Amazon has removed the cancel option from the Kindle app on both iPhone and Android. You have to use a web browser. This is the same company that paid a $2.5 billion FTC fine for making Prime hard to cancel, so the pattern is deliberate.
How to cancel (web browser)
- Go to amazon.com.au and sign in
- Hover over Account & Lists (top right)
- Select Your Kindle Unlimited from the dropdown
- In the left sidebar, click Cancel Kindle Unlimited Membership
- Amazon will show you a list of all the books you'll lose (a guilt trip). Click Cancel Membership to confirm
You keep access until your next billing date. No refund for unused days.
Cancel from a Kindle e-reader
If you have a physical Kindle (Paperwhite, Scribe, etc.), you can cancel directly on the device:
- From the Kindle home page, scroll to find Try Unlimited Reading & Listening
- Tap Learn More
- Tap Manage your membership at the top
- Scroll down and press Cancel membership
- Confirm on the next screen
This only works on e-ink Kindle devices, not the Kindle app on a phone or tablet.
On iPhone? Here's the catch
Kindle Unlimited is billed directly by Amazon, not through the App Store. It won't appear in your iPhone's Subscriptions settings. You need to open Safari, go to amazon.com.au, sign in, and cancel from there. The site may try to redirect you to the Amazon app, so long-press links and choose "Open in New Tab" if needed.
You lose access to all borrowed Kindle Unlimited titles at your next billing date. Any books you purchased outright (not borrowed) stay in your library forever. Your account, purchase history, and highlights on purchased books are not affected. If you have Amazon Prime, you still get Prime Reading (a smaller, separate catalogue).
Current pricing (AUD)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Kindle Unlimited | $13.99/mo |
There's no annual plan in Australia. Only monthly. A 30-day free trial is available for new subscribers.
While subscribed, you can borrow up to 20 books at a time with no due dates. When you cancel, all 20 disappear at your billing date.
Before you cancel
Use your remaining time. You can have up to 20 books borrowed simultaneously. Load up your Kindle before the billing period ends and read them while you still have access. Once the date passes, they're gone (even downloaded copies, since they're DRM-locked).
The retention offer
When you go through the cancel flow, Amazon may offer you a pause (1 month, auto-resumes) or occasionally 50% off for 3 months. The discount isn't guaranteed. It seems to depend on how long you've been subscribed and how much you use the service.
Free alternatives
You don't need to pay $13.99/month to read books in Australia:
- BorrowBox (free with any Australian library card). eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Run by Bolinda, an Australian company. Works on iOS, Android, and Fire tablets. Get a library card from your local council library if you don't have one.
- Libby (free with a library card). Huge catalogue. Can send books directly to your Kindle via email. The catch: popular titles often have wait lists of 4+ weeks.
- Kobo Plus Read ($13.99/month). Same price as Kindle Unlimited but a different catalogue. Worth considering if you have a Kobo e-reader.
If you read mostly popular fiction and non-fiction, BorrowBox and Libby cover most of it for free. Kindle Unlimited is strongest for indie and self-published authors, romance, and fantasy series.
That's one Amazon subscription checked. Are there others you've forgotten about?
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See what you're paying forChris Raad
Chris is the founder of Subtracker. He built this tool after experiencing the pain of discovering thousands of dollars in unused SaaS sprawl just before tax time.