10 Subscription Services That Are Nearly Impossible to Cancel
Signing up for a subscription takes seconds. Canceling one can feel like trying to escape a maze blindfolded. The Federal Trade Commission noticed this pattern and reached a $2.5 billion settlement with one of America’s biggest tech companies in 2025 over deliberately complicated cancellation processes. That settlement wasn’t an anomaly. Across industries, these ten companies have turned the simple act of saying “no thanks” into an obstacle course of hidden buttons, guilt-inducing messages, and customer service loops.
Amazon Prime
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The FTC discovered Amazon’s “Iliad Flow” during an investigation that culminated in a $2.5 billion settlement in September 2025. This cancellation maze required multiple pages of navigation through retention offers before users could cancel. The final confirmation screen hid behind discount prompts and “Are you sure?” messages that often looped back to the start. Several people thought they’d successfully canceled, only to see charges continue for months.
LA Fitness
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Try canceling an LA Fitness membership, and you’ll discover the gym doesn’t always accept phone calls, emails, or app requests, depending on location and terms. Some members report needing to cancel in person or send a written notice, which can be a headache in several scenarios. The real friction is distance and time. A subscription that requires travel to end feels like it’s trying to keep you subscribed out of exhaustion.
Adobe Creative Cloud
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Adobe moved to subscriptions in 2013 and introduced a financial penalty for anyone who tries to leave early. Annual plan subscribers face early termination fees equal to half the remaining contract value. Finding the cancellation button requires digging through multiple layers of account settings, and the fee disclosure only appears on the final confirmation screen. Countless customers who wrongly assumed they’d chosen a monthly plan met a contractual wall designed to keep them subscribed.
Planet Fitness
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Planet Fitness customers discovered that canceling requires visiting their home club in person, mailing a written notice, or logging into the online member portal. The fitness company also notes policies can vary by location. Some clubs demand a 30-day notice. Others want proof of relocation. A few continue billing members after receiving cancellation letters, claiming the paperwork never arrived.
The Wall Street Journal
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The Wall Street Journal is famous for its irresistible pricing deals but not so much for its manual cancellation routes. Subscribers have reported being nudged toward chat or phone, even when sign-up was quick online. That extra step means customers get retention discounts. Decline all the offers, and you might be transferred to a second specialist with shinier deals. Hold times can stretch on until the line disconnects, forcing you to start all over.
Xbox Live
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Console settings hide the cancellation process across multiple menu layers that change depending on your subscription type. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers need to navigate to “Services & Subscriptions,” locate their specific plan among multiple Microsoft services, select “Manage,” scroll past promotional offers, and select “Turn off recurring billing.” The Xbox app on mobile redirects you to a browser. Customer support sometimes suggests turning off auto-renewal, which only prevents the next charge.
Comcast
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A 2014 customer service call went viral after a Comcast representative spent eight minutes refusing to process a cancellation. That recording captured what thousands experience regularly. Calling the dedicated retention line connects you to agents who are paid to prevent cancellations. Expect discount offers, department transfers, and lengthy questionnaires about your reasons for leaving. Frustrated customers have learned to lie about moving to areas without Comcast coverage to bypass the retention gimmicks.
Netflix
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Clicking cancel on Netflix takes seconds, but the service has a trap door built into its system. Leave the app installed on a smart TV or streaming device after canceling, and other profiles can reactivate your subscription and billing. Family members opening the app weeks later can unknowingly restart everything by clicking “restart membership.” The cancellation flow includes a “sign out of all devices” option, but it’s neither prominent nor mandatory.
SiriusXM
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SiriusXM has a long-running reputation for making cancellation feel like a customer-service endurance test. Many subscribers report getting routed into phone or live-agent steps, even if the signup started online. Retention pitches can drag on for minutes as discounts are offered like bargaining chips. In 2024, a judge found the broadcasting corporation liable for violating federal law, ordering it to simplify cancellation processes.
Chegg
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College students are the primary target for Chegg, but the cancellation window is narrow. Billing cycles renew automatically, and the renewal date is hidden in account settings. Miss the deadline by a few hours, and you’ll be charged for an additional month. Reaching customer service for a cancellation involves logging in through a desktop browser and sitting through discount offers before an agent processes the request.