LinkedIn Premium is a paid subscription service offered by LinkedIn that provides users with additional features and benefits beyond the free LinkedIn account. Some of the key features of LinkedIn Premium include seeing who has viewed your profile, sending InMail messages directly to anyone (even if they’re not in your network), unlimited search filters, expanded profiles, advanced analytics about content performance, and discounts on LinkedIn Learning courses.
With the extra features and perks that come with LinkedIn Premium, it’s understandable why so many professionals choose to upgrade from the free version. However, before signing up, it’s important to understand the terms of the subscription, including how and when you can cancel if you change your mind later on.
Can You Cancel LinkedIn Premium at Any Time?
Yes, you can cancel your LinkedIn Premium subscription at any time. Unlike some other sites that make it difficult to cancel auto-renewing subscriptions, LinkedIn offers a straightforward cancellation process that can be completed entirely online.
There is no minimum commitment or contract when you sign up for any of the Premium subscription options (Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator Professional, Recruiter Lite, etc). Your subscription will continue month-to-month until you decide to cancel.
This flexibility makes it easy to try out Premium to see if you like it, knowing you can cancel right away if you change your mind or only need it temporarily for your job search or other purposes.
How to Cancel LinkedIn Premium on Desktop
Here are step-by-step instructions for how to cancel Premium on LinkedIn’s desktop site:
- Log into your LinkedIn account and click on your profile picture in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
- Click “Account” in the left sidebar
- Under “Premium Subscriptions”, click “Manage” next to the subscription you want to cancel
- Select “Cancel subscription” and follow the on-screen prompts to confirm cancellation
It just takes a minute or two to complete the cancellation steps. Once you cancel, your Premium access will continue until the end of the current billing cycle before downgrading to a free account.
How to Cancel LinkedIn Premium on Mobile
The process for canceling LinkedIn Premium on mobile is very similar:
- Open the LinkedIn app and tap your profile picture in the top left
- Tap “Settings”
- Tap “Account”
- Tap “Manage premium” under the “Premium” section
- Tap “Cancel subscription” and confirm cancellation
As soon as you complete cancellation on mobile, your Premium access will end even if you are in the middle of a billing cycle. So if you want to continue using Premium until the end of the period you already paid for, it’s best to cancel on desktop instead.
What Happens When You Cancel LinkedIn Premium?
Here’s an overview of what happens after you cancel your Premium subscription:
- You’ll immediately lose access to Premium features like seeing profile views, contacting non-connections through InMail, and seeing analytics data.
- Your profile badge will change from “Premium” back to “Basic”.
- You’ll revert to having a free LinkedIn account with standard functionality.
- You can still access Premium for the remainder of the billing period if you cancel on desktop. If you cancel on mobile, Premium access ends right away.
- You’ll no longer be charged future subscription fees after your billing cycle ends.
All of your profile information, connections, and activity on the platform will remain unchanged. You simply lose the bonus capabilities that came with Premium. Your free account stays active unless you choose to close it entirely.
Getting a Refund for LinkedIn Premium
Since LinkedIn Premium is a month-to-month subscription, there are no refunds provided when you choose to cancel. However, if you change your mind shortly after signing up and want to request a refund, here are a couple options:
- Within 48 hours: LinkedIn will refund your payment if you contact their customer support team within the first 48 hours of subscribing. This allows you to get your money back if you immediately regret the purchase.
- Within 30 days: You can request a prorated refund if you cancel within the first 30 days of subscribing. For example, if you cancel after 15 days, you would get 50% of the subscription fee refunded.
To request a refund, reach out to LinkedIn customer service by submitting a request form or calling.
Downgrading from Premium to Basic
Downgrading from LinkedIn Premium to the Basic free account is straightforward – it happens automatically after you cancel your subscription. The only exception is if you cancel on desktop, in which case you keep Premium access until your billing cycle completes.
When downgrading to Basic, be aware that:
- Your public profile will remain unchanged, but the “Premium” badge will disappear.
- You’ll lose access to all Premium features, including seeing profile views, contacting non-connections, etc.
- You can still use LinkedIn for free with core functionality like making connections, sharing updates, messaging connections, etc.
- Any Premium data like statistics and analytics will no longer be available to you.
- You can upgrade back to Premium at any time in the future.
Basically, you are reverting from an enhanced, paid account back to regular free LinkedIn. It’s easy to toggle between Premium and Basic as needed depending on what suits your career needs at the time.
Should You Cancel LinkedIn Premium?
Whether Premium is worth keeping depends on how much value you get from the extra features. Here are some factors to consider when making the decision:
| Pros of Keeping Premium | Cons of Keeping Premium |
|---|---|
| – See who’s viewed your profile | – Costs money every month |
| – Contact people outside your network | – Rarely use some features |
| – Remove LinkedIn ads | – Free account may be sufficient |
| – Get analytics on content & profile | – Don’t want another subscription |
| – Additional search filters | – Looking to cut expenses |
In general, Premium tends to provide the most value for job seekers, recruiters, sales professionals, and anyone focused on networking. If you don’t need those specialized features, the free account may suit your purposes just fine.
Conclusion
The flexibility to cancel LinkedIn Premium at any time makes it easy to test out the enhanced subscription and then opt-out later if it’s not proving useful enough to warrant the monthly costs. Downgrading back to the Basic free account is straightforward – you simply lose access to the Premium perks.
To cancel Premium, navigate to the account settings on desktop or mobile app and select “Cancel subscription”. You can request a refund within the first 48 hours or get a prorated amount back within the first month. Otherwise, the subscription continues until the billing cycle ends.
Carefully review whether Premium’s features are worth the price for you. If not, don’t hesitate to cancel and stick with the standard free account instead. However, you can always upgrade again down the road if you change your mind.
LinkedIn aims to deliver strong value with Premium while also providing members the flexibility to come and go as their needs evolve. Evaluate your own LinkedIn usage and priorities, and you can determine if now is the right time to keep the Premium upgrade or revert to the basics.
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