Ending your Qobuz membership made easy

About Qobuz

Qobuz is a premium music streaming and download service that has carved out a distinctive position in the UK market by focusing on high-quality audio for discerning listeners. Founded in France in 2007, Qobuz launched in the United Kingdom in 2013 and has since built a loyal following among audiophiles and music enthusiasts who prioritise sound quality above all else.

What sets Qobuz apart from mainstream competitors like Spotify or Apple Music is its commitment to delivering studio-quality audio. The service offers lossless streaming in CD quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz) as standard across all subscription tiers, with premium plans providing access to Hi-Res audio files reaching up to 24-bit/192 kHz. This means you're hearing music exactly as the artists and producers intended, without the compression that typically reduces file sizes but compromises sound quality.

Beyond streaming, Qobuz operates as a digital music store where subscribers and non-subscribers alike can purchase and permanently own high-resolution audio files. The platform boasts a catalogue of over 100 million tracks spanning all genres, with particularly strong coverage of classical, jazz, and independent music. Editorial content, including album reviews, artist interviews, and curated playlists created by music journalists, adds an educational dimension that appeals to serious music lovers.

The service integrates seamlessly with high-end audio equipment and supports various streaming protocols favoured by audiophiles, including Roon, Sonos, and numerous dedicated Hi-Fi streamers. This technical compatibility makes Qobuz a natural choice for those who have invested in quality audio systems and want their streaming service to match their hardware capabilities.

Subscription plans and pricing

Qobuz offers a straightforward subscription structure designed to accommodate different listening preferences and budget considerations. Understanding these plans is essential when you're considering cancellation, as your current subscription level will determine your notice period obligations and any potential refund entitlements.

The Studio Premier plan represents the entry point to Qobuz's services, delivering CD-quality lossless audio that already surpasses the quality offered by most mainstream streaming platforms. This plan suits listeners who want superior sound without requiring the absolute highest resolution files.

Studio Sublime targets serious audiophiles who demand the finest audio quality available. In addition to Hi-Res streaming capabilities, Sublime subscribers receive significant discounts when purchasing tracks and albums from the Qobuz store for permanent ownership. These discounts can reach up to 60% off standard prices, which can offset the higher subscription cost if you regularly purchase music.

The Duo and Family plans extend the Hi-Res experience to multiple users within a household, with each person receiving their own account with personalised recommendations, playlists, and listening history. This means you can cancel a Family plan if your household circumstances change, or downgrade to an individual plan if fewer people are using the service.

Annual subscriptions offer considerable savings compared to paying monthly, typically equivalent to receiving two months free. However, this creates important considerations for cancellation, as annual subscribers may wonder about refund entitlements if they cancel before their year concludes.

Cancellation terms and conditions

Understanding your cancellation rights is fundamental to protecting yourself as a consumer. Qobuz, like all subscription services operating in the United Kingdom, must comply with UK consumer protection legislation, which provides you with specific rights and safeguards.

Your statutory cancellation rights

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have an automatic right to cancel any subscription purchased online within 14 days of signing up. This cooling-off period applies regardless of which plan you've chosen or whether you've paid monthly or annually. During this period, you can cancel without providing any reason whatsoever, and you're entitled to a full refund.

This means if you've recently subscribed to Qobuz and have second thoughts about the service, the sound quality, or simply find it doesn't meet your needs, you have an unconditional right to cancel and receive your money back. This statutory protection exists specifically to safeguard consumers who make purchasing decisions online without the opportunity to examine services in person.

Cancellation outside the cooling-off period

After the initial 14-day period expires, your cancellation rights depend on the subscription type you've chosen and Qobuz's specific terms and conditions. Monthly subscribers typically can cancel at any time, with cancellation taking effect at the end of the current billing cycle. This means you continue to have access to the service until the period you've already paid for concludes.

Annual subscribers face more complex considerations. Generally, when you cancel an annual subscription partway through the subscription year, you won't receive a pro-rata refund for unused months. The service continues until the end of your prepaid annual period, after which it simply doesn't renew. Therefore, timing your cancellation appropriately becomes important to ensure you're not paying for another year unintentionally.

Notice periods and billing cycles

Qobuz requires that you provide cancellation notice before your next billing date to prevent automatic renewal. For monthly subscriptions, this typically means cancelling at least 48 hours before your monthly renewal date. Annual subscriptions require notice before the annual renewal date to prevent being charged for another full year.

As a result, keeping track of your renewal dates is essential. Many consumers who complain about unexpected charges discover they missed their renewal date by just a day or two. Setting a reminder several days before your renewal date gives you adequate time to send cancellation notice by post and ensure it arrives before the critical deadline.

Why people choose to cancel

Understanding common cancellation reasons helps you recognise whether your concerns are valid and whether cancellation is the right decision. Many Qobuz subscribers cancel because they're not fully utilising the high-resolution audio capabilities they're paying for. If you're primarily listening through standard headphones or basic speakers, you may not perceive the quality difference that justifies the premium pricing.

Financial considerations drive many cancellations, particularly when household budgets tighten or when subscribers realise they're paying for multiple streaming services simultaneously. Consolidating to a single platform often makes economic sense, even if it means sacrificing audio quality.

Technical compatibility issues occasionally prompt cancellations. Some users discover that their preferred listening devices don't fully support Qobuz's Hi-Res formats, or they encounter streaming difficulties related to bandwidth limitations. In practice, streaming Hi-Res audio requires robust internet connectivity, and households with slower connections may experience buffering problems.

Catalogue limitations represent another cancellation factor. While Qobuz offers over 100 million tracks, certain genres, particularly contemporary pop and some regional music styles, may have less comprehensive coverage compared to mainstream competitors. Subscribers whose musical preferences aren't well-served by Qobuz's catalogue naturally look elsewhere.

How to cancel Qobuz by post

Cancelling your Qobuz subscription by post represents the most reliable and legally robust method available to UK consumers. This approach creates an indisputable paper trail that protects your rights and provides concrete evidence of your cancellation request, which becomes invaluable if any disputes arise about whether you cancelled in time or at all.

Why postal cancellation offers superior protection

Sending cancellation notice by post, particularly through Royal Mail Tracked services, generates proof of postage and delivery confirmation that no other method can match. Online cancellation processes can fail due to technical glitches, unclear confirmation messages, or website errors. Email cancellations may be filtered into spam folders, overlooked, or claimed never to have been received.

In contrast, a letter sent via Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service provides you with a tracking reference number and confirmation of delivery. This documentation becomes crucial if Qobuz claims they never received your cancellation or if they attempt to charge you for additional subscription periods after you've cancelled. Your proof of posting and delivery serves as definitive evidence in any dispute.

Furthermore, postal cancellation demonstrates seriousness and formality. A physical letter carries weight that electronic communications often lack, and companies typically process postal correspondence through dedicated departments trained in handling formal customer communications. This means your cancellation is more likely to be processed correctly and completely.

Legal requirements for your cancellation letter

Your cancellation letter must contain specific information to be legally effective and to ensure Qobuz can identify your account and process your request without delays. Start with your full name exactly as it appears on your Qobuz account, followed by your account email address. This information allows Qobuz to locate your subscription immediately.

Include your account number or subscription reference if you have access to this information, though your email address typically suffices for identification purposes. State clearly and unambiguously that you are cancelling your Qobuz subscription, and specify which subscription plan you're cancelling if you hold multiple subscriptions.

Provide the date you're writing the letter and, importantly, state when you want the cancellation to take effect. For monthly subscriptions, you might specify \