Cancellation Medium: Easy Method

What is Medium

Medium is a paid reading and publishing platform

Medium is an online publishing platform where readers pay for access to member-only stories and writers can earn from what people read. It was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, which matters because its terms refer to California law and U.S. dispute handling.

For Malaysian users, the main thing is simple: Medium sells recurring memberships, billed monthly or yearly on the same day your subscription started. If you signed up on 12 March, renewal usually comes again on the 12th of each month or each year, based on your plan.

What people actually pay for on Medium

Most users are not paying for the basic account. They are paying for unlimited ad-free reading, audio narrations, offline reading, support for writers, and access tied to the paid membership tier. Medium also offers a higher tier called Friend of Medium with extra support weight for writers and added features listed on its membership page.

The standard paid plan is Medium Member at $5.00 (RM24)* per month or $50.00 (RM236)* per year. The higher tier is Friend of Medium at $15.00 (RM71)* per month or $150.00 (RM708)* per year.

How Medium works in Malaysia

Medium is available in Malaysia through its website and app ecosystem, but the service does not show a Malaysia-specific office, phone support line, or local cancellation address. No live chat support is available, no support email is clearly provided, and support hours are not specified.

That can be frustrating lah, especially if you worry about being charged after cancelling. The practical point is this: your cancellation route depends on where you started the subscription, whether direct on Medium, through Apple, or through Google Play.

How to cancel Medium without getting charged again

Checks to do before you press cancel

Many people panic because the steps are not obvious and they are scared access will stop immediately. Before cancelling, open your account and note your next billing date, your plan name, and the payment channel used for signup.

Take screenshots of your current membership page, your billing screen, and your latest bank or card charge. Save any member-only drafts, reading lists, or writer data you may need, because cancelling a membership is not the same as deleting the account.

• Screenshot your plan and billing date
• Check whether you subscribed on web, Apple, or Google Play
• Save the latest transaction amount and date
• Keep a copy of any cancellation confirmation

Cancel through the Medium website account

If you subscribed directly on Medium, the click path is clear: go to your homepage, click your profile picture, open Settings, then look for Membership and payment, and click Cancel your membership. This path is described in Medium help material.

The cancellation should be done before the next billing date, not on the same day at the last minute if you can avoid it. A smart move is to cancel at least 24 to 48 hours earlier so you have time to capture the confirmation screen if anything looks odd.

If you need account help after cancellation, Medium’s support article for account deletion and deactivation is here: Medium account help.

Cancel through App Store or Google Play if that is where you subscribed

If you paid through Apple, do not waste time searching inside Medium for the final billing control. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, tap your name, open iTunes & App Store, tap your Apple ID, choose View Apple ID, open Subscriptions, select Medium membership, then tap Cancel subscription.

If you paid through Google Play, the billing control sits with Google. Medium’s help material clearly treats store billing as a separate route, so use the store subscription manager linked to the Google account that made the purchase. A very common mistake is trying to cancel inside the wrong Medium login while the actual charge is tied to Apple or Google.

Phone, chat, email, and postal options

Medium does not provide a public phone number for subscription cancellation, no live chat is available, and no support email is clearly listed in the verified materials. That means self-service cancellation through the account or app store is the main path, senang if the account is accessible, but annoying if you lost login access.

A postal cancellation route in Malaysia was not found, and no Malaysian cancellation address appears to be available. If you still want written proof, a registered letter to any verified corporate address is harder and slower, usually around 5 to 10 business days for delivery proof, and some users prefer modern certified digital letter services such as Postclic for timestamped evidence.

Common friction points during cancellation

No specific dark pattern was identified in the research, which is good news. Still, users often get tripped up by two simple issues: they cancel the account instead of the subscription, or they cancel in the wrong billing channel and the auto-renewal continues.

If you cannot see the cancel button, that usually points to one of three causes. You may be logged into the wrong Medium account, the membership may have been bought through Apple or Google, or the membership may already have lapsed.

After you cancel, what changes and what stays

Your paid access usually stays until the current billing period ends

This is the part many users worry about most. Medium’s policy says there is no refund after cancellation, which normally means you keep the paid benefits until the end of the already-paid billing cycle rather than losing them on the spot.

Example: if your monthly renewal date is 25 April and you cancel on 10 April, you should generally keep member access until 25 April. What stops is the next renewal charge, not the current paid period.

If you do nothing, the subscription renews automatically

Medium states that subscriptions renew monthly or annually with automatically recurring fees, charged on the same day of the month the subscription began. There is no minimum commitment period specified, so the key deadline is simply before the next billing date.

If you miss that date, the new cycle can be charged in full. For annual members, that can mean $50.00 (RM236)* or $150.00 (RM708)* on the renewal day, so one missed reminder can cost quite a bit.

Cancelling membership is not the same as deactivating or deleting the account

Medium says a deactivated account can be restored just by signing in again. Deletion is permanent, and account data will be removed according to Medium’s privacy policy.

That means you can stop paying without necessarily erasing your account. If you want a clean break, cancel the membership first, confirm the charge will not renew, then decide whether to deactivate or permanently delete the account.

Medium refund policy and what Malaysians can realistically expect

Medium’s general refund position is strict

If you are cancelling because you feel cheated by timing or unclear steps, the bad news is that Medium’s stated policy is simple: no refund after cancellation. The research data shows no refund for the unused period, no refund after cancelling generally, and no separate refund promise even for billing error in that same source set.

In plain terms, Medium does not present a pro-rated refund policy for the remaining days of a monthly or annual cycle. So if you cancel halfway through the month, expect access to continue until the renewal date, but not a cash return for unused days.

Your rights in Malaysia are narrower for this type of subscription

In Malaysia, the Consumer Protection Act 1999 does not create a universal cooling-off period for all digital subscriptions. A 10-working-day cooling-off period exists under the Direct Sales and Anti-Pyramid Scheme Act 1993 for direct sales contracts, but a standard online Medium membership is generally not the same category.

So, can you cancel and demand a no-questions refund just because you changed your mind after subscribing? For a normal online content subscription, usually no automatic statutory cooling-off right applies in Malaysia.

How to request a refund if there was a charge problem

If the charge looks wrong, move fast and prepare proof. Gather the transaction date, exact amount, last four digits of the card, screenshot of your cancellation page, and any Apple or Google receipt if the payment went through a store.

• Cancel the subscription in the correct billing channel
• Take a screenshot showing the cancellation date
• Keep the bank or card statement line
• Use the same billing platform to raise the dispute if possible

If the payment went through Apple or Google, the refund request has a better chance through that store’s purchase support process than through guessing a Medium support inbox. If the payment went direct to Medium and a fresh charge appears after cancellation, ask your bank for a chargeback or recurring transaction dispute.

Chargeback in Malaysia as a last resort

In Malaysia, banks usually call this a chargeback or a dispute for an unauthorised or recurring card transaction. The common timeframe is around 60 to 120 days from the transaction date or from when you discovered the issue, depending on your bank and card network rules under Bank Negara Malaysia’s complaint-handling framework.

Use chargeback only when you have already cancelled correctly and still got charged, or when the merchant does not respond. Keep your screenshots, receipts, and account evidence because the bank will ask for them.

Medium subscription terms that affect your wallet

Auto-renewal is built into the subscription

Medium states that the subscription renews monthly or annually through automatically recurring fees, and the charge lands on the same calendar day the subscription began. That clause matters more than anything else because forgetting one date is enough for another full cycle to bill.

No minimum commitment duration is specified, which is good for flexibility. You are not locked into a long mandatory term, but the renewal keeps running until you stop it.

Free trial details are not clearly specified in the provided terms data

No verified free trial term was specified in the research data used here. That means you should not assume a trial exists, and you definitely should not assume a trial ends without converting unless Medium clearly shows that on your checkout page.

If a promotional screen appears, read the billing start date carefully before confirming payment. The safest habit is to set a calendar reminder on the same day you subscribe.

Applicable law and dispute handling are U.S.-based in the terms

Medium’s terms mention California law and say suits must take place in a court located in San Francisco, California. For a Malaysian reader, that is not practical for everyday billing disputes, which is why local escalation through your bank, KPDN, or TTPM is usually the realistic path for low-value consumer problems.

This does not mean you have no remedy in Malaysia. It means the contract language is foreign, while your practical complaint tools are local.

Medium plans and pricing for Malaysian users

Current subscription prices

Prices are approximate, converted from USD at 1 USD ≈ 4.72 MYR. Check the official website for exact local pricing and billing details.

Which plan costs more and where the savings are

The cheapest recurring option is Medium Member monthly at $5.00 (RM24)*. The most expensive is Friend of Medium annual at $150.00 (RM708)*.

The annual Medium Member plan saves about $10.00 (RM47)* compared with paying monthly for 12 months, because 12 x $5.00 equals $60.00 (RM283)*. The annual Friend of Medium plan saves about $30.00 (RM142)* compared with 12 monthly payments of $15.00, which totals $180.00 (RM850)*.

Billing notes that matter before you stay subscribed

No cancellation fee or early termination fee was found in the terms data. That is the good part. The less good part is the no-refund stance after cancellation, so annual billing gives a lower effective monthly cost but carries a bigger risk if you forget to cancel early.

If you only read occasionally, the monthly plan is easier to control. If you are already thinking of cancelling, the annual plan may feel cheap on paper but expensive in real life if the renewal date slips your mind.

Your rights in Malaysia if Medium keeps charging or refuses to help

The Malaysian laws that matter here

For subscription disputes in Malaysia, the main law is the Consumer Protection Act 1999. It helps with unfair practices and consumer complaints, but it does not give a blanket cooling-off period for every online subscription.

The 10-working-day cooling-off right under the Direct Sales and Anti-Pyramid Scheme Act 1993 applies to direct sales contracts. For a normal online Medium membership, that specific cooling-off rule usually does not fit, so your strongest practical tools are proof of cancellation, bank dispute channels, KPDN, and TTPM.

What this means for a Medium subscriber

If Medium charged you after you cancelled, the issue is not really about changing your mind. It is about whether the recurring charge continued despite your cancellation evidence.

If Medium simply says no refund after cancellation, that does not automatically override every consumer complaint. If the charge was unauthorised, duplicated, or continued after a confirmed stop request, you can still escalate in Malaysia.

How to complain in Malaysia

Start by organising your evidence in one folder. Include the cancellation screenshot, account name, billing date, amount such as $5.00 (RM24)* or $50.00 (RM236)*, card statement, and any reply from the service or app store.

• File a complaint with KPDN through its consumer complaint channels
• If money recovery is still unresolved, consider TTPM for a consumer claim
• If the charge is on a card, open a dispute with your issuing bank
• Record dates of every complaint and reference number

Useful Malaysian authorities

KPDN is the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, and it is the main consumer affairs authority to know for this kind of subscription dispute. TTPM is the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia, often useful for lower-value claims where a normal court route would be too much trouble.

For practical use, submit the bank dispute fast, then file the consumer complaint with KPDN if the merchant ignores you. If the amount is worth pursuing and the evidence is clean, TTPM can be the next step.

What users say about cancelling and billing problems

Overall verdict from available reviews

The review pattern is not pretty. Based on the review set provided here, there are 0 positive reviews, 4 negative reviews, and 1 neutral review, so the overall mood is clearly negative even though one source says the website steps themselves are straightforward.

My honest read: the cancellation path looks simple on paper, but trust falls sharply when users believe charges continued or support was too hard to reach. No specific Malaysia-only complaint trend was identified.

Recurring themes in user feedback

Sources summary

Individual user comments

• "Keeps charging card/no customer service" (TrustPilot)
• "Do not give them your card number. They keep charging my card and won't let me cancel via my old email address. Horrible, horrible service." (TrustPilot)
• "The cancellation process on the Medium website is straightforward, involving just a few clicks through the settings menu." (Chargeback)

Documents to keep before and after you cancel

Before cancelling, save proof that shows your current status

Do not rely on memory. Save a screenshot of the Membership and payment screen, your plan name, and the next renewal date because those three items are the most useful later if a fresh charge appears.

If you are a writer or heavy reader, also save any important drafts, publication data, bookmarks, or offline material you still need. Cancelling membership and deleting the account are different actions, but confusion happens often.

For refund requests or bank disputes, keep exact transaction evidence

Use the exact transaction amount, date, and payment channel. For example, write down whether the disputed charge was $5.00 (RM24)* monthly, $50.00 (RM236)* annual, or a store-billed purchase through Apple or Google.

• Card or bank statement screenshot
• Apple or Google receipt if relevant
• Cancellation confirmation screen
• Complaint reference numbers

After cancelling, save confirmation and monitor the next cycle

Once the cancellation is done, take a final screenshot that shows the membership will end on a specific date or will not renew. If an email confirmation arrives, archive it immediately.

Then watch the next statement cycle closely. Many people only discover a problem after the next charge posts, and by then they have lost easy access to the proof screen.

Common mistakes that cause extra charges

Cancelling the wrong thing

A very common mistake is deactivating the account and assuming the paid membership also stops. Medium separates account status from subscription billing, so always verify the membership itself says cancelled.

Real-world scenario: you stop using the app, log out, and think that is enough. One month later, the $5.00 (RM24)* renewal still lands because the recurring payment was never stopped.

Using the wrong billing channel

If the subscription was started through Apple or Google, the final cancellation control sits there, not in the web account alone. This catches many users because they see no useful billing option on the Medium site and assume the membership is gone already.

Scenario: you subscribed on iPhone, then later logged into Medium on a laptop and searched for a cancel button. The App Store subscription remained active, so the charge continued.

Waiting until the renewal day

Medium bills on the same day of the month the subscription began. If you wait until the exact renewal day, especially with time-zone differences and pending card processing, you increase the risk of missing the cutoff.

Safer habit: cancel at least 24 to 48 hours before the billing date and put the date in your calendar. This matters much more on annual plans where the renewal amount is larger.

Expecting a pro-rated refund after cancelling

Medium’s policy says no refund after cancellation, so do not assume you will get money back for half-used months or the unused part of an annual term. Access may continue until the end of the period, but cash back is a different issue.

Scenario: you cancel after one week of an annual Medium Member plan and expect a refund for the remaining eleven months. Based on the stated policy, that is unlikely unless there is a separate billing problem.

Not saving proof because the steps looked easy

The neutral review saying the website path is straightforward is believable, but easy steps do not replace evidence. The most painful disputes happen when a user cancelled but cannot prove the date.

Take screenshots before and after. If support is hard to reach later, those images may be the difference between a quick bank dispute and a long argument.

Comparison of Medium cancellation methods

Method comparison table

Key takeaway from the options

If you subscribed directly, the web account route is the fastest. If Apple or Google handled the payment, use the matching store because that is where recurring billing is controlled.

Registered mail is slower and not the normal route for Medium, but some users prefer a paper trail when access problems or repeated billing disputes appear. Pick the method that matches your original payment path, can or not that is the rule that matters most.

What to do right after cancellation

Immediate follow-up steps

Do not close the page too quickly. Look for wording that confirms the membership will end on a certain date or will not renew, then screenshot that page and save it with today’s date in the file name.

Set one calendar reminder for the expected final access date and another for two days after the next usual billing date. That second reminder is your bank-check trigger.

Watch your bank statement and dispute fast if needed

Monitor at least the next one to two statement cycles. Look for any recurring Medium charge at the same amount as before, such as $5.00 (RM24)*, $15.00 (RM71)*, $50.00 (RM236)*, or $150.00 (RM708)*.

If an unauthorised recurring charge appears, contact your issuing bank and request a chargeback or recurring transaction dispute. In Malaysia, the practical dispute window is commonly around 60 to 120 days, depending on bank and card-network rules.

Alternatives if you still want a reading or publishing platform

If you are leaving Medium but still want a place to publish or follow writers, Differ is a free option with algorithm-free publishing. Ghost starts from $9/month and gives more site ownership, while Substack is free to start and charges a 10 percent fee on paid subscriptions.

For people who prefer a simple writing environment, Write.as starts from $8/month. If you want broader site control, WordPress.com also remains a practical option with free and paid plans.

Useful links

• Medium official website
• Medium membership page
• Medium membership help
• Medium account deletion and deactivation help
• KPDN official website

Address and contact reality for Medium in Malaysia

No Malaysian cancellation address was found

No Medium cancellation address in Malaysia was found in the verified material and service notes. There is also no listed Malaysian office, no customer service phone number, and no live chat for subscription cancellation.

That means the real cancellation process is online-only for most users. Use the web account if billed directly, or the App Store or Google Play path if the subscription started there.

How to proceed when there is no local address

If your concern is proof, the best substitute is strong documentation. Save the cancellation screen, the membership page, the bank statement, and any app store receipt in one folder before the next billing date arrives.

If a dispute still goes nowhere, escalate locally through your bank, KPDN, and if suitable, TTPM. For most Malaysians, that route is far more realistic than chasing a foreign postal address.