MoviePass's issues have been making the rounds on Twitterover the past few weeks, as the company instituted surge pricing, then limited the films available for subscribers to watch, and even lost functionality entirely. On August 14, many subscribers who canceled their memberships the weekend prior reportedly were resubscribed to MoviePass without explicit permission, according to Uproxx, and received emails letting them know. The app is also reportedly showing users an "error" message when they attempt to re-cancel their memberships, leaving many to wonder how to cancel MoviePass and make it stick. In the interest of full disclosure, I am among the people who received this email and received an error message upon a second cancellation attempt; Bustle has reached out to MoviePass concerning the resubscriptions, and will update this post upon response.
UPDATE: MoviePass has responded to Bustle's request for comment with a statement, below.
We are in the process of transitioning our members to the new, $9.95 plan, which launches officially on August 15th. Those who have not already done so will continue to have the choice of either opting in or canceling their membership over the course of the coming weeks. Monthly subscriptions will automatically expire for members that do not respond by the end of their billing cycle.
On Monday, August 13th, we learned that some members encountered difficulty with the cancellation process. We have fixed the bugs that were causing the issue and we have confirmed that none of our members have been opted-in or converted to the new plan without their express permission.
In addition, all cancellation requests are being correctly processed and no members were being blocked from canceling their accounts. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask that any impacted members contact customer support via the MoviePass app.
EARLIER: The full text of the email that former MoviePass subscribers received is below, with the subject line "Confirmation of New MoviePass Subscription."
We received your confirmation for your new MoviePass plan. Some exciting updates are coming on the first day of your next billing cycle, 2018-08-30.
Your new membership will include up to three standard movies a month for $9.95, and you will also be eligible for $2.00 to $5.00 off any additional movie tickets purchased within the billing cycle. Discounts on additional tickets will be calculated by various factors including geography and the movie title. The remaining balance for the ticket will be charged to the credit card linked to your MoviePass account.
We're suspending Ticket Verification and Peak Pricing. Read more about these exciting updates at the link here.We're excited to have you on this journey with us. Your endless support, understanding and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.
Please note: if you had previously requested cancellation prior to opting-in, your opt-in to the new plan will take priority and your account will not be cancelled.
See you at the movies,
The MoviePass Team
According to Vox, MoviePass was able to resubscribe users because they "opted in" to an update that recently took place on the app. "[If] you canceled your plan but later tapped the 'I Accept' button below MoviePass’s in-app description of its latest updates, your cancellation was canceled," Vox explains.
While that may explain why some users are being resubscribed, I know that I personally hit "I Accept" acknowledging the changes, and then canceled my subscription afterward (and also received confirmation that it was canceled) — so it seems that MoviePass was able to do this regardless of when the cancellation occurred.
Furthermore, some users who have attempted to cancel their subscriptions after receiving this email are receiving "error" messages that claim they "failed to cancel" their accounts.
The real question is: If MoviePass is "opting in" users that previously canceled their subscriptions, how do you quit MoviePass for good? The MoviePass official Twitter account has, as of press time, reached out to three users experiencing cancellation issues offering to DM them for support (it's worth noting that hundreds of tweets have gone unaddressed, and the three accounts MoviePass has reached out to are verified ones). As of press time, MoviePass's customer service phone line is also down.
Personally, I have reached out to MoviePass a number of times for customer-related issues, and have never received a response, so I do not recommend waiting them out. That being said, you still have other options at your disposal for ending your MoviePass subscription by going over the company's head.
Contact Your Credit Card Company Or Bank
If you have attempted to cancel your MoviePass subscription and have been resubscribed without permission, contact the financial institution behind the payment method you are using. While they may not be able to stop MoviePass from charging you in your next "billing cycle," they will have your dispute on the record, and will be able to cancel the charge once you call in a second time and let them know you were charged without permission. Make sure you save the initial email from MoviePass confirming your cancellation so you have further evidence of the dispute.
Reload Your MoviePass Account With An Expired Credit Card Number
You can't delete your payment method from the app — it will automatically reload your payment information when you navigate away — but you can attempt to thwart it by replacing it with an expired credit card. While I can't say whether or not this will work in your next billing cycle, the app did allow me to swap out my working credit card with an expired one.
Cancel Your Credit Card Entirely And Get A New One
This is extreme, and truly not ideal, but MoviePass can't charge you if the credit card doesn't exist anymore. Talk to your financial institution before pursuing this, if you are even in a place where you can feasibly do it (the wait time for a new credit or debit card may be unmanageable for some).
Good luck, former MoviePass users. It seems we're going to need one extra large popcorn to wait out this particular show.
