Meta Description: NOW TV free trials auto-renew and the cancel method depends on whether NOW, Apple, or Google is billing you. Here’s the exact steps for each plus timing advice so you don’t get charged. Updated February 2026.
NOW (formerly NOW TV) banks on one simple fact: most people forget to cancel free trials.
You sign up to watch one boxing match or binge one series. You enter your card details thinking you’ll cancel tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes next week. Next week becomes payday. And suddenly there’s a £9.99 charge on your statement for an Entertainment Pass you used once to watch half an episode of something you’ve already forgotten.
I’ve signed up for NOW free trials three times over the years. First time for a boxing fight my mate insisted we had to watch. Second time when The Last of Us came out and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. Third time because I genuinely forgot I’d cancelled and thought I was signing up fresh.
All three times, I cancelled within the trial period. But the third time nearly caught me out because I’d subscribed through my iPhone and tried to cancel inside the NOW app. Didn’t work. The charge went through. Took me twenty minutes to figure out that Apple was billing me, not NOW.
That’s the single biggest mistake people make with NOW. Cancelling in the wrong place. Here’s how to avoid it.
What you need to know:
⏱️ Time to cancel: 2-5 minutes once you know where to go
💷 Passes: Entertainment £9.99, Cinema £9.99, Sports from £14.99
📱 Critical: Must cancel where you subscribed (NOW / Apple / Google)
⚠️ Free trial keeps working: Cancel now, watch until trial ends
📅 Updated: February 2026
First: Find Out Who’s Billing You (This Decides Everything)
NOW subscriptions can be billed through three different systems. Cancel in the wrong one and nothing happens. Your trial converts to paid and you get charged.
Check your email receipt or bank statement:
| Your Statement Shows | Billed By | Cancel Where |
|---|---|---|
| “NOW” or “NOWTV” or “SKY” | NOW directly | NOW website or app |
| “APPLE.COM/BILL” | Apple | iPhone Settings → Subscriptions |
| “GOOGLE PLAY” or “GOOGLE*NOW” | Google Play Store → Subscriptions |
Still not sure?
Check inside NOW:
- Open the NOW app or go to nowtv.com
- Go to My Account → Passes & Subscriptions
- If it shows your payment card and billing date, NOW is billing you directly
- If it says “Managed by Apple” or “Managed by Google Play,” cancel there instead
How this typically happens:
- Signed up on NOW website → NOW bills you
- Signed up on NOW app on iPhone → Could be Apple or NOW (depends on which payment method you used)
- Signed up on NOW app on Android → Could be Google or NOW
- Signed up on Smart TV, Roku, Fire Stick → Usually NOW directly
Cancel Now and Keep Watching (Yes, This Works)
Here’s something most people don’t realise: if you cancel during a free trial, you keep access until the trial period ends.
So if your trial started on February 1st and runs until March 1st:
- Cancel on February 5th
- Keep watching until March 1st
- Don’t get charged on March 1st
This is the smart way to use any free trial. Sign up. Immediately cancel. Watch everything you want. Never get charged.
I do this with every streaming free trial now. Sign up, cancel within five minutes, then use the full trial period worry-free. No calendar reminders needed. No last-minute panic. Just entertainment with zero risk.
Method 1: Cancel on NOW Website (NOW-Billed Users)
This is the most reliable method. Even if you normally watch on a TV or console, cancel through the website.
Step by step:
Step 1: Open your browser and go to nowtv.com (the NOW website).
Step 2: Click “Sign In” and log in with your email and password.
Step 3: Click your profile icon or name in the top right corner.
Step 4: Select “My Account.”
Step 5: Find “Passes & Subscriptions” (sometimes shown as “Membership”).
Step 6: You’ll see your active Passes listed. Each Pass (Entertainment, Cinema, Sports) is a separate subscription.
Step 7: Under the Pass you want to cancel, click “Cancel Pass” or “Manage Pass” then “Cancel.”
Step 8: NOW throws retention screens at you:
Screen 1: “Are you sure? You’ll lose access to [X] shows.”
Click “Continue” or “Yes, cancel.”
Screen 2: “How about a discount?” They might offer 50% off for a month or two.
If you’re done, click “No thanks” or “Continue cancelling.”
Screen 3: Final confirmation.
Click “Cancel Pass.”
Step 9: You should see: “Your Pass will end on [date].”
Step 10: Screenshot this confirmation. NOW doesn’t always send confirmation emails reliably.
Important — Cancel EACH Pass Separately:
If you have multiple Passes (Entertainment + Cinema for example), you must cancel EACH ONE individually. Cancelling Entertainment doesn’t cancel Cinema. They’re treated as completely separate subscriptions.
Check your Passes & Subscriptions page after cancelling to make sure everything shows as “Ending on [date].”
Method 2: Cancel in the NOW App
Works on phones and tablets. Interface is slightly different from the website.
Steps:
Step 1: Open the NOW app.
Step 2: Tap your profile icon or go to “Account” / “My Account.”
Step 3: Tap “Passes & Subscriptions.”
Step 4: Find the Pass you want to cancel.
Step 5: Tap “Cancel Pass.”
Step 6: Work through the retention screens. Keep declining until you get to the final confirmation.
Step 7: Confirm cancellation.
If the app doesn’t show a cancel option:
This almost always means Apple or Google is managing your billing, not NOW. The NOW app can’t cancel subscriptions it doesn’t control. Check your billing source and use Method 3 or 4 instead.
Method 3: Cancel Through Apple (iPhone/iPad Users)
If your bank statement shows “APPLE.COM/BILL” for NOW charges, this is your only cancellation path.
On iPhone or iPad:
Step 1: Open Settings (the gear icon on your home screen — not the NOW app).
Step 2: Tap your name at the very top (your Apple ID).
Step 3: Tap “Subscriptions.”
Step 4: Find “NOW” in the list of active subscriptions. Might show as “NOW Entertainment” or “NOW Cinema” depending on which Pass you have.
Step 5: Tap it.
Step 6: Tap “Cancel Subscription” (shown in red at the bottom).
Step 7: Confirm.
Verification:
After cancelling, the subscription should show “Expires [date]” instead of “Renews [date].” This confirms it won’t auto-renew.
Multiple Passes through Apple:
If you have multiple NOW Passes billed through Apple, each one appears as a separate subscription in your Apple settings. Cancel each one individually.
Method 4: Cancel Through Google Play (Android Users)
If “GOOGLE PLAY” appears on your bank statement for NOW charges:
Steps:
Step 1: Open the Google Play Store app.
Step 2: Tap your profile icon (top right).
Step 3: Tap “Payments & subscriptions.”
Step 4: Tap “Subscriptions.”
Step 5: Find “NOW” and tap it.
Step 6: Tap “Cancel subscription.”
Step 7: Select a reason and confirm.
Verification:
The subscription shows an end date. You keep access until that date, then it stops.
If you run into any issues with Google Play subscriptions, our Google Play Store refund guide covers the full support contact process.
Getting a Refund If You Were Already Charged
If your free trial ended and you got charged before you could cancel:
Charged by NOW directly:
Step 1: Contact NOW support:
- Live chat: Available through the NOW website or app (look for the chat icon)
- Twitter/X: @NOWHelp (usually respond within a few hours)
- Phone: 0330 041 2563
Step 2: Explain: “My free trial converted to a paid subscription and I was charged on [date]. I intended to cancel during the trial. I’d like a refund.”
Step 3: Success depends on timing. If you contact them within a day or two of the charge, they’re usually reasonable. If it’s been a month, much harder.
Charged by Apple:
- Go to reportaproblem.apple.com
- Sign in with your Apple ID
- Find the NOW charge
- Select “I didn’t mean to subscribe” or “I’d like to request a refund”
- Apple usually processes within 48 hours
Charged by Google:
- Go to play.google.com → Order history
- Find the NOW charge → “Report a problem”
- Request a refund
- Or contact Google support via chat
We covered both Apple and Google refund processes in detail in our Google Play refund guide and PlayStation refund guide — the same support channels work for any subscription refund.
What You Lose vs Keep After Cancelling
You lose (when your Pass expires):
- Access to Pass-specific content (shows, films, or sports depending on which Pass)
- Any downloaded content for offline viewing
- Your queue/watchlist remains but you can’t watch anything on it
You keep:
- Your NOW account (stays active even without Passes)
- Your watchlist and preferences
- Ability to resubscribe anytime
- Purchase history
The account stays open:
Cancelling your Passes doesn’t delete your NOW account. Your profile sits there inactive. You can log in anytime and resubscribe.
If you want to actually delete your NOW account entirely (remove your data, email, payment details), that’s a separate process through NOW’s support team. But for most people, just cancelling the Passes is enough.
The Free Trial Strategy (Smart Approach)
If you only want NOW for specific content (a boxing match, a specific series, a football season), here’s the most cost-effective approach:
For one-off events (boxing, specific film):
- Sign up for the free trial the day of the event
- Watch what you want
- Cancel immediately after
- Keep access for the rest of the trial period
- Total cost: £0
For a specific series:
- Wait until all episodes are released (if it’s a weekly release show, wait until the finale)
- Sign up for the free trial
- Binge the entire series
- Cancel before the trial ends
- Total cost: £0
For a football season or ongoing sports:
Free trials won’t cover an entire season. In this case:
- Subscribe when the season starts
- Cancel when the season ends
- Don’t pay during off-season months
There’s no contract on NOW. You can subscribe and cancel monthly with zero penalty. Treat it like a tap you turn on when you need it and off when you don’t.
NOW Passes Explained (So You Cancel the Right One)
NOW uses a “Pass” system. Each Pass is a separate subscription with separate billing. Make sure you cancel the right one.
| Pass | Price (Feb 2026) | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | £9.99/month | Sky Atlantic shows, box sets, US series |
| Cinema | £9.99/month | Sky Cinema movies, premieres |
| Sports | From £14.99/month (varies) | Sky Sports channels, football, boxing |
| Hayu | £4.99/month | Reality TV (Kardashians, Real Housewives etc.) |
| Kids | Usually bundled | Children’s content |
Common mistake:
People cancel their Entertainment Pass thinking it cancels everything. It doesn’t. If you have Entertainment + Cinema, you must cancel both separately. Check your Passes & Subscriptions page and cancel each active Pass.
Boost Add-On (Don’t Forget This)
NOW offers a “Boost” add-on for £6/month that gives you:
- Full HD and surround sound
- Ad-free experience
- 3 simultaneous streams instead of 1
If you added Boost to any Pass, cancelling the Pass usually cancels Boost with it. But check your account to make sure Boost isn’t showing as a separate active subscription.
I got caught by this once. Cancelled my Entertainment Pass but Boost kept charging separately for two months before I noticed. £12 wasted on an upgrade for a service I wasn’t even using anymore.
Remove Your Payment Card
After cancelling all Passes, remove your saved payment method:
- NOW website → My Account → Payment Details
- Delete your saved card
- Confirm
This prevents accidental resubscription. NOW’s interface makes it very easy to click “Reactivate” or “Subscribe” while browsing, and if your card is saved, the charge happens instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You keep access until the trial period ends. So if your trial runs until March 15th and you cancel on March 2nd, you can watch until March 15th. You just won’t be charged when it expires.
Usually not with the same email and payment method. NOW tracks who’s had trials before. But free trial availability changes — sometimes they offer them to returning customers, sometimes they don’t. Don’t count on getting another one.
You can cancel from any device. Sign into the NOW website on your phone or computer and cancel from My Account → Passes & Subscriptions. You don’t need to use the same device you signed up on (unless Apple or Google is billing you).
No. All NOW Passes are rolling monthly with no contract. Cancel anytime with no penalty. This is one of NOW’s genuinely good features compared to traditional Sky subscriptions.
Downloaded content for offline viewing expires when your Pass expires. The files may remain on your device but they won’t play. You’d need to resubscribe to watch them again.
Yes. Each Pass is independent. Cancel Cinema but keep Entertainment. Cancel Sports but keep Cinema. Whatever combination you want. Each one is managed separately.
NOW is owned by Sky (which is owned by Comcast). It’s essentially Sky’s streaming service — access to Sky content without a satellite dish or long-term contract. The content overlaps significantly with Sky TV but the delivery method and pricing are different.
Summary
To cancel NOW free trial or subscription:
- Find out who bills you: NOW / Apple / Google (check bank statement)
- Cancel in the right place:
- NOW: Website → My Account → Passes & Subscriptions → Cancel Pass
- Apple: iPhone Settings → Subscriptions → NOW → Cancel
- Google: Play Store → Subscriptions → NOW → Cancel
- Cancel EACH Pass separately (Entertainment, Cinema, Sports are independent)
- Screenshot confirmation (emails aren’t always sent)
- Remove payment card after cancelling
- Check for Boost add-on being charged separately
Smart move: Cancel immediately after signing up for any free trial. You keep the full trial period and never risk getting charged.
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Last Updated: February 2026
NOW changed their cancellation process? Contact us and we’ll update this guide.