Ending your Google Workspace membership made easy

What is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace is Google's comprehensive cloud-based productivity and collaboration platform, formerly known as G Suite. It's designed for businesses, educational institutions, and organisations of all sizes who need professional email, cloud storage, and collaborative tools. The service bundles together Gmail with a custom domain, Google Drive cloud storage, Google Meet for video conferencing, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for document creation, plus Google Calendar and other productivity applications.

In the UK, Google Workspace has become increasingly popular among small businesses, startups, and enterprises who want to move away from traditional on-premises email servers. The platform allows teams to work collaboratively in real-time on documents, host video meetings with up to 500 participants depending on the plan, and access files from anywhere with an internet connection. Everything is stored securely in Google's cloud infrastructure, which means you don't need to maintain your own servers or worry about backing up data manually.

What sets Google Workspace apart from free Gmail accounts is the professional custom email addresses (like yourname@yourbusiness.co.uk), enhanced security features, 24/7 customer support, and administrative controls that let you manage user accounts, set security policies, and control access to company data. Most importantly for UK businesses, Google Workspace complies with GDPR requirements and offers data residency options to keep information within European data centres.

The service operates on a subscription model with monthly or annual billing per user. This means costs can add up quickly as your team grows, which is one of the primary reasons businesses eventually look to cancel or switch to alternative solutions.

Plans, features and pricing

Google Workspace offers several pricing tiers in the UK, each designed for different business needs and sizes. Understanding these plans is essential before cancelling, as your notice period and data export options may vary slightly depending on which tier you're subscribed to.

These prices are exclusive of VAT, so you'll need to add 20% to calculate your actual monthly cost. Additionally, Google offers annual payment options which typically provide a small discount compared to monthly billing, but this locks you into a longer commitment period.

The Business Starter plan is popular among small businesses and startups who need basic email and collaboration tools without breaking the bank. However, the 30GB storage limit can become restrictive quite quickly, especially if team members share large files or store email attachments. Business Standard is the most popular tier, offering a good balance between features and cost, whilst Business Plus appeals to organisations with stricter security and compliance requirements.

Keep in mind that these prices have increased over the years, and many long-term subscribers find themselves paying more than they initially budgeted for. This is particularly true when you factor in add-ons like additional storage, premium Meet features, or Voice services. When your team grows from five to fifty users, that monthly bill can become substantial, which explains why many UK businesses eventually explore alternatives or decide to cancel entirely.

Common reasons businesses cancel

From processing thousands of cancellations, I've noticed several recurring patterns. Cost is the primary driver, especially for small businesses hit by economic pressures or those who've found more affordable alternatives like Microsoft 365 or open-source solutions. Some organisations discover they're only using Gmail and Drive, making the full Workspace subscription feel like overkill.

Other common reasons include business closure, mergers where one company's platform takes precedence, switching to industry-specific software that includes communication tools, or simply downsizing and no longer needing multiple user accounts. Some businesses cancel after realising their team prefers other collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Notion, making the Google ecosystem redundant.

Terms of service and cancellation policy

Understanding Google Workspace's terms of service is crucial before initiating cancellation, as there are specific requirements and timeframes you'll need to follow. Google's cancellation policy is relatively straightforward, but there are important details that can catch you off guard if you're not prepared.

First and foremost, you can cancel your Google Workspace subscription at any time, but the timing of when your cancellation takes effect depends on your billing cycle. If you're on a monthly flexible plan, you can cancel at any point during your billing period, but you'll still have access until the end of that paid month. Google doesn't offer prorated refunds for partial months, so cancelling on the 5th of the month means you've essentially paid for 25 days you won't use.

For annual commitments, the situation is more complex. If you've signed up for an annual plan with upfront payment, you're typically locked in for the full year. Google may allow early cancellation, but you won't receive a refund for the remaining months. This is a critical point that many businesses overlook when choosing annual billing to save money—the upfront savings can become a sunk cost if your circumstances change.

Notice periods and legal requirements

In the UK, consumer protection laws provide certain rights when cancelling subscriptions, but these primarily apply to individual consumers rather than business accounts. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, consumers have a 14-day cooling-off period for distance sales, but this typically only applies when you first sign up, not for ongoing cancellations.

For business accounts, which most Google Workspace subscriptions are classified as, you're bound by the commercial terms in Google's service agreement. This means the Consumer Rights Act protections don't apply in the same way. However, you still have the right to cancel at any time—you're just not entitled to a refund outside the initial cooling-off period.

Most importantly, Google requires proper notification of cancellation. Whilst they offer online cancellation through the admin console, having a paper trail is essential for several reasons. If there's any dispute about when you cancelled or whether the cancellation was processed correctly, a postal cancellation sent via Recorded Delivery provides indisputable proof that you submitted your request on a specific date.

What happens to your data after cancellation

This is perhaps the most critical aspect of cancelling Google Workspace that catches businesses unprepared. Once your subscription ends, you have a limited grace period to export your data before Google deletes it permanently. Typically, you'll have around 20 days after cancellation where your data remains accessible but your services are suspended.

During this grace period, you cannot send or receive emails, create new documents, or use any Workspace services, but you can log into the admin console and use Google Takeout to download your data. After this grace period expires, Google will permanently delete all your data, including emails, documents, spreadsheets, calendar events, and any files stored in Drive. This deletion is irreversible, so you must export everything you need before cancelling or immediately after.

Additionally, your custom domain email addresses will stop working immediately when the subscription ends. This means any emails sent to yourname@yourbusiness.co.uk will bounce back to senders, potentially causing significant disruption to your business communications if you haven't set up alternative email hosting first.

Cancelling by post - the complete guide

Whilst Google provides online cancellation options through the admin console, sending a formal cancellation request by post offers significant advantages, particularly for UK businesses who want absolute certainty that their cancellation has been properly documented and processed. As someone who's processed thousands of subscription cancellations, I always recommend the postal route for services involving ongoing payments and important business data.

Why postal cancellation is the most reliable method

The primary advantage of postal cancellation is the paper trail. When you cancel online, you're relying on screenshots or confirmation emails as proof, which can be disputed or lost. A letter sent via Royal Mail Recorded Delivery provides legal proof of postage and delivery, creating an undeniable record that you submitted your cancellation request on a specific date.

This becomes particularly important if there are billing disputes later. I've seen numerous cases where businesses thought they'd cancelled online, only to find they were still being charged months later. Google's position in these situations is typically that the cancellation wasn't properly completed or confirmed. With postal cancellation and Recorded Delivery proof, you have concrete evidence that stands up in any dispute.

Additionally, a formal letter demonstrates clear intent to cancel. There's no ambiguity about clicking the wrong button, not completing all the steps in an online form, or having your session time out before confirmation. Your letter states your intention clearly and unequivocally, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Step-by-step postal cancellation process

First, gather all your account information before drafting your letter. You'll need your Google Workspace account email address (the admin account), your customer ID if you have it, the billing email address, and details of when you want the cancellation to take effect. Having this information ready ensures your letter is complete and can be processed without delays.

Next, export all your critical data before sending your cancellation letter. Don't wait until after you've cancelled—start downloading your emails, documents, contacts, and calendar events immediately. Use Google Takeout to create a comprehensive archive of everything in your Workspace account. This process can take several hours or even days for accounts with large amounts of data, so start early.

Additionally, set up alternative email hosting before cancelling if you're using custom domain email addresses. Your Google Workspace email will stop working as soon as your subscription ends, so you need another solution in place. This might mean setting up email hosting with your domain registrar, switching to Microsoft 365, or using another email provider. Configure the new email accounts and update your domain's MX records before cancelling to avoid any interruption in email service.

Most importantly, draft a clear, professional cancellation letter that includes all necessary information. Your letter should state your full name or business name, your Google Workspace account email address, your request to cancel the subscription, and the date you want the cancellation to take effect. Be specific—if you want to cancel immediately, state that clearly. If you want to cancel at the end of your current billing period, specify that date.

What to include in your cancellation letter

Your cancellation letter needs several key components to be effective. Start with your contact details at the top, including your business name, address, phone number, and the email address associated with your Google Workspace account. This makes it easy for Google to identify your account and contact you if there are any questions.

Include today's date and reference your account specifically by stating your Google Workspace admin email address. If you have a customer ID or any invoice numbers, include those as well. The more specific information you provide, the faster Google can locate your account and process the cancellation.

State your cancellation request clearly and unambiguously. Use straightforward language like \