Subscriptions After Death: Cancelling and Closing Accounts

Streaming services, cloud storage plans, gym memberships, software subscriptions and similar recurring payments are designed to continue automatically until someone actively cancels them. A bereaved family, dealing with grief and the practical demands of registering a death and arranging a funeral, can easily overlook these smaller ongoing costs for weeks or months.

Left unchecked, they add up, and in some cases the payment method itself, a credit card that is later cancelled, can cause the subscription to fall into arrears rather than simply stopping, which can create its own complications with the provider.

The most reliable starting point is usually several months of bank and credit card statements, since almost every subscription shows up eventually as a recurring debit or card payment. Executors should look for regular payments to streaming platforms, retailers, software providers, gyms, charities (if a regular donation rather than a one-off gift), and subscription boxes.

Checking email inboxes for confirmation emails, receipts and renewal notices is another useful source, provided the executor has appropriate access to the deceased's email account, which itself may require going through the provider's own bereavement process.

Each provider handles this differently. Some allow next of kin or an executor to cancel a subscription simply by phone or online chat once informed of the death, sometimes without needing formal documentation for lower-value services. Others, particularly for anything involving a refund or credit balance, will ask for a copy of the death certificate before acting.

Keep a simple record as you go, noting which providers have been contacted, when, and what the outcome was, since this can take some time to work through and it is easy to lose track of what has and has not been dealt with.

The most helpful thing you can do while you are alive is keep a private, regularly updated list of your subscriptions and recurring payments, ideally reviewed at least once a year since these change often. Include the provider name and roughly what it is for, without including account passwords in the same document as your will.

As covered in our guide on passwords and a will, never write account passwords directly into your will itself, since it becomes a public document after probate. Instead, keep a separate secure list or use a password manager with a legacy access feature, and simply make sure your executor knows this record exists and where to find it.

It is worth actively cancelling a subscription with the provider, rather than simply cancelling the card it was paid from and assuming the matter is closed. Some services will treat a failed payment as an account going into arrears rather than being cancelled, and may continue to pursue payment or list a debt against the account.

Formally cancelling, and asking for confirmation in writing or by email, gives your executor a clear record that the matter has genuinely been resolved rather than simply gone quiet.