How to Cancel Subscriptions and Memberships After a Death

Recurring charges don’t stop when someone dies. Streaming services, gym memberships, insurance premiums, software subscriptions — they all keep billing until someone cancels them. Here’s how to find them all and stop the charges.

How to Find All Subscriptions

Check bank and credit card statements. Go back 3 months and highlight every recurring charge. This is the most reliable way to find subscriptions.

Check their email. Search for “subscription,” “receipt,” “renewal,” and “billing.” Most services send confirmation emails.

Check their phone. Look at installed apps — many have associated subscriptions (through Apple App Store or Google Play).

Check the mail. Some memberships (AAA, warehouse clubs, professional organizations) send physical renewal notices.

Common Subscriptions to Cancel

Streaming & Media

Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube Premium, Apple Music, Audible, Kindle Unlimited, cable/satellite TV

Software & Cloud

iCloud, Google One, Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, Dropbox, domain registrations, web hosting

Health & Fitness

Gym memberships, fitness apps, meal delivery, vitamin subscriptions, telehealth services

Insurance & Financial

Auto insurance, renters/homeowners insurance, supplemental health plans, roadside assistance (AAA)

Shopping & Delivery

Amazon Prime, Walmart+, Costco, meal kits (HelloFresh, Blue Apron), pet food delivery

Memberships

Professional associations, unions, alumni organizations, clubs, magazine subscriptions, newspaper delivery

How to Cancel

Most subscriptions can be canceled by phone or online. Here’s the general process:

Call the company’s customer service line. Say you need to cancel an account due to a death. Most companies have a bereavement process.

Have the death certificate ready. Some companies require a copy — they may accept a faxed or emailed version.

Ask about refunds. Many companies will prorate unused portions of annual subscriptions or refund recent charges.

Get confirmation in writing. Ask for an email or letter confirming the cancellation and any final charges or refunds.

Apple and Google Subscriptions

Many subscriptions are billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play. These need to be canceled through those platforms, not the individual companies.

Apple: Contact Apple Support with a death certificate. They have a Digital Legacy process and can help cancel all App Store subscriptions.

Google: Submit a request through Google’s Inactive Account Manager or contact support with a death certificate to close the account and stop all billing.

The average person has 12 active subscriptions. Finding and canceling all of them takes hours of phone calls, hold music, and paperwork.

Don’t want to handle this yourself?

Koda Vault handles all of this for you — every phone call, every form, every follow-up. We move at your pace, and we treat your loved one’s affairs with the same care you would.

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