Kindle Unlimited is a program from Amazon that allows you to read as many books or magazines as you want from the Kindle library for a monthly charge of $9.99. It’s a bibliophile’s dream, or so it might appear.
However, there are a couple of flies in the ointment. First off, while it’s called Kindle Unlimited, it isn’t actually unlimited. If you take the name at face value, you’d assume that the entirety of the Kindle catalog is available for reading.
Sorry, but no. There are more than a million titles that are in the program, but it is far from complete access to everything that Amazon has published. Secondly, while you can read as many of those million books (and magazines) as you wish every month, you can only have ten at a time “checked out” to your Kindle or Kindle software. That’s not a crushing limitation for most of us, but if you like to have a hundred books open at once, then this isn’t the program for you.
With some high-profile exceptions, few of the books on the Kindle Unlimited list are best-sellers. Most large publishing houses don’t allow their titles to participate in the scheme, so many of the titles are from Amazon’s own publishing ecosystem.
While Kindle Unlimited has the largest catalog of any of the “unlimited” reading programs out there, in some peoples’ opinion the catalog offered by Scribd and Oyster have better books. Also, if you are already an Amazon Prime member, then most of the Kindle Unlimited catalog is already available for you to read freely, albeit only one book at a time.
There are three big positives to the Kindle Unlimited program. One, you can get a 30-day free trial, so you can try before you buy. You will need to cancel the service before the 30 days are up if you don’t want to be billed for it.
Two, the Amazon ecosystem hosts a lot of new and upcoming authors, so it is actually a great place to find new authors rather than the same old names. And three, the Kindle Unlimited program works on the Kindle mobile app, the desktop Kindle software, and the outstanding hardware Kindles.
However, assuming you decide that the Kindle Unlimited program isn’t for you, how can you cancel your membership?
How to Cancel Kindle Unlimited
While Kindle Unlimited is the best eBook service out there right now, it isn’t for everyone. If you’ve decided to discontinue your Kindle Unlimited subscription, it’s easy. Here’s how.
If you are paying for the service, you will need to cancel before the next billing period to avoid a further charge.
Navigate to your Amazon Kindle Unlimited page and log in. You will now see an overview of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Click the Cancel Kindle Unlimited Membership button in the left-hand corner.
Then click on the Cancel Membership button.
Clicking the Cancel Kindle Unlimited Membership Button will take you to a page with this title, “Are you sure you want to end your membership?”
Below this image, you’ll find books that you have in your Kindle library. Look below those books for two buttons that say Keep my membership and another button that says Cancel membership.
Since you want to cancel your members, click on Cancel membership, which will then load a confirmation page. Your Kindle Unlimited account will not be canceled until the end of your billing cycle so you can still enjoy Kindle Unlimited until that date.
You can also cancel your Kindle Unlimited membership from your Amazon Account page.
Select the Accounts & Lists pull-down menu and click on Kindle Unlimited.
Now, you can follow the same steps as above to cancel your Amazon Kindle membership.
Again, your Kindle Unlimited account will not be canceled until the end of your billing cycle so you can still enjoy Kindle Unlimited until that date.
How to Renew Amazon Kindle Unlimited
If you’ve set your account to cancel and new titles begin to appear, you may want to extend the service for one more month. If you’ve set the subscription to cancel you can easily renew it. Follow the steps above to get to your Kindle Unlimited account information and do this:
Click on the button Continue Kindle Unlimited Membership.
Clicking this button will automatically renew your membership. There aren’t any confirmation boxes so be mindful that once you click it, the subscription will automatically renew.
How to Know if Your Subscription is Cancelled
Anytime you’re working with automatic renewal subscriptions, it’s a good idea to double-check that everything will cancel properly. There are a few ways to check this:
Check the Kindle Unlimited Account Page
You can follow the same steps as above to access the account page. Once there, look for an end date on your subscription. This end date means you’ve already set the account to cancel.
If the account has already been canceled, this page will simply let you know that you do not have the Amazon Kindle Unlimited account page.
Check Your Email
Fortunately, Amazon will notify you about any changes to your account, subscriptions, orders, etc. All you need to do to ensure that your cancellation is set is to visit your email client and look for the confirmation from Amazon.
This email will give you the date your Unlimited subscription will cancel on, a Continue Membership button if you change your mind, and even some titles you should read at the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cancel my subscription at any time?
Absolutely, but you won’t get a refund. With Amazon Kindle Unlimited and so many other services, you’re actually pre-paying for the next month. This means that when you hit the cancel button, you’ve already paid for the service through the end of your bill cycle.
So, you won’t get a refund for the current month, but you also won’t be billed again on the renewal date.
Can I keep the books I’ve downloaded?
No. Once your account is canceled, the books you’ve downloaded or checked out are no longer accessible. If it’s a title you’re really interested in, you could look into the Amazon shopping portion of the website and purchase a digital copy.
If you’re reading a book right now, it’s best to check your renewal date before cancelation and plan accordingly.
Does Amazon give refunds for subscriptions?
Refunds really depend on the circumstances but Amazon’s official policy only allows refunds for a select few. For example, if you sign up for a paid subscription with a renewal date of 30 days or more (you’ll be billed in 30 days), you can cancel within the first 7 days and get a refund.
This policy is more of a try it before you commit to it policy. On the other hand, if you’ve already set your subscription to cancel, yet it still renews, you can contact Amazon’s Support team for a refund. Assuming you canceled your subscription on the last day of your billing period, you may see another month charged. If this happens, it’s probably a good idea to contact the support team.
