How to delete your subscriptions data

Many of us tend to build up various subscriptions we don't need, use or want any more. This can be costly and puts your data at risk. So consider getting your data deleted.

Delete your personal data from your subscriptions

Rightly, Champions of Data, empowers you to easily and securely manage your personal online data.

Every year, Britons waste a collective £25 billion by paying for subscriptions they don't need, use or want. The typical adult spends around £40 each month on unused direct debits, standing orders and recurring card payments. Sound like you? You can check which companies you're actively subscribed to in one go. Save money, time, and protect your information.

Subscription traps, where you sign up for something that continues to cost you money long after you forgot about it, are not illegal. But they are costly. And it means that multiple companies have a lot of data on you that they too often lose, or that gets stolen by hackers and sold on the dark web, making you more vulnerable to scams and online fraud.

On this page we’ll explain why it’s a good idea to get your data deleted from your subscriptions and how to go about it. Or if you just want to get started, click the Start Now button which will take you directly to our Rightly Protect service, enabling you to find out who has your data and get it deleted, quickly and for free.

What we’ll cover

1. Can I delete my data from subscriptions?

2. How do I delete data from subscriptions?

3. How long until your subscription companies respond?

4. Do your subscription companies actually delete your data ?

5. What type of data do your subscription companies store?

6. What do your subscription companies do with your data?

7. Why delete your data from your subscription companies?

Can I delete my data from subscriptions?

Yes you can! You have the right to ask any company to delete all the data they hold on you and they have to comply within 30 days. This right flows from GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) legislation and if companies don’t comply without a valid reason, they can be in trouble.

How do I delete data from subscriptions?

The easiest way to get your data deleted from companies like your subscriptions is to use our Rightly Protect service. In addition to picking your subscriptions and asking them to erase your data, you can use Rightly Protect to analyse your email inbox to figure out all the companies that have your data. With Rightly Protect you can ask all of them to delete the data they hold on you in one click. Because many companies have your data, even companies you’ve never heard of, and it often runs into hundreds or even thousands of organisations putting your data at risk.

How long until your subscription companies respond?

Your subscription companies should reply within one calendar month. If they have genuine reasons that they need extra time to consider your request, they can take up to an extra two months - but they should let you know within one month that they need more time and the reasons why. If you’re unhappy with how they respond, you can make a complaint to your subscriptions and then if you’re still unhappy, you can complain to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s office).

Do your subscription companies actually delete your data?

Yes, it’s a legal requirement. After one calendar month has passed since your account deletion request, your account and all of your information will be permanently erased by your subscriptions, and you will not be able to retrieve it.

What type of data do your subscription companies store?

Your subscriptions can collect a wide range of data:

  • Names and passwords
  • Address
  • Your phone number
  • Your name
  • Your date of birth
  • Data on which devices are linked to which accounts
  • Geolocational data
  • Bank details
  • Credit and debit card details
  • Cookies and IP address
  • Gender and sexual orientation

What do your subscription companies do with your data?

Your subscription companies' main motive for building a data set around each user is to personalise the ads that show up to you. Ad targeting changes are made based on a lot of different data: your personal account info, your usage patterns, your location, and more.

But it’s not just your data that shapes your ad feed: your subscriptions compile the same kinds of data from a variety of users and uses it to optimise when and where it shows you certain ads on other platforms. The additional data that your subscriptions collect helps the companies to perform strategic market research, communicate directly with users, and counter suspected misuse.

Why delete your data from your subscription companies?

Subscription companies have suffered several data breaches. Don’t let your data fall into the wrong hands.

If you’re not using your subscriptions any more, or think a fresh profile would be a good thing, you can instruct your subscriptions companies to delete all the data they have about you and so prevent it from being stolen as a result of a data breach.