The Australian charges $11 per week ($44 every four weeks) for digital access. If you signed up on a cheap introductory rate, that price has already jumped or is about to. Here's how to cancel.
Cancel by phone
Call 1300 696 397 (1300 MY NEWS). Hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm, Saturday to Sunday 7am to 11:30am (AEST). From overseas: +61 2 7966 6900.
Tell them you want to cancel your subscription to The Australian. They will ask why. They will offer you a discount. You don't need to explain yourself or accept anything.
"I've already made my decision. I'm not interested in any offers. Please process the cancellation today."
Have your account email address ready. Ask for a confirmation email before you hang up.
Why you can't cancel online
The Australian's website has a "Cancel" option under Manage Subscription in your account settings, but clicking it just gives you a phone number. There is no self-service online cancellation. The chat function redirects you to the phone line too.
This is the main reason it gets a "medium" difficulty rating. The actual phone call takes 5 to 10 minutes, but News Corp clearly does not want you to cancel without speaking to someone first.
News Corp's cancel flow is designed to force a phone call. The website and app both present what looks like a cancel button, but it only displays the phone number. Multiple users have reported being unable to cancel online, through chat, or even by email. Some have been charged for months after believing they had successfully cancelled.
Pricing
| Plan | Intro rate | Ongoing price | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital | Varies ($4-$8 for first 8 weeks) | $11/week ($44/4 weeks) | Every 4 weeks |
| Digital + Weekend Paper | Varies | ~$15/week | Every 4 weeks |
The introductory pricing is the trap. You sign up for $4 or $1 per week, forget about it, and three months later you're paying $44 every four weeks. News Corp bills every four weeks (not monthly), which means you get charged 13 times a year instead of 12.
Separate from other News Corp subscriptions
The Australian is published by News Corp Australia. If you also subscribe to the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, or The Advertiser, those are separate subscriptions with separate billing. Cancelling The Australian does not cancel your other News Corp mastheads. You'll need to call for each one.
Your access continues until the end of your current billing period. No prorated refund. Your account stays active so you can resubscribe later. Cancel at least 24 hours before your next billing date to avoid being charged for another four-week cycle.
If they won't let you cancel
Some subscribers have reported calling multiple times and still being billed. If that happens to you:
- Cancel via PayPal. If you pay through PayPal, log in to PayPal, go to Settings, then Payments, then Manage Automatic Payments, and cancel the agreement with News Corp directly. This cuts off their ability to charge you regardless of what their system says.
- Contact your bank. Ask your bank to block future charges from News Corp or cancel the card on file.
- Lodge an ACCC complaint. If News Corp continues to charge you after you've cancelled, you can report it to the ACCC or your state's fair trading body.
The free alternative
Before you cancel, check whether your local library offers digital newspaper access. Many Australian public libraries (including the State Library of Victoria) provide free digital access to The Australian, Herald Sun, and other News Corp papers through PressReader or similar platforms. All you need is a library card.
That's one less news bill. But it probably wasn't your only forgotten subscription.
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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.