**Short answer:** You can do both in your account settings. Cancelling your membership moves you to a free account you can keep using. Deleting your account removes your access and permanently deletes your personal data.

## Two different options

| | Cancel membership | Delete account |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Your paid plan ends and you keep a free account | Your account is closed |
| Your addresses | You keep using them | You lose access to them |
| Your personal data | Stays in your account | Permanently deleted |
| Can you come back? | Yes, upgrade again at any time | You'd need to sign up again |

If you only want to stop paying for Premium or VIP, cancelling your membership is usually the better choice. You keep your suite number and addresses, and you can still receive and ship packages on the Free plan.

## Cancelling your membership

1. Sign in and open your **account settings**.
2. Choose the option to cancel your membership.
3. Your account continues as a free account.

**What happens to packages already in storage?** They keep the storage period they already have. New packages that arrive after the change get the Free plan's storage period. See "Free storage periods and storage fees" for the details.

Keep in mind that some benefits are plan-specific. For example, receiving mail and magazines is a VIP-only feature, and consolidation fees differ by plan. See "Free, Premium and VIP: what each plan includes".

## Deleting your account

1. Sign in and open your **account settings**.
2. Select **Delete Account** and confirm.

Deleting your account removes your access and permanently deletes your personal data. This can't be undone.

## Before you delete: what we recommend

We recommend sorting out anything still in progress first, because you won't be able to manage it once your access is gone:

- **Ship any packages in storage**, or contact us about them.
- **Wait for open Personal Shopper orders** to be completed, or contact us about them.
- **Settle any open invoices or refunds**, so nothing is left outstanding.
- **Update your address with stores** so new orders don't keep arriving at your old suite.

If you're not sure whether anything is still open, contact our support team before you delete your account.

## Inactive accounts

We may close an account that's had no activity for 24 months, after we've made reasonable attempts to reach you. If there's a balance remaining on the account at that point, it's forfeited. See our [Terms](https://www.forwardme.com/terms) (§7.7).

## Common questions

**Will I lose my suite number if I cancel my membership?**
No. When you cancel a paid plan, you keep a free account with the same addresses.

**What happens to my stored packages if I downgrade?**
Packages already in storage keep the storage period they already have. Only packages logged afterwards follow the Free plan's storage period.

**Can I get my account back after deleting it?**
No. Deleting your account permanently deletes your personal data. You'd need to create a new account.

**I just want to stop receiving emails. Do I need to delete my account?**
No. You can cancel your membership and keep a free account. Marketing messages are separate from service messages: you can opt out of marketing SMS at any time by replying STOP. Messages about your own packages, shipments and payments can't be turned off while your account is active — they're how we tell you what's happening with your things. If you have questions about the emails you receive, contact our support team.

## Still need help?

Our support team is available on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00 ET at support@forwardme.com.