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Cancellation Friction Index
The Cancellation Friction Index compares the public cancellation instructions for eight major subscription services. It uses official provider sources only. It separates verified public instructions, signed-out route observations, untested authenticated flows, and unknown values. This release was checked on 2026-09-22.
Compare the public cancellation paths
Direct-billed U.S. plans. Higher scores mean more friction in public instructions. Unknown factors do not score zero.
| Service | Score | Channel | Instructions | After Cancel | Proof | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+ | 56 | Online self-service | 6 (40/40) | 1 (10/20) | Unknown | 3 of 4 factors known |
| YouTube TV | 44 | Online self-service | 5 (30/40) | 1 (10/20) | Unknown | 3 of 4 factors known |
| Hulu | 40 | Online self-service | 4 (20/40) | 2 (20/20) | On-screen status and email | 4 of 4 factors known |
| Netflix | 25 | Online self-service | 3 (10/40) | 1 (10/20) | 4 of 4 factors known | |
| HBO Max | 25 | Online self-service | 3 (10/40) | 1 (10/20) | On-screen status | 4 of 4 factors known |
| Spotify Premium | 0 | Online self-service | 2 (0/40) | 0 (0/20) | Unknown | 3 of 4 factors known |
| Peacock | Unknown | Online self-service | Unknown | Unknown | On-screen status and email | 2 of 4 factors known |
| SiriusXM | Unknown | Online self-service | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 1 of 4 factors known |
Disney+56/100
Disney+ publishes six instruction units. The final unit includes an optional survey and completion step.
- Public instructions verified
- How to cancel Disney+, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The public account route loaded at disneyplus.com/commerce/account without exposing account data. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Disney+ account was used and no cancellation control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- Disney+ says third-party-billed subscriptions can use different cancellation steps.
YouTube TV44/100
YouTube TV publishes five instruction units, including one final Cancel action after Cancel membership.
- Public instructions verified
- Cancel or pause your YouTube TV membership, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The cancellation route redirected to Google sign-in with a return path to YouTube TV subscription settings. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Google account was used and no membership setting was opened.
- Third-party billing
- The help page covers the YouTube TV membership route. A separately billed add-on can have a different owner.
Hulu40/100
Hulu publishes four instruction units. Its instructions include a pause offer, Continue to Cancel, and Cancel Subscription.
- Public instructions verified
- How to cancel Hulu, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The account route redirected to Hulu sign-in with the account page as the return path. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Hulu account was used and no cancellation control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- Hulu lists multiple third-party billers and tells customers to confirm the billing party on the Account page.
Netflix25/100
Netflix publishes three instruction units and one Finish Cancellation action after the first Cancel selection.
- Public instructions verified
- How to cancel Netflix, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The cancellation route redirected to Netflix sign-in with the cancel page as the return path. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Netflix account was used and no cancellation control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- Netflix sends payment-partner members to the partner instructions shown on the Account page.
HBO Max25/100
HBO Max publishes three direct-billed instruction units and asks the customer to confirm after selecting Cancel Your Subscription.
- Public instructions verified
- How do I cancel HBO Max?, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The subscription route redirected to the HBO Max authentication route. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No HBO Max account was used and no cancellation control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- HBO Max publishes separate routes for app stores, device platforms, TV providers, and bundles.
Spotify Premium0/100
Spotify publishes two instruction units and does not document another action after Cancel subscription.
- Public instructions verified
- How to cancel Premium plans, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The plan-management route redirected to Spotify sign-in with a return path to the same page. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Spotify account was used and no plan control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- Spotify directs partner-billed customers to the partner contact shown under Payment on the plan page.
PeacockNo score
Peacock names the start and completion states but says to follow intervening steps without publishing their count.
- Public instructions verified
- How do I cancel my Peacock plan?, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The plan route redirected to Peacock sign-in with the plan page as the return path. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No Peacock account was used and no cancellation control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- Peacock lists Apple, Google, Roku, Amazon, TV providers, and other third-party cancellation routes.
SiriusXMNo score
SiriusXM lists online, chat, and phone channels but does not publish a complete direct-billed online sequence on the help page.
- Public instructions verified
- How do I manage or cancel my service?, checked 2026-09-22
- Live signed-out route observed
- Open route. The Online Account Center route loaded its account-management application shell. Checked 2026-09-22.
- Live authenticated flow
- Not tested. No SiriusXM account was used and no subscription control was selected.
- Third-party billing
- SiriusXM publishes separate instructions for Apple, Google Play, Roku, T-Mobile, and other billing providers.
Methodology
The index covers standard U.S. subscriptions billed directly by the named provider. It scores the least burdensome direct-billed channel, provider-published instruction units, published actions after the first Cancel selection, and documented completion proof. Third-party and bundle routes are recorded but not scored.
- 30 points available: Use the least burdensome official direct-billed channel: online self-service 0, live chat 15, phone 25, mail or in-person 30.
- 40 points available: Count the provider's published instruction units: 1-2 score 0, 3 scores 10, 4 scores 20, 5 scores 30, and 6 or more score 40. We do not estimate hidden clicks.
- 20 points available: Count published actions after the first cancel selection: 0 scores 0, 1 scores 10, and 2 or more score 20.
- 10 points available: A documented on-screen message and email score 0. One documented proof signal scores 5. No statement is unknown, not 10.
Known factor points are divided by known available points and rounded to the nearest whole number. A service needs 3 of 4 known factors. Unknown values stay unknown and do not enter either side of the calculation.
Limits and how to read the scores
This is an index of public instructions, not a claim about every customer's experience. We did not sign in, subscribe, start a trial, buy anything, or cancel a plan. We did not measure page-load time, retention copy, accessibility after sign-in, support wait time, regional rules, refunds, or whether a provider follows its instructions in every case.
Provider instructions group actions differently. A numbered step can contain more than one click. We keep the provider's units because estimating hidden clicks would create false precision. Peacock and SiriusXM do not receive scores because their public pages leave too many scored factors unknown.
Use the index to compare documented paths. Then check the current official source and confirm who bills you before you act. The Cancellation Proof File can help you record the result.