How to cancel The Athletic
Last verified 2026-06-16 · official source
Steps to cancel The Athletic
- FIRST, find out where you are billed: check a recent bank or card statement or an emailed receipt. If the charge reads 'THE ATHLETIC' or 'THEATHLETIC.COM' you subscribed directly on the website. If it reads 'APPLE.COM/BILL' or 'iTunes' you are billed through Apple. If it reads 'GOOGLE' you are billed through Google Play. You must cancel on the same platform that bills you.
- WEBSITE (billed directly by The Athletic): Open a web browser, go to https://theathletic.com and sign in to your account.
- Go to your account settings at https://theathletic.com/settings/ and open the Subscription section.
- Click 'Cancel Subscription'.
- A save offer typically appears (a discounted loyalty rate and/or an offer to add 30 days free). To fully cancel, decline the offer and continue rather than clicking 'Keep Subscription'.
- Follow the remaining on-screen prompts until you see a cancellation confirmation and the date your access ends. Save or screenshot the confirmation.
- APPLE / iPhone or iPad (billed through Apple): Open the Settings app, tap your name at the top, tap 'Subscriptions', tap 'The Athletic', then tap 'Cancel Subscription' and confirm. You may need to scroll down to find the Cancel Subscription button.
- GOOGLE PLAY / Android (billed through Google): Open the Google Play Store app, tap your profile icon, tap 'Payments & subscriptions', then 'Subscriptions', select 'The Athletic', tap 'Cancel subscription', choose a reason, and confirm.
- After cancelling on any platform, your access continues until the end of the current billing period. Confirm the subscription now shows an expiration date instead of a renewal date.
Things to watch out for
- You must cancel on the SAME platform that bills you. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, cancelling on theathletic.com will NOT stop those charges, and vice versa.
- Cancelling does not refund the current term. Access continues until the end of the paid billing cycle with no proration or partial refund for unused time.
- On a free trial or intro promo, the paid subscription auto-renews unless you cancel before the trial or promo period ends. Cancel at least a day before the renewal date to avoid being charged.
- When you click Cancel on the website, a retention or save offer can pop up (a discounted loyalty rate and/or 'add 30 days free'). You must explicitly decline it and continue, or the cancellation will not complete.
- The Athletic frequently emails win-back deals (often around 40 to 50 percent off, or low promo monthly rates) after you cancel. Some people cancel and re-subscribe later at the promo rate.
- After an Apple or Google cancellation, double-check that the subscription shows an expiration date rather than a renewal date to confirm it took effect.
Refunds
Cancellation stops auto-renewal but you keep access through the end of the current paid billing period, with no proration or partial refund for unused time. For billing errors you can email support@theathletic.com. App Store and Google Play purchases are refunded only through Apple or Google per their refund policies.
The Athletic is owned by The New York Times (acquired January 2022) but maintains its own subscriber support via support@theathletic.com. Cancellation is fully self-serve with no phone call or in-person visit required. The single most important step is cancelling on the same platform that bills you (direct website vs Apple vs Google). Confidence is medium because The Athletic's own domains (theathletic.com and its former theathletic.zendesk.com help center, which is now closed) could not be fetched directly, so exact button labels and the current retention-offer amounts were corroborated across multiple consistent third-party guides plus a first-hand cancellation write-up, rather than read verbatim off an official Athletic help article. The Apple and Google in-app steps were verified against the official Apple and Google support pages. Standard pricing ($7.99/month or $71.99/year), no phone support, and the nonrefundable end-of-cycle access policy are consistent across sources.