Skip 6 tracks per hour | Unlimited skips |
| Song select | Can only select an album or playlist to play/shuffle from on mobile, but on a desktop, you can select any specific song | On-demand playback: you can select specific songs to play at any time on any device |
| Ads | Frequent ads | No ads |
| Downloads | Cannot download songs | Download unlimited tracks for offline listening |
| Year in wrap | Get an annual “Your Year Wrapped” based on your music listening habits | Get an annual “Your Year Wrapped” based on your music listening habits |
| Tailored suggestions | Get tailored music suggestions based on your listening habits | Get tailored music suggestions based on your listening habits |
| Collaborative playlists | Can create collaborative playlists with friends | Can create collaborative playlists with friends |
| Song access | Access to all songs (some artists release their music to only Premium users at first) | |
| Sound quality | 128kbps max on desktop, 160kbps max on mobile | 320kbps max on desktop and mobile |
However, if you enjoyed the benefits of Spotify Premium you may be able to get a discount for students, couples, or families and still have access to all the features of Spotify Premium. You can switch to any of these types of accounts without canceling. You should be able to switch to a discounted account at spotify.com/account, but if you have any troubles contact Spotify customer support for help.
Spotify Student
If you’re a full-time college student, you can get a Spotify Premium Student subscription for $4.99 a month, which includes a subscription to SHOWTIME and Hulu.
Spotify Duo
Or you can split a subscription with Premium Duo for $12.99 a month, which gives you two separate accounts and joint song mixes you can simultaneously listen to.
Spotify Family
Spotify Premium Family is $14.99 a month and it has similar features to the Spotify Duo so that families can listen to a “Family Mix” altogether. Parents can also set up restrictions for children’s accounts with Spotify Premium Family.
