The new year has arrived, and plenty of people are opting to try and save money in 2026. If you’re looking for ways to get your budget under control, canceling the streaming services you aren’t using is a great place to start. While cutting the cord might have been a cost-saving maneuver years ago, new streaming services and price hikes have made keeping those subscriptions almost as expensive as a cable subscription.
New data from market research firm Park Associates estimates that the average streaming subscriber pays $109 per month for six services.
It seems like every month also brings new streaming price increases — in October, Disney Plus and Hulu raised prices and HBO Max bumped up the cost of all of its plans. Rather than keeping all of your streaming services and busting your budget, consider canceling the ones you aren’t regularly watching.
Whether you’re planning to scrap all of your streaming services and set up a Plex server or you just want to cancel one specific service, we have the info you need. Read on to learn all the details about how to cancel your subscriptions for the biggest streaming providers.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
First, find and manage your subscriptions
The first step in determining which streaming services to cancel is remembering exactly which services you’re paying for. After all, if you’re borrowing your roommate’s Netflix subscription, you won’t need to worry about the bill at the end of the month.
Decluttering your digital life by canceling subscriptions you no longer need isn’t always straightforward, and some services have more hoops to jump through than others. Third-party software from platforms like Gmail can make it a little bit easier. Overall, you’ll need to find where you signed up for a streaming subscription to properly cancel it. This might mean your cable provider, Amazon or even your Apple device. For services like Amazon, Roku or Apple, just pop into the settings menu and check your subscriptions and you should be able to find (and cancel) the subscription you don’t want to keep.
Once you’ve figured out which subscriptions are no longer worth it, it’s time to cancel the ones you’re ready to leave behind.
How to cancel your Netflix subscription
Netflix makes it a breeze to cancel your subscription. It should only take a minute or two.
- Sign in to your Netflix account.
- Navigate to the Manage Your Membership page.
- Select Cancel.
- Select Finish Cancellation.
Voila! Your Netflix subscription will be canceled and you’ll lose access to it at the end of your current billing cycle.
How to cancel your Prime Video subscription
If you have a Prime Video subscription, canceling it can be a bit tricky. First, you need to figure out whether you have a stand-alone subscription or if it’s bundled with an Amazon Prime membership. It’s also possible to cancel Amazon Prime but keep Prime Video, which might be a good option if you’re not regularly using the rest of your Prime membership.
- Open Amazon, and navigate to Account & Settings.
- Select the Your Account tab.
- Select End Subscription to cancel Prime Video.
How to cancel Disney Plus
Disney Plus is available as a single service and part of a bundle that includes Hulu and/or ESPN Plus, or Hulu and HBO Max. If Disney is the service provider for your bundle, you can cancel the entire bundle through the Disney Plus website.
- Navigate to the Disney Plus website and login.
- Select your Profile.
- Select Account.
- Select your Disney Plus Subscription under Subscription.
- Select Cancel Subscription.
You’ll still have access to Disney Plus through the end of your billing period but Disney doesn’t offer refunds or credits for canceling midway through a billing period.
How to cancel Apple TV
Canceling Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV Plus) isn’t complicated once you get to the settings menu.
- Navigate to the Apple TV website.
- Sign in and then select the Account icon at the top of the screen.
- Select Settings.
- Scroll down to Subscriptions and then select Manage.
- Select Cancel Subscription.
How to cancel HBO Max
When canceling HBO Max, everything can be handled from right within the settings menu on the app or the website.
- Open HBO Max via the app or log on to your account on the website.
- Choose your Profile and then select Subscription
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Subscription page and select Cancel Subscription.
- Select Cancel Subscription again.
That’s all you need to do. You’ll still have access to HBO Max through the end of your billing cycle. If you have remaining time for an Extra Member Add-On, you’ll receive a prorated refund for the remaining days on your add-on.
How to cancel Paramount Plus
Paramount Plus is another streaming service that can be a little tricky to cancel.
- Navigate to the Paramount Plus website and login.
- Navigate to your Account Page.
- Select Cancel Subscription.
- Follow the Prompts to finish canceling your subscription.
Once your account has been canceled, you’ll again have access until the end of your current billing period. If you were trying it out during a trial period, access will end at the expiration of the trial.
How to cancel Peacock
Canceling your Peacock subscription is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. However, unlike many other streaming services, if you cancel Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus, you can still access some limited programming free.
- Navigate to the Peacock website and login.
- Select Plans & Payments.
- Select Cancel Plan.
- Select to confirm cancellation of your plan.
Once you’ve canceled Peacock, you’ll receive an email confirmation of your decision.
Read the full article here