> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.memberply.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.memberply.com/members-area/cancel-a-membership.md).

# Cancel a membership

Cancel a membership when access or recurring billing should end while keeping the member's history. This is separate from [deleting a member](/members-area/delete-a-member.md) or [refunding a payment](/members-area.md#refund-a-membership-payment).

## Cancel from Memberply admin

1. Open **Members** and select the member.
2. Check the membership tier and subscription details.
3. Select **Cancel Subscription**.
4. Complete the cancellation reason step and confirm the cancellation.
5. Check the resulting status and the date access will end.

If an import is running, wait for it to finish before cancelling. If cancellation cannot be confirmed, refresh the member's details and check the current status before retrying.

## When access ends

For ordinary recurring memberships, the tier's cancellation policy controls the timing:

| Policy                                  | Result                                                                                         |
| --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cancel benefits immediately             | Memberply cancels the Shopify subscription and ends access after Shopify confirms cancellation |
| Cancel benefits at end of billing cycle | The member shows **Cancellation scheduled** and retains access until the displayed end date    |

At a scheduled end date, Memberply processes the Shopify cancellation. If Shopify cannot confirm it, Memberply retries and does not report a completed cancellation prematurely.

Cancelling a free or one-time membership ends its Memberply access. There is no recurring Shopify payment to stop. Cancelling access for an imported membership without a Shopify subscription does not stop payments in an external billing system.

For a membership paid by someone else, use [Stop automatic renewals](/members-area/arrange-payment-by-someone-else.md#stop-automatic-renewals) in the payer arrangement to preserve time already paid for.

## How members cancel themselves

Members with recurring memberships can use the cancellation controls in the Memberply membership area:

* **Shopify customer accounts:** open Membership Benefits and find the cancellation action under membership details.
* **Legacy customer accounts:** open the Memberply dashboard, then **Settings > Plans** and select the cancellation action.

Members can select your [cancellation reasons](/settings/setting-up-cancellation-reasons.md) and add an optional explanation before confirming. The tier's cancellation policy still applies.

## Payments, tags and rejoining

Cancellation does not automatically refund a previous payment. Review the relevant Shopify order separately if a refund is needed.

Any configured [cancellation customer tags](/creating-your-membership-tiers/add-cancellation-customer-tags.md) are added when cancellation takes effect. A [rejoin cooldown](/creating-your-membership-tiers/set-a-rejoin-cooldown.md) starts when access ends, rather than when a future cancellation is first scheduled.

If the member only needs a temporary break, consider the optional [one-month pause](/members-area/skip-a-monthly-membership-payment.md) for eligible monthly subscriptions.