To cancel a Popular Mechanics subscription, use the Hearst account portal if the subscription is unpaid, call customer service at 800-333-4948, or email POPcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com if you’ve already been billed. If you subscribed through Apple, Google Play, Amazon, or another app store, you have to cancel through that platform instead, because Hearst doesn’t control the billing.
Have These Details Ready
Hearst needs a few identifiers to pull up your account. Your account number is a 10-digit code on your magazine’s mailing label, following a three-letter prefix. If no recent issue is around, check your subscription confirmation email or a billing statement. You’ll also want the billing zip code and the email address you used to sign up.
Mistyped account numbers are the most common reason cancellations stall, so gather these before you call or log in.
Cancelling an Unpaid Subscription Online
If your subscription hasn’t been billed yet (a trial, a gift, or one where payment hasn’t processed), you can cancel yourself through the Hearst portal. Log in, open “My Orders,” and choose “Cancel” from the “Actions” menu next to your Popular Mechanics listing.1Popular Mechanics. Popular Mechanics FAQ The system may push a retention offer or a discounted extension. Decline it and confirm the cancellation.
Screenshot the final confirmation screen and keep it until you’re sure no further charges appear.
Cancelling a Paid Subscription
Once you’ve paid, the online dashboard won’t offer a cancel button. You have to contact Hearst directly.
By phone: Call 800-333-4948, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. Have your account number and zip code ready. The representative will verify your identity and cancel while you’re on the line. Ask for a confirmation number before hanging up.2Hearst Magazines. Hearst Magazines Subscription Center
By email: Write to POPcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com with your account number, full name, and billing zip in the body. Email gives you an automatic paper trail. Responses usually come within a few business days.1Popular Mechanics. Popular Mechanics FAQ
Either way, ask whether the cancellation is immediate or takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle. That determines whether one more charge is coming.
Pop Mech Pro and All-Access Memberships
The premium tiers that bundle print, digital, and exclusive content are handled by a separate team, and the standard 800-333-4948 line can’t help with them.3Popular Mechanics. Customer Service Call 888-797-9927 or email pmpmembership@popularmechanics.com. Have the email address tied to your membership ready, since that’s the primary identifier for these accounts rather than a mailing-label number.
Subscriptions Bought Through Apple, Google, or Amazon
If you signed up inside an app store or digital marketplace, calling Hearst won’t stop the charges. Cancel through whichever platform processed your payment.
Apple
Open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Find Popular Mechanics, tap it, and select Cancel Subscription. Access continues to the end of the current billing period.4Apple Support. If You Want to Cancel a Subscription from Apple
Google Play
On your Android device, open your subscriptions in Google Play, select Popular Mechanics, tap Cancel Subscription, and follow the prompts.5Google Play Help. Cancel, Pause, or Change a Subscription on Google Play Uninstalling the app does not cancel the subscription; billing continues until you cancel through the subscription manager.
Amazon
Sign in to Amazon and open Your Memberships and Subscriptions. Select the Popular Mechanics entry and follow the cancellation prompts.6Amazon. Manage Your Amazon Subscriptions
Other Platforms
Popular Mechanics digital editions also sell through Barnes & Noble NOOK, Amazon Kindle, and Zinio.1Popular Mechanics. Popular Mechanics FAQ Each handles billing independently. Log in on the platform where you subscribed and use its subscription management or recurring payments section.
Refunds and Watching Your Statement
If you’ve already paid for a subscription period, you’ll usually keep receiving issues through the end of that period. Whether a prorated refund is available depends on how and when you subscribed, and Hearst doesn’t publish those policies prominently. Ask the representative directly on the phone, or request refund details in your cancellation email.
Watch your credit card or bank statement for at least two billing cycles after you cancel. If charges continue, your confirmation screenshot or email thread is what you’ll need. Contact Hearst again with that documentation. If the charges still aren’t reversed, your credit card company’s dispute process is a reliable fallback. Under the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule, sellers must make cancelling as simple as signing up was and stop charges promptly once you’ve cancelled.7Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions