Cancel Preply the easy way

Service overview

Preply is an online marketplace that connects learners with private tutors for languages and other skills. Tutors set individual hourly rates; students book single lessons or subscribe to recurring monthly lesson packages (for example 4, 8 or 16 lessons per month). Preply operates tutor matching, payment processing and a lesson scheduling system.

How lessons and payments work

Tutors on Preply set their own hourly rates. Preply’s platform supports trial lessons, recurring monthly subscriptions for a package of lessons and one-to-one scheduling. Payments are processed through Preply and refunds, when issued, are returned to the original payment method.

Company facts

Official help pages: How to cancel a lesson, Refunds at Preply, and Subscription overview.

Web (desktop) - cancel a lesson

1. Sign in at https://preply.com/.
2. Go to My lessons or Schedule in your account menu.
3. Find the booked lesson and click the three dots next to it.
4. Select Cancel, choose a cancellation reason and write a short message to your tutor.
5. Confirm the cancellation. If the lesson is cancelled more than 12 hours before start the lesson value returns to your Preply balance.

Mobile app (iOS) - cancel a lesson

1. Open the Preply app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Schedule and select the lesson you want to cancel.
3. Tap Cancel lesson, choose a reason and write a short message to your tutor.
4. Confirm. If cancelled more than 12 hours before start the value returns to your Preply balance.

Mobile app (Android) - cancel a lesson

1. Open the Preply Android app.
2. Go to Schedule and tap the lesson to cancel.
3. Tap Cancel lesson, select a reason and add a message to the tutor.
4. Confirm the cancellation. Cancellations less than 12 hours before the lesson do not return value to the student balance.

Email support - request cancellations or refunds

1. Compose an email to [email protected] including your account email, booking ID, lesson date/time and reason.
2. Explain if you want a return to your Preply balance or a refund to your payment method.
3. Keep the reply as proof. Refunds, if approved, are returned to the original payment method and may take up to 30 days to appear.

Help chat (in-site support) - quick support route

1. Sign in and click the ? icon on the Preply homepage or open Profile > Help in the app.
2. Start a chat or choose Customer support and request cancellation or refund.
3. Save the chat transcript as proof of your request.

Post - register a formal cancellation

1. Write a registered letter with your full name, account email, booking ID and cancellation request.
2. Send by registered post to: Preply, 160 City Road, EC1V 2NX London, United Kingdom.
3. Keep the postal receipt as proof of delivery.

Moving - change of residence

If you move to a location where Preply cannot provide the agreed service, request cancellation and include proof such as a tenancy agreement, utility bill or a dated forwarding confirmation. Preply does not publish a specific moving policy; decisions on refunds are reviewed individually. Applicable law: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Price increase

If Preply or your tutor increases prices for an ongoing subscription and you did not consent to early loss of cancellation rights, contact support and request cancellation citing the change. Provide screenshots or billing statements showing the old and new prices. Applicable law: Consumer Rights Act 2015 for unfair contract terms and the CMA guidance on auto-renewals.

Death of the subscriber

If the account holder has died, email [email protected] with the account email and a copy of the death certificate or probate documentation. Preply handles such cases case by case and any refund is at Preply’s discretion as described in their refund terms. Applicable law: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 where relevant to distance contracts.

Legitimate ground accepted by Preply

Preply cites extenuating circumstances where refunds can be granted at tutor discretion, for example technical issues that prevented a lesson and where tutor agrees to refund. To support a claim provide relevant evidence: connection logs, screenshots, tutor messages, or proof of a cancelled lesson made more than 12 hours in advance. Applicable law: Consumer Rights Act 2015 for services supplied with reasonable care and skill.

End of commitment / subscription end

If you want to stop recurring monthly lessons cancel the subscription through Profile > Subscription or contact support. If no lessons from the billing cycle have been used and you request cancellation within 28 days of the charge, Preply may issue a refund to the original payment method; each request is reviewed individually. Required proof: billing statement and confirmation of unused lessons. Applicable law: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Cooling-off period (14 days)

Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 you have 14 days to cancel a distance contract. If digital content or service has been supplied with your express consent during that period you may lose the right to cancel. For subscription charges, Preply states refunds may be issued if no lessons from the billing cycle were used and the request is submitted within 28 days of the charge. Applicable law: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Before cancelling: negotiate

Preply does not publish standard retention discounts or automatic downgrades. The platform does permit refunds in extenuating circumstances and tutors can refund at their discretion. To ask for retention or a refund: open the help chat via the ? icon on the homepage or go to Profile > Help > Customer support in the app, explain why you want to pause or cancel and request either a subscription pause or refund. If you have a trial lesson that did not take place, request a new trial or a refund via the same channels. See Preply refunds and how to cancel a lesson.

What cancelling saves you

Preply has no single fixed hourly price; tutors typically charge between £8 and £30 per hour. Example annual costs based on example monthly packages:

• Example low-cost plan - 4 lessons per month at £8/hour: 4 x £8 = £32 per month. Yearly cost: £32 x 12 = £384 per year.
• Example mid-cost plan - 8 lessons per month at £15/hour: 8 x £15 = £120 per month. Yearly cost: £120 x 12 = £1,440 per year.
• Example high-cost plan - 16 lessons per month at £25/hour: 16 x £25 = £400 per month. Yearly cost: £400 x 12 = £4,800 per year.

Cheapest real alternative from competitors in this guide: Nexus Academy lists from £14/hour for GCSE/A-Level; a 4-lesson monthly package at £14/hour equals 4 x £14 = £56 per month, yearly £56 x 12 = £672 per year. Competitor price examples used: GoStudent £24.99 per 50-minute base price, MyTutor from £26/hour, Remote Learn £120 for four 60-minute sessions, SpeakBrit £199.99 for private packages. Use these figures to compare savings when cancelling a Preply subscription based on your tutor rate.

Key UK consumer law

Distance contracts for online services are covered by the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Services must be supplied with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The CMA monitors unfair auto-renewal and hard-to-cancel subscriptions.

Cooling-off and refunds

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you have a 14-day cancellation right for distance contracts entered into on or after 13 June 2014. If a service or digital content is supplied during the cancellation period and you gave express consent for immediate supply, you may lose the right to cancel for that portion of the service.

How to escalate

First, complain to Preply using support channels. If unsatisfied, get advice from Citizens Advice and escalate to the appropriate bodies. For card payments you may consider a Section 75 claim or a chargeback via your card issuer where eligible. The CMA can be notified for suspected unfair automatic renewal practices.

Relevant official sources

Official text of the Regulations: The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Preply refund terms: Preply Refund Policy.

Check your Preply balance and used lessons

After cancelling individual lessons more than 12 hours before start the lesson value returns to your Preply balance immediately. For subscriptions, confirm whether any lessons in the billing cycle were used; refunds are considered when no lessons were used and requests are made within 28 days of the charge.

Monitor refund timing

Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method. Preply states refunds can take up to 30 days to appear on your bank or card statement. Keep your proof of cancellation or chat transcript until the refund appears.

Account access and data

Cancelling lessons or a subscription does not automatically delete your account. To remove personal data request account deletion via support and retain a copy of any records you may need. If you want to resume, sign in and re-activate booking or subscribe again.

Use this checklist to finalise your Preply cancellation.

• Locate booking ID and account email used for Preply.
• If cancelling a lesson, cancel more than 12 hours before start to return value to your Preply balance.
• If cancelling a subscription and you want a refund, request it within 28 days of the charge and confirm no lessons were used in that billing cycle.
• Open the help chat via the ? icon or go to Profile > Help > Customer support to request cancellation or refund and save the chat transcript.
• If needed, email [email protected] with booking details and keep the reply as proof.
• If you want a formal record, send a registered letter to Preply, 160 City Road, EC1V 2NX London, United Kingdom and keep the postal receipt.
• Monitor your bank statement for up to 30 days for any approved refunds.