The New York Times has earned a reputation as one of the most authoritative and informative newspapers in the world. However, for various reasons, you may one day decide you have no need for a subscription anymore. Or, perhaps a loved one has passed away, and you’re responsible for managing their digital afterlife. Canceling a New York Times subscription may be one of many tasks you may have to undertake.
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Regardless, keep reading if you’re not sure how to cancel a New York Times subscription. This guide will explain everything you need to know. For more information on a similar topic, check our guide on how to delete your online presence.
How to Cancel Your Own NYT Subscription
Canceling your own New York Times subscription is a fairly easy task. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as signing in to your account online and clicking a few buttons, but in general, the process shouldn’t take you very much time at all. You have two options:
Option 1: Call
You can call 866-273-3612 between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET on weekends and holidays to contact the relevant office. A representative will walk you through the process of canceling your subscription.
Keep in mind that they’ll typically want some sort of identification information proving you really are the person you claim to be, such as information about a credit card associated with the subscription and/or an email address. Having this information at the ready will help make the experience quick and easy.
There’s a good chance the representative will ask you for a reason why you’re canceling your subscription. This is often standard procedure. Just be aware that they can’t force you to keep a subscription you no longer want.
Note: The process of contacting The New York Times via phone to cancel a subscription may be different outside the U.S. The New York Times advises international subscribers to review the details on their international contact information page.
Option 2: Chat online
You may also cancel a New York Times subscription by chatting online with a representative. The hours are the same as above. However, if you live in California, chat is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As before, it’s smart to have identifying information on hand when you reach out.
An important note
The New York Times encourages subscribers to review their cancellation policy on the Terms of Sale page before canceling a subscription. It includes details you may wish to know about.
For example, when you cancel a New York Times subscription, the cancellation becomes effective at the end of the current billing cycle. Sometimes The New York Times offers refunds, but they choose to do so at their own discretion. They’ll typically only offer a refund if a digital product you had purchased or subscribed to became unavailable.
Additionally, some digital products that are parts of a promotion and require annual commitments, or serve as add-ons to your home delivery of the paper (such as Times Insider) may have their own separate cancellation policies. If you want to cancel those products, make sure to review the policies to make sure you’ve taken all necessary steps. Reach out to the company if you have any additional questions on this topic.
Here’s some other relevant information:
- If you subscribed to the paper or any of its related products/content to take advantage of a promotion, you typically can’t cancel during the promotional period.
- You may want to make certain changes to your subscription. If you do so, the company will offer a pro-rated credit towards your new subscription.
- You can’t cancel one-time purchases. Except in special circumstances, the company won’t offer a refund for such purchases either.
How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s NYT Subscription
The process for canceling a New York Times subscription for a deceased loved one is essentially the same as the process for canceling your own subscription. You can call the company or chat with them online.
Naturally, however, there will be some differences. The company may request that you submit proof that the individual in question is genuinely deceased, such as an obituary or death certificate. You’ll also typically have to provide documentation showing that canceling their subscription is among your executor duties or that you’re otherwise authorized to do so.
The process may also run more smoothly if you have the email and password associated with a digital subscription to the paper. If a loved one shares their passwords with you in case you ever need to manage their various accounts and subscriptions after they pass, consider using a password manager tool to keep track of all their logins.
Another option
The company states they reserve the right to cancel a subscription for any reason they wish. It’s highly likely one common reason NYT cancels subscriptions is lack of payment. When a subscriber stops paying, they can no longer access the premium content.
Keep that in mind if you’re trying to cancel a deceased loved one’s New York Times subscription. If you’re handling this duty, there’s a good chance you’re also handling similar tasks, such as canceling their credit cards.
That means there may be a way you can “indirectly” cancel their subscription. If you cancel the credit card used to pay for it, the subscription itself will also probably expire in the near future. This saves you some time. However, if you choose this option, you might still want to confirm the subscription’s status with the company in a few weeks just to be certain.
Canceling an NYT Subscription: An Easy Process
Again, while it might be easier if you could simply cancel your subscription online, for the most part, canceling a New York Times subscription doesn’t require much effort. This is true regardless of whether you’re canceling your own subscription or that of someone who recently passed away.
Sources:
- “Cancel your subscription.” The New York Times Company, help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003499613-Cancel-your-subscription
- “Terms of sale.” The New York Times Company, help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893968-Terms-of-sale#cancellation