When someone dies, their digital subscriptions do not stop. Netflix keeps billing. Spotify renews. iCloud storage charges continue. Microsoft 365 keeps taking its monthly fee. None of these services will detect a death — they will simply keep charging the linked card or bank account until someone actively cancels them.
The good news is that cancellation is generally straightforward. Most services let you cancel with no penalty, and many will work with you if you do not have the account password. The key things to sort out: find what subscriptions existed, back up any important data before you close accounts, then cancel in order of cost. This guide walks through each category in turn.
The short answer
Subscriptions are billing agreements — they renew automatically each month or year regardless of circumstances. A death does not trigger any automatic cancellation. The account provider has no way of knowing the account holder has died unless you tell them.
What you need to cancel depends on whether you have account access:
- With account access (email and password): you can cancel most subscriptions in minutes through the account settings.
- Without account access: contact the company directly with a death certificate. Most providers will close the account without requiring you to have login credentials.
For subscriptions charged to a sole bank account: when you notify the bank of a death, they freeze the account and cancel all direct debits on it. That stops the bank-side payments — but it does not tell the companies involved. They may still attempt to collect. You need to contact each provider separately.
Streaming services
Streaming subscriptions are among the easiest to cancel. None of them require a death certificate for a standard cancellation — that documentation becomes relevant only when you do not have login access and need to prove your authority to act.
Netflix
Cancel at netflix.com/cancelplan if you have account access. If you do not, call Netflix UK on 0808 196 5391 (available 24/7) or use live chat via help.netflix.com. Netflix will need the email address or phone number on the account and the current payment details.
Netflix retains account data for 24 months after cancellation, so there is no urgency to retrieve viewing history before you cancel. Watch history is not downloadable, and profile data is not considered an asset of the estate. If other household members used the account, they can transfer their profile to a new account before you close it.
For full guidance, see our Netflix bereavement guide.
Spotify
To cancel Spotify, go to Account → Subscription → Cancel Premium if you have login access. Without access, contact Spotify Support at support.spotify.com. Spotify can close the account on your behalf; their support team will ask for information to verify the account and may request a death certificate. Any downloaded music in the app is tied to the account and will no longer be accessible once the account closes — Spotify Premium does not allow files to be saved outside the app. If the deceased held a Spotify Family or Duo plan, other members will lose Premium access when the account is cancelled; they will need to set up their own plans.
For full guidance on the process, documents needed, what happens to playlists, and how Family plans are affected, see our Spotify bereavement guide.
Disney+
Cancel via Account → Subscription → Cancel Subscription if you have access, or contact Disney+ support through help.disneyplus.com/en-GB/contact-us. Disney+ does not have a dedicated phone line — support is via live chat and contact form. Disney+ may be billed through Apple, Google, Amazon, or Sky in some cases — if so, cancellation must go through the billing provider rather than Disney+ directly. You will need the email address on the account, the payment details, and a death certificate if you lack login access.
For full guidance on the process, documents needed, what happens to profiles and downloads, and how to handle third-party billing, see our Disney+ bereavement guide.
Apple TV+ and Apple One
Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, and Apple One (the bundle) are all managed through the Apple ID. If the deceased set up a Legacy Contact before they died, that person can request access through digital-legacy.apple.com using a death certificate and access key.
Without Legacy Contact access, Apple typically requires a death certificate and may require a court order for full account access. However, if you only need to cancel subscriptions, contact Apple Support directly (UK: 0800 107 6285). Subscriptions can often be cancelled via Apple Support with a death certificate, even without full account access. See our Apple bereavement guide.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is managed through the Amazon account under Account & Lists → Memberships & Subscriptions. Cancel at amazon.co.uk/mc/manage. Without access, contact Amazon customer service — they can close the account with a death certificate. See our Amazon bereavement guide.
Note that Amazon Prime also bundles Prime Video, free delivery, and other benefits. Cancelling the Prime membership ends all of these at once.
Cloud storage
Cloud storage subscriptions are the most urgent to deal with, and the reason is not the billing — it is the data.
Google Photos, iCloud, and OneDrive frequently hold the only copies of years of family photographs and videos. Once an account is closed, the data is gone permanently. Back up everything you want to keep before you cancel or close any cloud storage account. If you cannot access the account, prioritise getting account access before taking any cancellation steps.
Google One (Google Drive and Google Photos)
A standard Google account comes with 15 GB of free storage. Many people pay for additional storage via Google One (monthly or annual plans from £1.59/month for 100 GB, last verified April 2026 at one.google.com/about).
Cancelling the Google One subscription downgrades storage to 15 GB — it does not delete the account or its data immediately. However, if the account eventually closes (Google deletes inactive accounts after approximately two years), all data is lost.
Google will not share login credentials under any circumstances. The formal route is via Google’s deceased user request form, which allows account closure or, in limited cases, a data request. If the deceased had set up Google’s Inactive Account Manager and designated a trusted contact, the process is considerably easier. See our Google bereavement guide.
iCloud
iCloud storage is tied to the Apple ID. If the deceased paid for an iCloud+ storage plan (50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB), charges continue until the Apple ID is closed. The subscription cannot be cancelled independently of the account closure process.
Before requesting account closure: download everything stored in iCloud — photos, notes, documents — as this data is permanently deleted when the account closes. Apple will not restore deleted iCloud data after the fact.
See our Apple bereavement guide for the account closure process.
OneDrive and Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 subscriptions include OneDrive storage. Microsoft operates a Next of Kin procedure for account closure, which requires a death certificate, your government-issued ID, and evidence of your authority to act (such as a grant of probate or letters of administration). The process typically takes 30–60 days.
During the process, you can request a OneDrive data export. Once the account is closed, all data is permanently deleted after 60 days.
(Source: Microsoft Next of Kin process, last verified April 2026.)
Gaming subscriptions
Gaming subscriptions present a specific consideration: the digital games purchased and tied to the account are almost always non-transferable. Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo digital game purchases are licences tied to the account — they cannot be moved to another account or inherited. Once the account closes, those games are gone.
If the deceased’s account held a large library of purchased digital games, consider whether anyone in the household can access those games before the account closes. On PlayStation and Xbox, games are tied to the console as well as the account — someone in the same household may still be able to play purchased games on the deceased’s primary console.
Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft
Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live Gold, and any other Microsoft gaming subscriptions are linked to the Microsoft account. Cancel via account.microsoft.com/services with account access, or contact Microsoft Support. For account closure without access, Microsoft’s Next of Kin procedure (described above under OneDrive) covers all linked subscriptions including Xbox services.
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation does not allow account deletion — accounts can be closed and deactivated but the account formally remains. To cancel PlayStation Plus, go to Settings → Account Management → PlayStation Subscriptions with account access. Without account access, contact PlayStation Support at playstation.com/en-gb/support. Sony will require the account’s sign-in ID (email address) and a death certificate.
Nintendo Switch Online
Cancel at accounts.nintendo.com under Subscriptions if you have login access. Without access, contact Nintendo UK customer support. Nintendo Switch Online auto-renews annually or monthly — check the billing cycle to see how much time has already been paid for.
Software subscriptions
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) can be billed monthly or annually, at household or personal level. With account access, cancel at account.microsoft.com/services. Without access, the Microsoft Next of Kin procedure handles cancellation. Annual subscriptions are worth noting: if a full year was paid in advance and the person died early in the billing period, there may be a case for a partial refund (see Refunds section below).
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe has a dedicated process for closing an account on behalf of a deceased person. Contact Adobe Support via the live chat at adobe.com/contact or call their support line. Select “Cancel someone else’s subscription due to their death or incapacitation” and provide the account email address and a death certificate.
One important point: Adobe’s standard annual plans include an early termination fee if cancelled mid-term outside the free cancellation window. Adobe does waive this fee for bereavement — but you need to contact them directly and explain the situation. If you simply cancel without mentioning the death, the early termination fee may be applied automatically.
(Source: Adobe — close account on behalf of someone else, last verified April 2026.)
TV Licence
The TV Licence is not a subscription in the usual sense, but it is a recurring annual fee that needs cancelling or transferring after a death. Unlike streaming services, it covers the address rather than the account holder personally — so if other people are still watching live TV or using BBC iPlayer at the property, the address still needs a licence.
If no one will be watching live TV at the property, the executor can cancel the licence and claim a refund for any full unused months remaining. Call TV Licensing on 0300 790 6143 or use their online form. No death certificate is required — you will need the TV Licence number, the date of death, and bank details if you want the refund by bank transfer.
If the licence was paid by Direct Debit, do not cancel the Direct Debit yourself at the bank first — TV Licensing cancels it when you cancel the licence. Manual cancellation stops payments but leaves the licence in an ambiguous state.
For households where the deceased held a free licence (available to those aged 75 and over who receive Pension Credit), call 0300 790 6117 — a separate line for free licence enquiries.
For the full guide, see how to cancel a TV Licence when someone dies.
Getting refunds
Most subscription services do not offer automatic refunds when someone dies. The standard policy across streaming and software platforms is that you keep access until the end of the billing period — there is no prorated refund for the unused portion.
That said, refunds are worth asking for in two situations:
Charges taken after the date of death. If a payment was taken after someone died — because notification was delayed — it is reasonable to contact the provider and ask for a goodwill refund of that specific payment. Many companies will process this, particularly if you contact them quickly and provide the date of death.
Annual subscriptions where a full year was pre-paid. If someone paid upfront for a year of Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, or a gaming subscription, and they died several months before renewal, the estate has effectively paid for a service that cannot be used. These are worth escalating. The amount refunded is at the company’s discretion, but many providers will offer a prorated credit for unused months when a death certificate is provided.
For any refund conversation: contact the company by phone or live chat rather than through automated online cancellation, explain that you are dealing with a bereavement, and ask explicitly whether a partial refund is available. This is not guaranteed, but it is a reasonable ask and often succeeds.
Practical steps
Follow these steps to handle subscriptions systematically without missing anything.
1. Find all active subscriptions. Check the deceased’s email inbox for phrases like “your subscription”, “payment confirmation”, and “renewal reminder”. Check bank statements and credit card statements for recurring monthly or annual charges. Check any PayPal account for active subscription agreements — PayPal is often used to fund subscriptions even when the underlying card has changed. See our PayPal bereavement guide. Physical post is another source: setting up a Royal Mail Special Circumstances Redirection ensures subscription renewal letters, catalogues, and billing notices from less obvious organisations continue to reach you during estate administration.
2. Check for app store subscriptions. Many subscriptions are managed through Apple’s App Store or Google Play rather than directly with the provider. If the deceased had an iPhone or Android device, subscriptions purchased through the app store will be listed under their Apple ID (Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions) or Google account (play.google.com → Subscriptions).
3. Back up cloud data before closing accounts. Before you cancel or close Google, iCloud, or OneDrive accounts, download photos, documents, and anything else you want to keep. This step is non-reversible — once an account closes, the data is permanently deleted.
4. Cancel in order of cost. Prioritise the subscriptions with the highest monthly or annual charge. A £10/month Netflix subscription costs less to let run for a week than a £50/month Adobe Creative Cloud plan with an early termination fee risk.
5. Contact companies with a death certificate if you lack access. All of the major providers will work with you without requiring account login credentials — they just need enough to verify the account (typically the account email address and a death certificate). Have a death certificate ready and contact providers by phone or live chat.
6. Stop billing at the bank if you cannot cancel directly. For any subscription you cannot cancel through the provider, contact the deceased’s bank and ask them to cancel the Continuous Payment Authority (CPA) for that provider. The bank is required by the Financial Conduct Authority to act on this request. Note: this stops the payment, but does not close the account with the provider.
What about content and digital purchases?
Purchased content — films bought on iTunes, ebooks on Kindle, games on Steam, music from older digital download stores — cannot be inherited. These are licences tied to the account, not owned assets. When the account closes, the purchases are lost.
This applies to streaming libraries too: a deceased person’s Netflix watch history, Spotify liked songs, or Apple Music library is tied to their account and cannot be transferred. These are not assets of the estate.
For more on how digital purchases and assets are treated legally, see our guide to what happens to digital assets when someone dies.