Do it yourself
Cancel Ancestry yourself
TLDR: In Account Settings, choose Cancel membership until a confirmation number appears, or cancel with Apple, Google or Amazon if they bill you. Give a trial two days' notice and a monthly plan two business days, or the next charge still goes through.
Cancel in Account Settings
Ancestry bills the membership. You will not see a billed-through row for those.
- 01Sign in and open Account Settings.
- 02Under Membership, choose Cancel membership or Cancel trial on the one you want to end.
- 03Follow the prompts until a cancellation confirmation number appears.
- 04Keep the number. Ancestry also emails a cancellation confirmation.
More than one paid membership means you repeat this for each one. A gift membership does not renew, so it has nothing to cancel. On a family plan, only the person who bought it can cancel it.
Cancel with Apple, Google, or Amazon
You bought the membership in the Ancestry app. Apple, Google Play, or Amazon bills it.
- 01Open the Ancestry app and sign in.
- 02Tap your profile at the top left. Under Memberships, read the billed-through name.
- 03Cancel that membership with Apple, Google, or Amazon. Ancestry says that company has to cancel it.
- 04Keep that company's confirmation.
Deleting the Ancestry app does not cancel the membership. On the website, a third-party membership shows a billed-through row. An Ancestry-billed membership does not.
Cancel by phone
You do not see Cancel membership, or you want Ancestry to find the account.
- 01Call 1-800-401-3193.
- 02Give the email on the account and say you want the paid membership cancelled.
- 03Ask for a cancellation confirmation number.
Ancestry publishes this number for Member Services support. The renewal terms say you can cancel by contacting Ancestry.
Cancel by email
You want the request in writing, or you are not sure which email is on the account.
- 01Email customersolutions@ancestry.com.
- 02Give your name and the email you think is on the account, and say you want the paid membership cancelled.
- 03Add the date and amount of a recent charge so they can find the account.
Keep the reply. Ancestry publishes this email for Member Services support.
How to know it worked
- Stay on the cancel steps until Ancestry shows a cancellation confirmation number. They also email one.
- No number and no email means it most likely did not finish. Check Account Settings, then try again or contact Ancestry.
- You keep the membership until the expiration date. Cancelling turns off renewal. It does not end the period you already paid for.
Watch out for
- A free or paid trial must be cancelled at least two days before the trial ends, or the paid subscription starts.
- A monthly membership, including Preserve My Tree and Ancestry Pro Tools where available, must be cancelled at least two business days before the renewal date.
- Pausing is not cancelling. Where a pause is offered, Ancestry delays the next payment for up to two months, then charges the membership again unless you cancel while it is paused.
- Some six-month and 12-month memberships are billed monthly and can include a cancellation fee if you cancel before the term ends.
- Pro Tools billed on its own has to be cancelled on its own. If Pro Tools is included with a family history membership, cancelling that membership ends Pro Tools after the current paid month.
- Cancelling does not delete your family trees, DNA results, or account. The account becomes a free Registered Guest account when the membership expires.
- A charge can still happen if you cancelled too close to renewal, another membership is still active, or a second Ancestry account is billing you.
Ancestry refunds
- After a free or paid trial ends and you are charged, Ancestry says no refund is issued, except where the terms below say otherwise.
- Monthly memberships are not refundable. You keep access for the rest of the period you already paid.
- For a longer membership sold by Ancestry and paid upfront, with no trial: in the first 14 days of your first term you can cancel immediately for a full refund and lose access at once, or cancel at the end of the term with no refund. After a renewal, or if you have subscribed before, Ancestry says you are not eligible for a refund.
- For a longer membership billed monthly on Ancestry.com, with no trial: in the first 14 days of your first term you can cancel immediately for a refund of the first month's fee and lose access at once, or cancel at the end of the first month and pay a cancellation fee. After that, you keep the months already paid, and the fee is the lesser of $25 USD for a 6-month membership or $50 USD for a 12-month membership, plus any applicable taxes, or the remaining cost.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method. If Apple, Google, or Amazon bills you, that company handles the refund.
