Spotify is the UK's most popular music streaming service, with over 25 million UK users. Cancelling Premium should be simple — and it mostly is, unless you subscribed through Apple or Google, in which case it's a different process entirely.
This guide walks through every cancellation method: direct billing, App Store, Google Play, family plans, student plans, and free trials. No fluff, no upsells.
Before you cancel: what you need to know
A few things worth knowing before you hit cancel:
- You keep access until the end of your billing period — cancelling doesn't cut you off immediately
- You don't lose anything — playlists, saved songs, followers, and listening history all stay on your account
- You drop to Spotify Free — with adverts, limited skips, and no offline downloads
- You can resubscribe at any time — Spotify sometimes offers returning-customer discounts
In short: there's no penalty for cancelling, and nothing permanent happens.
How to check who bills you for Spotify
The most common reason people struggle to cancel Spotify is that they're trying to cancel in the wrong place. Spotify can be billed three ways:
- Spotify directly — you signed up on spotify.com or in the app and pay by card
- Apple (App Store) — you subscribed via your iPhone or iPad
- Google Play — you subscribed via an Android device
To check: go to spotify.com/account and look under Your plan. It will tell you who manages your subscription.
If your Spotify account page says your subscription is managed by Apple or Google, you cannot cancel through Spotify. You must cancel through the platform that bills you — instructions for both are below.
How to cancel Spotify Premium (billed by Spotify directly)
If you pay Spotify directly by debit or credit card:
- Go to spotify.com/account on a browser (not the app)
- Log in to your account
- Scroll down to Your plan
- Click Change plan
- Select Cancel Premium
- Confirm when prompted
Your Premium features stay active until the end of the current billing period. After that, your account switches to Spotify Free automatically.
How to cancel Spotify billed through Apple (iPhone/iPad)
If you subscribed via the App Store, Spotify can't cancel it for you — Apple manages the billing.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad
- Open Settings
- Tap your name at the top
- Tap Subscriptions
- Find Spotify in the list
- Tap Cancel Subscription
- Confirm
Cancel on a Mac or via the web
- Go to reportaproblem.apple.com or open the App Store on your Mac
- Sign in with your Apple ID
- Click your name, then Subscriptions
- Find Spotify and click Cancel
If Spotify doesn't appear in your Apple subscriptions, you're not billed through Apple — go back to the Spotify website method above.
How to cancel Spotify billed through Google Play (Android)
If you subscribed via the Google Play Store:
- Open the Google Play Store app
- Tap your profile icon (top right)
- Tap Payments & subscriptions
- Tap Subscriptions
- Find Spotify
- Tap Cancel subscription
- Confirm
Alternatively, go to play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions on a browser.
The most common reason Spotify cancellation "doesn't work" is because people try to cancel on the Spotify website when Apple or Google manages their billing. If your Spotify account page says "managed by Apple" or "managed by Google", you must cancel through that platform instead.
How to cancel a Spotify free trial
Spotify regularly offers free trials — typically 1 month of Premium, sometimes 3 months. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, you'll be charged the full monthly price.
To cancel a free trial:
- Use the same method you signed up with (Spotify website, Apple, or Google)
- You can cancel on day one and still use the trial until it expires
- You will not be charged if you cancel before the trial period ends
This is the safest approach: sign up, cancel immediately, enjoy the trial, and decide later whether to resubscribe.
How to cancel Spotify Family plan
Spotify Family (up to 6 accounts, one payment) can only be cancelled by the plan manager — the person who set it up and pays the bill.
- The plan manager goes to spotify.com/account
- Under Your plan, select Change plan
- Select Cancel Premium
When the Family plan is cancelled, all members lose Premium at the end of the billing period. Individual members cannot cancel just their own access — only the plan manager can make changes.
If you're a member (not the manager) and want to leave, ask the plan manager to remove you — or simply start your own individual subscription.
How to cancel Spotify Duo
Spotify Duo (for two people at one address) follows the same process as Individual. Only the person who pays can cancel.
- Go to spotify.com/account
- Under Your plan, choose Change plan
- Select Cancel Premium
How to cancel Spotify Student
Spotify Student is a discounted Premium plan verified through SheerID. It works the same as individual Premium for cancellation:
- Go to spotify.com/account
- Under Your plan, choose Change plan
- Select Cancel Premium
Worth knowing: Spotify Student requires annual re-verification. If you don't re-verify, you'll be automatically switched to the full-price Individual plan. Cancelling before that happens avoids an unexpected price increase.
What happens after you cancel Spotify Premium?
After cancellation takes effect:
- Adverts — you'll hear ads between songs
- Limited skips — on mobile, you can only skip 6 times per hour
- No offline downloads — downloaded songs become unavailable
- Lower audio quality — the highest quality tier is Premium-only
- Shuffle only on mobile — you can't pick specific songs on mobile (with some exceptions)
Everything else stays: playlists, saved albums, followers, listening history, and your Wrapped data.
Spotify UK pricing (2026)
For reference, current UK pricing as of early 2026:
| Plan | Price | Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | £11.99/month | 1 |
| Duo | £16.99/month | 2 |
| Family | £19.99/month | Up to 6 |
| Student | £5.99/month | 1 |
Spotify has increased UK prices multiple times in recent years. If you're not using it regularly, the cost adds up — £143.88/year for Individual, or £239.88/year for Family.
Alternatives to full cancellation
If you're not sure you want to cancel permanently, you have options:
- Downgrade to Free — keep your account, lose Premium features, pay nothing
- Switch plans — move from Family to Individual, or from Individual to Student (if eligible)
- Wait for a deal — Spotify regularly offers returning-user discounts (often 3 months for £9.99 or similar)
Downgrading to Free is effectively the same as cancelling — you just keep using the free version.
Quick FAQ
Can I cancel Spotify in the app?
Not directly. Spotify's mobile app doesn't have a cancel button. You need to use a web browser to visit spotify.com/account — or cancel through Apple/Google if that's how you're billed.
Will I lose my playlists if I cancel?
No. All your playlists, saved music, followers, and listening history stay on your account. You can access them on Spotify Free or when you resubscribe.
Can I get a refund from Spotify?
Spotify generally doesn't offer refunds. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, you'd need to request a refund through them. Apple's refund process is at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Why does Spotify keep charging me after I cancelled?
The most likely reason is that you cancelled in the wrong place. If you pay through Apple and cancelled on the Spotify website, the Apple subscription is still active. Check Settings > Subscriptions on your iPhone or iPad.
How do I cancel a Spotify free trial before being charged?
Cancel any time before the trial ends using the same method you signed up. You can cancel immediately and still use the trial until it expires — Spotify won't charge you.
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Final thoughts
Cancelling Spotify Premium is straightforward once you know where to do it. The only real complication is Apple and Google billing — and now you know how to handle both.
The bigger question is whether you actually use it enough to justify the cost. At nearly £144/year for an individual plan, Spotify is no longer a cheap subscription. If you're only listening occasionally, the free tier might be plenty.
And if you're on a free trial? Cancel now, enjoy it for free, and decide later. That way, the choice is yours — not the billing system's.