NY Times Fee Policy

Automatic Monthly Fee Payment

We have created this page for the benefit of those who are not aware of standard cancellation practices when payments are made automatically on a monthly basis.  Below are excerpts from the automatic charging policies of the NY Times, Netflix, Consumers’ Union – Consumer Reports Online, Skype, Standard and Poors Outlook, and Barron’s.  The part of the NY Times policy that resembles our own policy is underlined.  The underlining in the excerpt from the NYTimes policy is the only modification we have made.  Capitalizations in the policies of the other subscription services existed in the original sources.  As you can see, our own policy is similar to that of some highly regarded publications and services with world-wide recognition. 

We have quoted them here because we did not want to post links that would no longer work if the following sites were to change the Web-addresses of the pages describing their policy.  Nevertheless, we have included those addresses here as they existed when these excerpts were copied.  However, they are included as images of links rather than actual links.  Why?  If a targeted Website changes the address of the page currently pointed to by our link, then our link will become a “broken” or “dead” link in Google’s system.  Google gives demerits for broken links, and that can lower our ratings in search results.

Monthly and 4-Week Subscription
}When you cancel a subscription based on a monthly or 4-week cycle, you cancel only future charges associated with your subscription. You may notify us of your intent to cancel at any time, but the cancellation will become effective at the end of your current billing period.  Cancellations are effective the following billing cycle. You will not receive a refund for the current billing cycle. You will continue to have the same access and benefits of your product for the remainder of the current billing period.

We reserve the right to make changes to our digital products at any time. If we temporarily reduce or eliminate the charge for content or access that you are currently paying for under different terms, you will not receive a refund.

Cancellations by Us
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your subscription or product for any reason, with or without notice and without further obligation. You will not be entitled to a refund in these circumstances. If any or all of our digital products are temporarily unavailable, you will not receive a refund. We reserve the right to issue refunds or credits at our sole discretion. If we issue a refund or credit, we are under no obligation to issue the same or similar refund in the future.

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Here Is A Second Example

NETFLIX

Billing Cycle.
The membership fee for our service will be billed at the beginning of the paying portion of your membership and each month thereafter unless and until you cancel your membership. We automatically bill your Payment Method each month on the calendar day corresponding to the commencement of your paying membership. Membership fees are fully earned upon payment. We reserve the right to change the timing of our billing, in particular, as indicated below, if your Payment Method has not successfully settled. In the event your paying membership began on a day not contained in a given month, we may bill your Payment Method on a day in the applicable month or such other day as we deem appropriate. For example, if you started your Netflix membership or became a paying member on January 31st, your next payment date is likely to be February 28th, and your Payment Method would be billed on that date. Your renewal date may change due to changes in your Membership. Visit our website and click on the “View billing details” link on the “Your Account” page to see the commencement date for your next renewal period. We may authorize your Payment Method in anticipation of membership or service-related charges. As used in these Terms of Use, “billing” shall indicate a charge, debit or other payment clearance, as applicable, against your Payment Method. Unless otherwise stated differently, month or monthly refers to your billing cycle.

No Refunds.
PAYMENTS ARE NONREFUNDABLE AND THERE ARE NO REFUNDS OR CREDITS FOR PARTIALLY USED PERIODS. Following any cancellation, however, you will continue to have access to the service through the end of your current billing period. At any time, and for any reason, we may provide a refund, discount, or other consideration to some or all of our members (“credits”). The amount and form of such credits, and the decision to provide them, are at our sole and absolute discretion. The provision of credits in one instance does not entitle you to credits in the future for similar instances, nor does it obligate us to provide credits in the future, under any circumstance.

Cancellation
You may cancel your Netflix membership at any time, and you will continue to have access to the Netflix service through the end of your monthly billing period. WE DO NOT PROVIDE REFUNDS OR CREDITS FOR ANY PARTIAL-MONTH MEMBERSHIP PERIODS OR UNWATCHED MOVIES OR TV SHOWS. To cancel, go to the “Your Account” page on our website and follow the instructions for cancellation. If you cancel your membership, your account will automatically close at the end of your current billing period. To see when your account will close, click “View billing details” on the “Your Account” page. If you signed up for Netflix using your account with a third party as a Payment Method, and wish to cancel your Netflix membership at any time, including during your free trial, you may need to do so through such third party, including by visiting your account with the applicable third party and turning off auto-renew, or unsubscribing from, the Netflix service through that third party. You may also find billing information about your Netflix membership by visiting your account with the applicable third party.

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Here Is A Third Example

Consumers’ Union — Consumer Reports  (Online)
If you purchase a monthly Subscription-Based Service, which is billed monthly, you may cancel at any time by logging in to your “My Account” page and selecting “cancel subscription.” Partial months will not be refunded. Upon cancellation, your access to an online Subscription-Based Service will terminate on the next monthly anniversary of your subscription date. For example, if you subscribed on December 15 and cancel on December 28, your access will terminate on January 14.

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Here Is A Fourth Example

Skype  (paid version)
To cancel a subscription, you need to cancel the recurring payments. However, the subscription you’ve purchased remains active until it reaches its expiry date. For example, if you purchase a 3 month subscription, and then choose to cancel it, the subscription will remain active until the end of the 3 month period.

If you don’t want to keep your subscription, you can request a refund, but only if the subscription is unused and it hasn’t expired.

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Here Is A Fifth Example

Standard and Poors Outlook  (online edition)
“If I cancel my monthly or annual subscription, will the charge for unused days be refunded?
    If you cancel your monthly or annual subscription, Standard & Poor’s will not refund unused days. However, your access to The Outlook will remain active for the remainder of that month’s or year’s billing period.”

We removed the link to this quote because the company changed the location of the page and the link no longer worked.  We do not want to have to chase these policies down every time a company changes the location of their policy.  However, if you go to their Website and search for their refund policy, you will find that the above is accurate.

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Here Is A Sixth Example

BARRON’S  (a Wall Street Journal publication)

Cancellation and Refund Policy – Print and/or Digital Subscriptions
In order to change or cancel your subscription please contact Wall Street Journal Customer Service at 1-(800)-Journal (568-7625) for outside the U.S. WSJ 1-609-514-0870 and BARRON’S 1-609-520-4800. We do not accept cancellations by mail or email or by any other means other than calling Customer Service.

Monthly Subscriptions
When cancelling a monthly subscription, all future charges associated with future months of your subscription will be cancelled. You may notify us of your intent to cancel at any time; your cancellation will become effective at the end of your current billing period. You will not receive a refund; however your subscription access and/or delivery and accompanying subscriber benefits will continue for the remainder of the current billing period.

Quarterly Subscriptions
When cancelling a quarterly (3-month) subscription, all future charges associated with future quarters of your subscription will be cancelled. You may notify us of your intent to cancel at any time; your cancellation will become effective at the end of your current billing period. You will not receive a refund; however your subscription access and/or delivery and accompanying subscriber benefits will continue for the remainder of the current billing period.