LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s paid subscription service that provides members with additional features such as InMail messages, profile highlights, expanded search results, and more. By default, LinkedIn Premium subscriptions are set to auto-renew at the end of each billing period. This means that unless you actively cancel your subscription, LinkedIn will automatically charge your payment method on file and renew your Premium membership.
While auto-renewal can be convenient for those who want ongoing access to Premium, it can also lead to unwanted charges if you decide you no longer want to pay for the service. Thankfully, turning off auto-renewal is simple and only takes a few steps. Here’s what you need to know about how to stop LinkedIn Premium from automatically renewing.
Check Your LinkedIn Settings
The first step is to check your account settings within LinkedIn to see if auto-renewal is enabled. Here’s how:
- Log into your LinkedIn account on the website (not the mobile app).
- Click on your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- Click on the “Subscriptions” tab.
- Look for the “Premium” section. It will show your current membership status.
- Check if the “Auto-renew” toggle is switched on. If so, auto-renewal is currently active.
This will confirm whether you currently have auto-renewal enabled for Premium. If the toggle is off, then your account is set to cancel at the end of your current billing period.
Turn Off Auto-Renewal in Your LinkedIn Account
If you confirmed that auto-renewal is switched on for Premium, here are the steps to turn it off:
- Follow steps 1-5 above to access the “Subscriptions” section of your account settings.
- Locate the “Auto-renew” toggle next to your Premium membership.
- Click on the toggle to switch it from “On” to “Off”.
- A confirmation popup will appear. Click “Yes” to confirm you want to turn off auto-renewal.
Once you flip the toggle to “Off”, auto-renewal will be disabled. Your current Premium membership will still be active until the end of the current billing period, at which point it will expire unless you manually renew it.
Cancel Premium Membership
In addition to turning off auto-renewal, you can also fully cancel your LinkedIn Premium membership:
- Follow the same steps to access the “Subscriptions” section of your account settings.
- Click on “Cancel premium” below your membership plan.
- Select a reason for cancellation from the dropdown menu.
- Click “Continue to cancel”.
- Confirm again that you want to cancel. Your access will remain until the end of the current billing period.
Once you fully cancel, your Premium membership and all access will terminate at the end of the current billing cycle. You will revert to a free LinkedIn account.
Downgrade Your LinkedIn Membership
If you want to keep a paid LinkedIn membership but at a lower cost, you can downgrade from Premium to a lower tier:
- Premium Career: $29.99/month. Gives you premium profile visibility, InMail messages, and profile highlighting.
- Premium Business: $49.99/month. Includes everything in Premium Career plus advanced search filters and newsletters.
- Sales Navigator Professional: $64.99/month. Adds sales-specific tools like saved leads and TeamLink.
- Sales Navigator Team: $79.99/month. For sales teams to track shared leads, communicate, and more.
To downgrade, follow these instructions:
- Go to your account settings and click “Change” next to your current Premium plan.
- Select the plan you want to downgrade to from the options.
- Follow the prompts to confirm the downgrade.
- The lower membership will take effect at the next billing cycle.
Downgrading your account is a good compromise if you want to keep some Premium features but at a lower price point.
Avoid Accidental Renewal
Once you disable auto-renewal for Premium, you may want to take extra precautions to avoid accidental renewal charges:
- Cancel any existing Premium subscriptions so there are none active.
- Remove your payment method on file with LinkedIn to prevent charges.
- Keep track of when your billing cycle ends and expires.
- Monitor your bank/credit card statements for any LinkedIn charges.
Doing these things will minimize the risk of Premium inadvertently renewing without your consent.
Get a Refund
If you act quickly after an accidental or unwanted Premium renewal, you may be able to get a refund:
- Contact LinkedIn customer support within 60 days of the charge.
- Explain that you did not intend to renew Premium and want a refund.
- If it’s your first time requesting a refund, LinkedIn will likely grant it.
- The refund can take 5-7 business days to process.
Refunds are generally provided on a one-time basis, so act fast if Premium renews when you don’t want it to.
Use a Free LinkedIn Account
If you decide Premium isn’t worth the cost, you can continue using LinkedIn for free:
- You can maintain an unlimited profile and connections.
- You can join groups, follow companies, and view newsfeed posts.
- You have basic access to jobs, content, and searches.
- You can send InMail messages (just limited compared to Premium).
While you won’t get the full benefits of Premium, you can still leverage LinkedIn effectively with a free account.
Use an Alternative Paid Service
If you want access to some Premium-style features, alternatives are available:
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator: More affordable options for sales professionals.
- LinkedIn Recruiter: Unlocks recruiting and talent search tools.
- 3rd party tools: Browser extensions for finding contacts, lead gen, etc.
- Coaching services: Consultants to optimize your LinkedIn presence.
Research different paid tools/services outside of Premium to see if they may suit your needs.
Conclusion
The key steps to stop LinkedIn Premium from auto-renewing include:
- Check your account settings to confirm auto-renewal is on.
- Flip the “Auto-renew” toggle to the off position.
- Consider fully canceling Premium or downgrading your account.
- Remove payment methods and monitor statements to avoid accidental charges.
- Act quickly to request a refund if Premium renews unexpectedly.
With auto-renewal disabled, you can prevent unwanted Premium charges. And you can still use a free LinkedIn account or explore alternative paid tools to maximize your experience.
Action | Details |
---|---|
Check account settings | Confirm if auto-renewal is on for Premium |
Turn off auto-renewal | Flip the “Auto-renew” toggle to off |
Cancel Premium | Fully cancel Premium membership if desired |
Downgrade account | Switch to a cheaper paid plan |
Avoid accidental renewal | Remove payment methods, monitor statements |
Request a refund | Contact support within 60 days of unwanted renewal |
Use free account | Leverage LinkedIn without paying for Premium |
Try alternative services | Sales Navigator, Recruiter, 3rd party tools, coaching |