Cancelling auto-renewal does not end your VPN service. It only stops the next recurring charge from happening behind your back. Do it 30 days before the renewal date and you keep all the leverage. Do it after, and you are negotiating for a refund instead.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
Log in to your VPN account, find the billing or subscription page, and turn off the auto-renew toggle. Confirm by email. Your VPN keeps working until the end of the term you already paid for. The next charge does not happen.
The only complication is where you bought the VPN. If you signed up through the VPN provider's website, you cancel on their site. If you signed up through the App Store or Google Play, you cancel through the store. Cancelling in the wrong place does nothing.
Same idea everywhere, slightly different paths.
Log in at my.nordaccount.com. Open Billing. Find the subscription, click "Cancel Auto-Renewal," confirm. Watch for the confirmation email so you know it actually went through.
Sign in at expressvpn.com. Go to the dashboard, then Subscription. Click "Turn off automatic renewal" and confirm. ExpressVPN's renewal practices are currently the subject of a $50M class-action lawsuit, so check the confirmation email carefully.
Log in at surfshark.com. Go to Account, then Settings, then Subscription. Click "Manage subscription" and toggle auto-renewal off. The change is immediate and the recurring charge stops.
Sign in at account.proton.me. Go to Subscription. Click "Manage subscription" and turn off auto-renewal. Proton lets you do this without downgrading the account, which used to be required.
Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. Find the VPN. Tap Cancel Subscription. Service runs to the end of the period. Cancelling in the VPN app itself does nothing for App Store accounts.
Open the Play Store, tap your profile, then Payments and Subscriptions, then Subscriptions. Find the VPN, tap Cancel Subscription, and confirm. Same rule as App Store accounts: cancelling in the VPN app does nothing.
Service does not stop. The provider sends a confirmation email and your subscription keeps running until the end of the period you paid for. Most providers also send one or two "we'd love you back" emails as the term gets close to ending. Those are not the same as renewal charges.
On the renewal date, the subscription expires. The VPN apps continue to install but the connection stops working. If you want to renew, you can do it manually from the same billing page, often at the same intro price the provider was offering new customers.
The whole point of doing this 30 days early is to give yourself time. Time to compare, time to switch, time to ask for a discount. Cancellations done in the last 24 hours usually mean paying whatever the renewal price is.
The mistake most people make is cancelling auto-renewal once and assuming the problem is solved. It is not. If you renew manually next year and forget to keep auto-renew off, you are back where you started. The pattern that holds up:
Following the steps above. Save the confirmation email so you have proof if a charge appears anyway.
30 days before the term ends. The reminder is what gets you to compare prices and decide whether to renew at all.
If you choose to renew, check the auto-renew setting again right after. Some providers re-enable it on every new term.
For the full reminder setup, see the VPN subscription reminder pillar. If you already missed the cutoff, see what to do after a surprise auto-renewal.
Cancel any time before the renewal date and the recurring charge will not happen. The safest cutoff is 48 hours before the renewal date, since some providers process payments early and refunds for charges that already cleared can take days. A reminder set 30 days out gives you a comfortable buffer.
No. Cancelling auto-renewal only stops the next recurring charge. Your service continues normally until the end of the period you already paid for. If you decide to keep the VPN, you can usually re-enable auto-renew or renew manually before the term ends.
Log in to your Nord Account at my.nordaccount.com. Open the Billing section. Find the active VPN subscription and click "Cancel Auto-Renewal." Confirm. You will receive an email confirming the change. Service continues until the current term ends.
Sign in at expressvpn.com. Go to your account dashboard, then Subscription. Click "Turn off automatic renewal" and confirm. ExpressVPN sends a confirmation email. If you bought through the App Store or Google Play, you must cancel through that store instead.
Log in at surfshark.com, go to Account, then Settings, then Subscription. Click "Manage subscription" and turn off auto-renewal. The change takes effect immediately and the recurring charge stops, while your service runs to the end of the paid period.
Cancel through the store, not the VPN provider. On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, find the VPN, and tap Cancel Subscription. On Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile, then Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions, and cancel from there. Cancelling in the VPN app itself does nothing for store-billed accounts.
Set a free VPN renewal reminder. You'll get an email 30 days before your renewal so you have time to cancel auto-renew on your terms, not the provider's.
Set My VPN ReminderLast modified: