Spotify Premium is $12.99 a month now — up 30% since 2023, and the Family plan jumped to $21.99. If that’s why you’re here, you have two options: cancel outright (free, two minutes, no fee), or drop to a cheaper plan Spotify doesn’t advertise and keep ad-free music for $10.99.
Both paths are below, plus the one trap that catches most people: the mobile app can’t cancel anything, and if Apple or Google bills you, Spotify’s own site can’t either.
Prices verified September 2026. Spotify changes plan names and prices without much notice — the account page always shows what you’re actually paying.
First: Who Bills You? (This Decides Everything)
Go to spotify.com/account in a browser, log in, and look at Your plan. It says one of three things:
- A card or PayPal and a next billing date → you pay Spotify directly. Cancel on the website.
- “Billed through Apple” / “Google Play” → Spotify literally cannot cancel it. Cancel in that store.
- A phone carrier or a bundle (Verizon, AT&T, a Hulu bundle, etc.) → cancel with the carrier or bundle, not Spotify.
⚠️ The #1 reason people “cancel” and keep getting charged: they cancel on spotify.com while Apple or Google is the one billing them. Spotify shows the plan as ended, the App Store keeps charging. Always cancel where the money leaves.
How to Cancel Spotify Premium on the Website
For direct billing (card or PayPal). Use a browser on your phone or computer — the Spotify app has no cancel button, on purpose.
✅ Done. You keep Premium until the date shown, then drop to Free. There’s no cancellation fee and nothing else to do.
Billed Through Apple, Google Play, or a Carrier?
Cancel where the charge comes from. Spotify’s site will just show a “manage in App Store / Google Play” message.
Don’t Want to Lose Ad-Free Music? Pay Less Instead
Most people canceling over the price increase don’t know these exist, because Spotify doesn’t put them on the front of the plans page:
To switch: same path as canceling — spotify.com/account → Manage your subscription — but pick Basic (or Student/Duo/Family) instead of scrolling down to Free. The change applies at your next billing date. If you never listen to audiobooks on Spotify, Basic is a $24/year raise you can undo in one click.
💡 Already in a Family plan someone else pays for? You can’t downgrade just yourself. Ask the manager to remove you, then sign up for Basic or Student on your own account. Your playlists come with you.
What Happens After You Cancel
You keep Premium until the end of the billing period you already paid for, then the account flips to Free automatically. Nothing is deleted.
- Playlists, liked songs, followed artists, and history stay. Come back in two years and they’re still there.
- Downloads stop working. Offline listening is Premium-only; the files go grey on the Free tier.
- Ads come back, and on mobile you’re limited to shuffle play on most playlists with a handful of skips per hour.
- Lossless audio and audiobook hours go away.
⚠️ Family or Duo manager? Canceling the plan cancels it for everyone on it, on the same date. Tell the other members first — they’ll each need their own plan or they drop to Free.
FAQ
Can I cancel Spotify Premium in the mobile app?
No. The iPhone and Android apps have no cancel option. Open spotify.com/account in your phone’s browser instead — it works fine on mobile. If Apple or Google bills you, use their subscription settings.
Will Spotify refund me if I cancel mid-month?
In the US, no — you keep Premium until the paid period ends instead. The exception is a charge you didn’t intend (a forgotten trial, a duplicate subscription): contact Spotify support within a few days and they often refund the most recent payment as a one-time courtesy. Apple and Google have their own refund request forms for charges they billed.
I’m on a free trial — when should I cancel?
For direct Spotify trials, canceling usually lets you keep Premium until the trial end date, but some promotional trials end access immediately. Safest move: set a reminder for two days before the trial ends and cancel then. Apple-billed trials always run to the end date after you cancel.
I canceled but I’m still being charged. Why?
Almost always one of two things: you canceled on spotify.com but Apple/Google is the biller (cancel there), or you have a second Spotify account — often one created with Facebook or Google login — that’s the one actually subscribed. Search your email for “Spotify receipt” to find which address it goes to.
Can I come back later?
Yes, anytime, from the same account page. Everything you saved is still there. Spotify also regularly emails ex-subscribers a discounted “come back” offer a month or two after you leave — worth waiting for if you’re on the fence.
Bottom line: check who bills you, cancel there, and wait for the confirmation email. And if the $12.99 price is the only problem, Basic at $10.99 keeps everything but audiobooks.
Cutting more subscriptions? See how to cancel Hulu but keep Disney+ and how to cancel Amazon Prime.