# Cancelling Magazine Subscriptions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025 "2011-06-10T20:55:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/1 "2011-06-10T20:55:44Z")
Anybody have luck in cancelling a mag subscription lately? Some subscriptions showed up on my credit card statement and I want to cancel them. The customer service number is automated and doesn’t include a “cancel” option. It offers the option to go online, to WWW.magazineoutlet. com, but again no “cancel” option. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/2 "2011-06-10T22:46:37Z")
I never give my credit card number, I always manage my subscriptions by check so they have to send me an invoice, I cancel it in writing. I am down to 2 magazines, Archeology and Fortean Times [and I wish they would stop publishing in tiny white printing on random colors for a lot of their articles…my eyes are not getting any younger] ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/3 "2011-06-10T22:50:56Z")
They want you to call so they can beg you into not canceling. I am gonna cancel my AT&T DSL and they’ll start the begging but they’re gonna have to give me the online rate to keep with the caps ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/4 "2011-06-10T22:54:05Z")
There was a time when you could write “obscene material - return -discontinue” on almost anything and toss it back in the mail and that would be the end of it. I had to resort to this to discontinue a rather nice gardening magazine which kept sending me the magazine and sending me threatening bills. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/5 "2011-06-12T15:52:07Z")
When you call [magazineoutlet.com](http://magazineoutlet.com), the first selection after you selct voice or key commands for your call is “cancel options”. 1-800-927-9578 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/6 "2011-06-12T16:39:04Z")
Your question’s been answered but I want to plug Amazon for magazine subscriptions. One, they’re cheaper, and two, you can cancel via Amazon (on Your Account page), and they notify the magazine for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/7 "2011-06-13T00:38:21Z")
> [@11811](#): > > Anybody have luck in cancelling a mag subscription lately? Some subscriptions showed up on my credit card statement and I want to cancel them. The customer service number is automated and doesn’t include a “cancel” option. It offers the option to go online, to WWW.magazineoutlet. com, but again no “cancel” option. Don’t even bother trying to cancel with the magazine. The ‘businessmen’ who have their charges ‘show up on my credit card statement’ are basically crooks, and of course will make it as hard as possible for you to cancel the subscription. Just dispute the charge with your credit card company, and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/8 "2011-06-13T12:54:53Z")
I had to cancel about 30 magazine subscriptions when my Mom died. Called the toll-free number in each magazine, said “please cancel & send me a refund”, didn’t even mentiuon why. Got all my cancellations done in about 3 hours & all the refunds arrived within a month. Not hard and zero hassle. This was about 3 years ago, but I doubt things have changed much since then. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-magazine-subscriptions/585025/9 "2011-06-13T15:33:36Z")
Another vote for disputing the charge with your credit card company. This was the way I got several subscriptions cancelled. Apparently (!) I somehow “agreed” to renewal of the free-trial subscriptions when I used a store credit card to purchase clothing. They claimed that my signature on the clothing purchase authorized the extension and payment. A simple call to the credit card company resulted in reversal of the charges. Annoying–but a lesson learned regarding fine-print in free-trial offers.