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Illinois says that any subscription must be cancelable in the same place it's created, so if I sign up for Hulu using my smart tv,I can cancel there as well. It

Illinois says that any subscription must be cancelable in the same place it's created, so if I sign up for Hulu using my smart tv,I can cancel there as well. It's really good. People often complain about the proliferation of streaming services, but thanks to the law mentioned above, I'm able to subscribe and then immediately cancel. If I decide I want more time I can resubscribe later. I get to watch what I want with a minimum of recurring bills.

nielsbot 3y ago
This is one reason I prefer subscribing via Apple's store where possible--it's always a hassle-free cancellation and all my subscriptions are in one screen.
- javajosh 3y ago
  This is also a reason to subscribe with paypal. (Interestingly Disney+ felt it needed to send me an email every day for 3 months saying "your subscription is about to be cancelled!" after I did this. But when you go into the D+ interface, the ONLY thing you can do is update your payment information. So I did what anyone would do: marked their email as spam and got on with my life. But I can't help but wonder how many fake subscriptions D+ is floating like this...)
- throwaway287391 3y ago
  My favorite thing about Apple subscriptions is free trials. You can sign up for a trial and then immediately cancel it and still use your full trial period. No nags. No more need to make a calendar reminder "CANCEL X" on the day before (and inevitably ignore it when the day comes if you're me). It would be even better if they added a prompt on the free trial signup "Become a paid subscriber after free trial ends?" so you could just click "No" and not have to go through the few extra clicks to cancel (I sometimes have trouble finding the subscription list where you cancel tbh), but it's still infinitely better than signing up for a free trial with the subscription company directly.
  - Matheus28 3y ago
    Funny thing is that it works like this only for other apps. If you try to cancel some of Apple’s own subscriptions during the free trial, it will end immediately.
    - throwaway287391 3y ago
      Lol, damn. Didn't know that but somehow I'm not shocked.
  - latexr 3y ago
    > I sometimes have trouble finding the subscription list where you cancel tbh Create a new iOS shortcut and add an Open URLs object. Paste the following URL: https://apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions https://apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions Whenever you want to manage subscriptions, run that shortcut and you’ll be taken to the exact spot within the App Store.
    - yurishimo 3y ago
      It's not really worth going through all that. > Settings >> Apple ID (profile pic at top) >> Subscriptions It's probably the same screen, but this one is easier to find the entrypoint.
      - latexr 3y ago
        The person I replied to specifically said they have trouble finding the list. Giving them the path to get there doesn’t solve the issue, it’s like someone saying “I sometimes forget the steps” and replying “that’s not a problem, just remember the steps”. The point of the shortcut is they don’t have to remember. And it only needs to be set up once, after that it’s a single tap to reach the screen. Building the shortcut takes less time than it took me to type either comment.
        yurishimo 3y ago
        Yea, perhaps, but there are also a lot of people who don't like adding new stuff to their homescreen just to access a few times a year. The difference between the App Store vs Settings app route is that everything is much more clearly labeled in the latter case. You make a valid point though.
- hnboredhn 3y ago
  The other benefit is simply seeing the current subscriptions, even if you had to cancel elsewhere. I should be able to see on my Bank of America credit card which companies are going to bill me within a month - and either be able to block it or click a link to cancel. I feel like I've seen some smaller financial services which have this feature, but most people want to use a major credit card.
  - balderdash 3y ago
    I just put all of my recurring charges on a single credit card (car insurance, Netflix, etc.), and then don’t use that card for anything else, it makes it so much easier to track/manage.
    - throwawaymobule 3y ago
      I have a revolut account and can make virtual cards. Each service gets its own card number, and can be frozen or value-limited independently. I think 'privacy.com' is a comparable US service.
  - neilparikh 3y ago
    Capital One credit cards have this feature.
pixelatedindex 3y ago
What if companies don’t follow that? For example it’s really easy to signup for sfchronicle but they make you jump through a lot of hoops to cancel.
- pkaye 3y ago
  If you reside in California and its an online subscription, there is a law related to that. https://www.polsinelli.com/publications/subscription-service-businesses-take-notice-amendments-to-californias-automatic-renewal-law-are-here#:~:text=Cancellation%3A%20Online%20consumers%20must%20have,without%20taking%20any%20further%20steps https://www.polsinelli.com/publications/subscription-service....
  - pixelatedindex 3y ago
    Yeah there is but places like SFChronicle doesn’t care. What do you do then?
cortesoft 3y ago
California has the same law.
ryukoposting 3y ago
You can't cancel a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel subscription online. You have to call them and sit on hold for god-knows-how-long. I ended up just sending my bank a stop payment order.
- kevinmchugh 3y ago
  Did you try cancelling while in Illinois? My understanding is that some places only show the cancellation option when you're in a jurisdiction that requires it, and that a VPN can solve the problem

nielsbot 3y ago

This is one reason I prefer subscribing via Apple's store where possible--it's always a hassle-free cancellation and all my subscriptions are in one screen.

javajosh 3y ago
This is also a reason to subscribe with paypal. (Interestingly Disney+ felt it needed to send me an email every day for 3 months saying "your subscription is about to be cancelled!" after I did this. But when you go into the D+ interface, the ONLY thing you can do is update your payment information. So I did what anyone would do: marked their email as spam and got on with my life. But I can't help but wonder how many fake subscriptions D+ is floating like this...)
throwaway287391 3y ago
My favorite thing about Apple subscriptions is free trials. You can sign up for a trial and then immediately cancel it and still use your full trial period. No nags. No more need to make a calendar reminder "CANCEL X" on the day before (and inevitably ignore it when the day comes if you're me). It would be even better if they added a prompt on the free trial signup "Become a paid subscriber after free trial ends?" so you could just click "No" and not have to go through the few extra clicks to cancel (I sometimes have trouble finding the subscription list where you cancel tbh), but it's still infinitely better than signing up for a free trial with the subscription company directly.
- Matheus28 3y ago
  Funny thing is that it works like this only for other apps. If you try to cancel some of Apple’s own subscriptions during the free trial, it will end immediately.
  - throwaway287391 3y ago
    Lol, damn. Didn't know that but somehow I'm not shocked.
- latexr 3y ago
  > I sometimes have trouble finding the subscription list where you cancel tbh Create a new iOS shortcut and add an Open URLs object. Paste the following URL: https://apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions https://apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions Whenever you want to manage subscriptions, run that shortcut and you’ll be taken to the exact spot within the App Store.
  - yurishimo 3y ago
    It's not really worth going through all that. > Settings >> Apple ID (profile pic at top) >> Subscriptions It's probably the same screen, but this one is easier to find the entrypoint.
    - latexr 3y ago
      The person I replied to specifically said they have trouble finding the list. Giving them the path to get there doesn’t solve the issue, it’s like someone saying “I sometimes forget the steps” and replying “that’s not a problem, just remember the steps”. The point of the shortcut is they don’t have to remember. And it only needs to be set up once, after that it’s a single tap to reach the screen. Building the shortcut takes less time than it took me to type either comment.
      - yurishimo 3y ago
        Yea, perhaps, but there are also a lot of people who don't like adding new stuff to their homescreen just to access a few times a year. The difference between the App Store vs Settings app route is that everything is much more clearly labeled in the latter case. You make a valid point though.
hnboredhn 3y ago
The other benefit is simply seeing the current subscriptions, even if you had to cancel elsewhere. I should be able to see on my Bank of America credit card which companies are going to bill me within a month - and either be able to block it or click a link to cancel. I feel like I've seen some smaller financial services which have this feature, but most people want to use a major credit card.
- balderdash 3y ago
  I just put all of my recurring charges on a single credit card (car insurance, Netflix, etc.), and then don’t use that card for anything else, it makes it so much easier to track/manage.
  - throwawaymobule 3y ago
    I have a revolut account and can make virtual cards. Each service gets its own card number, and can be frozen or value-limited independently. I think 'privacy.com' is a comparable US service.
- neilparikh 3y ago
  Capital One credit cards have this feature.

pixelatedindex 3y ago

What if companies don’t follow that? For example it’s really easy to signup for sfchronicle but they make you jump through a lot of hoops to cancel.

pkaye 3y ago
If you reside in California and its an online subscription, there is a law related to that. https://www.polsinelli.com/publications/subscription-service-businesses-take-notice-amendments-to-californias-automatic-renewal-law-are-here#:~:text=Cancellation%3A%20Online%20consumers%20must%20have,without%20taking%20any%20further%20steps https://www.polsinelli.com/publications/subscription-service....
- pixelatedindex 3y ago
  Yeah there is but places like SFChronicle doesn’t care. What do you do then?

cortesoft 3y ago

California has the same law.

ryukoposting 3y ago

You can't cancel a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel subscription online. You have to call them and sit on hold for god-knows-how-long. I ended up just sending my bank a stop payment order.

kevinmchugh 3y ago
Did you try cancelling while in Illinois? My understanding is that some places only show the cancellation option when you're in a jurisdiction that requires it, and that a VPN can solve the problem