4 Things To Know Before Canceling Your Netflix Account

What started as a DVD rental company has grown into a mammoth entertainment service, essentially rendering cable television useless. The rise of Netflix and other streaming platforms has facilitated people to enjoy their favorite TV shows or movies from the comfort of their homes. 

Ironically, streaming platforms have embodied the very issue they set out to solve — to eliminate the need to pay for separate channels on TV just to enjoy an expansive catalog of content. It also doesn't help that Netflix has sunset its ad-free plan, meaning you'd have to spoil your movie-watching experience with ads sprinkled in between for the most basic plan. Whatever the reason may be, if you can no longer find value in paying for your Netflix account, you can opt out of your plan at any time. 

However, there are a few things you should consider before you go ahead and cancel your Netflix subscription. 

From regretting watching an awful movie recommendation to spending hours on end binging on the latest season of whatever's trending — we've all been there. If the decision to cancel your Netflix plan has sprouted due to uncontrollable screen times or a busier-than-usual temporary schedule, you'd be delighted to find out that the streaming giant has still found a way to keep you glued to your subscription.

Jokes aside, Netflix's "Pause Membership" feature is great if you want to take a break to focus on work or school. This feature is only available to users who have subscribed to one of the higher-tier Netflix plans using a credit or debit card. Once you've paused your membership, you can continue to use it normally till your next billing date — after that, you will lose access to Netflix for the next month. Your subscription automatically renews after a month. During this time, you can still browse Netflix and add shows or movies to your watchlist but will lose access to any online or downloaded content.

To pause your Netflix subscription for a month, go to the Cancel Membership page and select "Pause for 1 Month." If you wish to extend your break for another month, go to the Your Account page and click on "Extend Pause."  You can stretch a subscription pause for a total of three months at a time. This is also where you can find the option to unpause your membership at any time.

With over 250 million paid subscribers, perhaps Netflix finds it easier and more cost-effective to simply get rid of old data. This is exactly what happens to your Netflix account if you stay unsubscribed for over 10 months. Netflix stores your watch history, recommendations, ratings, and other account details that make it easy to switch between devices and still have your entire catalog carried over.

When you return to Netflix after pausing or canceling your membership, you'll start where you left off. Unfortunately, 10 months is all Netflix gives its users before nuking their account details. While a streaming platform doesn't store essential user data, you might find it annoying to come back to it months later just to realize you forgot which episode of "Breaking Bad" you were supposed to watch next, with no easy indication of where you had stopped before.

If you have been playing games on Netflix, this is yet another consideration to worry about when canceling your membership for a long period. Despite a few games offering cloud save on the platform, these saves are made to your Netflix profile and are affected in the same way as the rest of your account information. 

Surprisingly, there is very little friction in restarting your Netflix membership. Apart from promotional emails and notifications if you still have the app installed on your phone, a simple login and button press is enough for your Netflix subscription to begin again. Since Netflix stores your credit or debit card details for automatic renewal every month, you don't need further authentication before resubscribing to a plan. 

Despite Netflix's new password-sharing restrictions, most of us continue to find ways to give access to our accounts to friends and family. However, this means anybody with the login credentials to your Netflix account can accidentally restart your membership and end up charging you for another month. The simplest way to avoid this is to change your account's password. To be extra cautious, head to the Your Account page, and under the Security & Privacy section, click on the "Sign out of all devices" option. 

Like most subscription-based services, your access to Netflix's catalog of movies and TV shows doesn't immediately come to a halt the moment you cancel your plan. You can continue using Netflix till the last day of your billing period. For example, if you pay for your account on day 21 of each month and cancel your subscription on day 7, you still have around two weeks to enjoy your favorite content. To find out the exact renewal date, visit the Billing Activity page on your computer or phone through a web browser.

There is one exception to this rule, though. If your account was on hold for whatever reason, it will be shut down the moment you cancel your plan. An account can be on hold for a few reasons, the most common one being a failed transaction for the month prior. If you aren't able to use your Netflix account despite being charged, contact support or check with your bank.