Cancel Medium: The Right Way to Avoid Charges

How to cancel your Medium membership and stop unexpected charges

Why you might want to cancel Medium

Medium is a digital publishing platform where independent writers, journalists, and publications share long-form articles, essays, and multimedia stories. When you subscribe to a Medium membership, you unlock unlimited reading, audio narration, offline access, and the satisfaction of supporting writers you follow. But not every reader finds the value justifies the monthly or annual cost, and that's a completely legitimate decision.

You might be cancelling because your reading habits have changed, you prefer free alternatives, you're tightening your subscription budget, or you simply forgot about the recurring charge. Whatever your reason, you have the right to cancel without explaining yourself. The good news: Medium makes the process straightforward once you know exactly where to go and what to do. At Tocancel, we help you understand your rights and take confident action to stop unwanted charges.

When cancellation makes financial sense

If you signed up for Medium and haven't opened the app in months, that's a clear signal to cancel before the next billing cycle. If you're cutting back on expenses or the content no longer matches your interests, cancelling immediately prevents another charge. The key is acting before your renewal date so you don't pay for a period you won't use. Most people who cancel Medium report they made the decision within weeks of signing up, realizing the content library wasn't what they expected.

The cost of staying versus leaving

Medium's subscription fees add up faster than you might think, especially if you're paying for multiple memberships across different platforms. Cancelling Medium frees up cash you can redirect toward priorities that matter more to you right now. Use Tocancel to track when your membership renews, and mark your calendar so you never miss the cancellation deadline.

Understanding medium's pricing and your renewal date

Before you cancel, you need to know exactly what you're being charged and when your next bill hits.

Medium membership plans and costs

Medium offers two subscription tiers in the United States, both billed in USD.

Your renewal date is crucial. If you subscribed monthly, Medium charges you every 30 days. If you chose an annual plan, you face a large charge once per year. Before you cancel, log into your account and find your exact billing date so you understand when your final charge will occur and how much time you have to cancel.

Why medium's refund policy matters

Medium does not offer prorated refunds if you cancel mid-cycle or mid-year. This means if you pay $50 for an annual membership and cancel three months in, you will not receive $37.50 back. You simply lose access to the service once your billing period ends. This is standard practice for many subscription services, but it's important to understand before you act. Cancel as close to your renewal date as possible so you extract maximum value from the payment you've already made.

Your consumer rights when cancelling subscriptions

Federal and state laws protect you when you cancel an automatic renewal service like Medium.

The restore online shoppers confidence act (ROSCA)

ROSCA is a federal law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It requires that subscription companies like Medium make cancellation as easy as the signup process. Your legal position is clear: you have the right to cancel online, without calling a phone number, visiting a physical location, or jumping through complicated steps. If Medium makes cancellation deliberately hard to find or requires you to use a method that doesn't exist (like calling customer service when no phone line is listed), that violates ROSCA. The FTC investigates these violations and can impose significant penalties on companies that break the rules.

Your right to cancel before the next charge

Federal law gives you the explicit right to stop charges before your next billing date. Medium must allow you to cancel online, and the company must send you written confirmation that your cancellation was processed. This confirmation is your proof. If Medium charges you again after you cancel, that charge is unauthorized, and you have grounds to dispute it with your payment processor or credit card company. Always save a screenshot or email confirmation of your cancellation request.

State-level subscription laws

Many US states, including California, New York, Illinois, and Virginia, have enacted their own subscription cancellation laws that go beyond ROSCA. These state laws typically require subscription companies to present clear, easy-to-understand cancellation terms before you sign up, and they mandate a simple online cancellation method. If Medium violates these standards, you can file a formal complaint with your state's attorney general office. Your state enforces these laws on your behalf, giving you an additional layer of consumer protection.

How to cancel your Medium membership step by step

Medium offers multiple cancellation methods depending on how you subscribed and what device you use.

Cancel Medium through your account online

This is the most direct method and works if you subscribed directly through Medium's website.

1. Visit Medium.com and sign in with your email or social account
   • Use the same email address and password you registered with originally
   • If you've forgotten your password, click "Forgot password?" and reset it before proceeding
2. Click your profile photo or avatar in the top-right corner
   • A dropdown menu will appear
3. Select "Settings" from the menu
   • This takes you to your account dashboard
4. Click "Membership and payment" or "Subscriptions" (the exact label may vary)
   • This section shows your current plan, renewal date, and payment method
5. Look for the button or link that says "Cancel your membership"
   • Read through any confirmation prompts carefully
   • Medium may ask why you're leaving; this is optional and purely informational
6. Confirm your cancellation
   • Medium will show a message confirming your membership is cancelled
   • Take a screenshot of this confirmation as your proof
   • You retain full access until the end of your billing period

Cancel Medium if you subscribed through apple iTunes

If you signed up or renewed your Medium membership through an Apple device, you must cancel through iTunes or Apple's App Store, not through Medium's website.

1. Open the Apple App Store on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
   • Do not attempt to cancel through Medium's website; Apple controls the subscription
2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom-right corner (iPhone/iPad) or click your name at the top-right (Mac)
   • Select "Subscriptions"
3. Find Medium in your active subscriptions list
   • Tap or click on Medium
4. Tap "Cancel subscription" or "Edit subscription"
   • Confirm you want to cancel
   • Apple will send you a confirmation email
5. Keep Apple's confirmation email as proof of cancellation
   • This protects you if iTunes charges you by mistake

Cancel Medium if you subscribed through google play

If you signed up through an Android device via Google Play, cancel through Google Play, not Medium directly.

1. Open the Google Play Store app on your Android device
   • If using a desktop browser, go to play.google.com
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner
   • Select "Manage subscriptions"
3. Find Medium in your list of active subscriptions
   • Tap on Medium
4. Tap "Cancel subscription"
   • You may see a brief message asking why you're leaving
   • This is optional
5. Confirm your cancellation
   • Google Play will email you a confirmation
   • Screenshot this confirmation for your records

Medium's lack of phone support

Medium does not offer phone support or email-based cancellation. This aligns with ROSCA, which allows companies to offer cancellation online as their primary method. If you run into technical issues while cancelling online, you can reach out to Medium's support team through their help center, but you cannot cancel over the phone. At Tocancel, we recommend starting your cancellation process on a desktop browser if mobile access isn't working smoothly, as this tends to be more reliable.

What happens after you cancel Medium

Understanding what comes next removes uncertainty and helps you plan your next steps.

Your access during your final billing period

When you cancel Medium, you do not lose access immediately. Instead, you retain full membership benefits until the end of your current billing cycle. If you cancel on the 15th of the month and your next bill was due on the 28th, you keep your Medium membership until the 28th. You can still read unlimited articles, access audio narration, and download content offline during this time. This is why cancelling early in your billing cycle lets you extract the most value from the payment you've already made.

Your account and reading history after cancellation

After your membership expires, you can still access Medium as a free user. You'll see a limited number of free articles per month (typically three to five), and you'll lose access to member-exclusive stories. Your reading history, bookmarks, and follows remain on your account, so you can log back in anytime without losing your saved content. You won't be charged again unless you manually resubscribe.

Getting proof of your cancellation

Medium should send you an email confirmation of your cancellation. Check your email inbox and spam folder for a message from Medium confirming that your membership has been cancelled. If you don't receive an email within a few hours, log back into your account and verify that the cancellation went through. Your membership status should show as "Cancelled" or "Not subscribed." Take screenshots of this confirmation and save them to your files. This proof protects you if Medium charges you by mistake or claims they never received your cancellation request. Tocancel recommends keeping these records for at least six months.

Common mistakes to avoid when cancelling

Many people stumble during cancellation because they miss a small but critical step. You're not alone if this happens, and the good news is you can prevent it entirely by knowing what to watch out for.

Confusing medium's cancellation with account deletion

Cancelling your membership and deleting your account are two different actions. Cancelling stops the recurring charge but keeps your account active. Deleting your account removes all your data, bookmarks, and reading history permanently. If you only want to stop paying, cancel your membership. If you want Medium completely off your radar and are willing to lose your account history, you can request account deletion through the Settings menu, but this is a separate step. Most people simply need to cancel, not delete.

Forgetting to check which payment platform controls your subscription

This is the single biggest mistake Tocancel sees. If you subscribed through iTunes, Apple controls your subscription, not Medium. If you subscribed through Google Play, Google controls it. If you signed up directly on Medium's website, Medium controls it. Trying to cancel through the wrong platform does nothing. Before you start, check your email receipts from Medium or look at your credit card statement to see which entity charged you (Apple, Google, or Medium directly). Then cancel through that same entity. This one step prevents 80 percent of cancellation failures.

Cancelling too close to your renewal date

Some users cancel just hours before their renewal. If there's any system delay or if Medium processes the renewal before your cancellation, you could be charged. Cancel at least one to two business days before your renewal date to ensure the cancellation goes through in time. Tocancel recommends cancelling one week in advance if possible, giving the system ample time to process your request before the next charge.

Not saving your cancellation confirmation

You take a screenshot of your receipt when you buy something in person. Do the same with your Medium cancellation. Save a screenshot or the confirmation email showing that your membership was cancelled and your access ends on a specific date. If Medium charges you after this date, you'll have proof that your cancellation was valid, and your payment processor will side with you in a dispute.

Disputing unauthorized charges if Medium bills you again

Despite your cancellation, you might see a charge from Medium on your statement after your membership should have ended.

Your rights under the fair credit billing act

Federal law protects you against unauthorized charges. If Medium charges you after you cancelled, that charge is unauthorized, and you have the right to dispute it. Contact your credit card company or bank within 60 days of the unauthorized charge and ask to dispute it. Explain that you cancelled your Medium membership and provide your cancellation confirmation. Your bank or credit card company will investigate and, in most cases, refund the charge. This process typically takes 5 to 10 business days.

Filing a complaint with the federal trade commission

If Medium repeatedly charges you despite cancellation, or if the company refuses to acknowledge your cancellation, file a formal complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Include your cancellation confirmation, screenshots, and copies of unauthorized charges. The FTC investigates these complaints and takes action against companies that violate ROSCA. Your complaint also creates a public record that may help other consumers.

Should you keep or cancel Medium? a quick comparison

Not sure whether cancelling is the right move? Use this table to weigh the benefits against the costs.

If three or more reasons in the "cancel" column match your situation, cancellation makes sense. If most reasons on the "keep" side match your habits, you might hold on to your membership. Be honest with yourself about actual usage, not intended usage. Most people who cancel say they would have cancelled sooner if they'd tracked their reading frequency from the start.

Before you cancel: steps to take now

Prepare yourself for cancellation by gathering key information and creating a clear timeline.

Find your billing date and renewal cost

Log into Medium right now and write down your renewal date and the exact amount you're charged (either $5, $15, $50, or $150 depending on your plan). Knowing this date prevents you from cancelling too late and getting charged again. Set a phone reminder for two to three days before your renewal so you don't forget to cancel if you decide to do so.

Check which payment platform charges you

Review your last charge on your credit card statement or bank app. Does it show "Apple," "Google," or "Medium" as the merchant? This tells you exactly which platform to use for cancellation. Tocancel recommends taking a screenshot of this charge so you remember which payment portal to log into when you're ready to cancel.

Collect your cancellation confirmation emails and screenshots

After you cancel, immediately save a copy of your confirmation (screenshot plus email) to a dedicated folder on your computer or cloud storage. Label it clearly: "Medium Cancellation - [Date]." This single folder becomes your proof if Medium charges you by mistake. Having your evidence organized makes any dispute much faster to resolve.

Your cancellation checklist

Use this checklist to ensure you cancel Medium correctly and protect yourself against future charges.

• I found my exact renewal date and the amount Medium charges me
• I confirmed which payment platform controls my subscription (Medium, Apple, or Google)
• I cancelled my subscription at least one to two business days before my renewal date
• I received and saved a confirmation email or screenshot showing my cancellation was successful
• I verified that my account now shows "Cancelled" or "Not subscribed" status
• I set a reminder to check my bank statement on my next renewal date to ensure no charge went through
• I saved my cancellation confirmation to a dedicated folder with a clear date label
• I noted Medium's address and the FTC's contact information in case I need to file a dispute

Medium's cancellation address and support contact

If you need to escalate a complaint or reach Medium's corporate office, you can contact them at the following address or through their support portal:

Medium
760 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

For subscription issues, use Medium's in-app support or visit their help center at help.medium.com. Medium does not list a phone number, so all communication is via email or their online help portal. If Medium fails to honor your cancellation request and continues to charge you, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and contact your state's attorney general office.

Take action now and stop unwanted charges

Cancelling your Medium membership takes fewer than five minutes if you follow the steps in this guide. You have the legal right to cancel at any time, and federal law ensures the process is simple and straightforward. Whether you've decided Medium no longer fits your needs or you're cutting expenses, your decision is valid, and you deserve to stop the charges immediately. Tocancel has helped thousands of consumers cancel unwanted subscriptions, dispute unauthorized charges, and reclaim their money. Visit Tocancel.com to track all your subscriptions, set cancellation reminders, and access expert guides for cancelling any service. Your financial control starts with knowing your rights and taking confident action, and Tocancel is here to support you every step of the way.