How to Cancel Cook’s Illustrated Subscription [Step by Step]

Cook’s Illustrated is the ad-free cooking magazine from America’s Test Kitchen. A print plan sends six issues a year. Official help lists the annual newsstand price at $59.94, and current shop offers often fall around $19.95 to $24.95 for the first year.

Many print plans auto-renew each year. A digital America’s Test Kitchen membership and the iPad magazine app are billed separately. Deleting an app does not cancel an active subscription. This guide shows how to stop auto-renewal, confirm the cancel, and ask about a refund.

What Is Cook’s Illustrated and How Billing Works

Cook’s Illustrated print is a magazine subscription, not website access. Official help says a magazine plan does not include an America’s Test Kitchen web membership. You still get the printed issues you already paid for unless you cancel those remaining copies.

Publisher print plans usually renew for 12 months at the subscriber rate then in effect. Official auto-renew terms say you should get a mailed reminder about 30 days before the next charge or bill. Some checkout pages also send that notice by email if you agreed to electronic alerts. Auto-renew is unavailable in Vermont.

A charge may appear as Cook’s Illustrated, BCP Cook’s Illustrated, or America’s Test Kitchen. Card billing is typical on the publisher site. If you bought through Apple, Google, or a magazine seller, that company handles the recurring charge.

America’s Test Kitchen Essential Membership is a different product. Official pricing for new members is a 14-day trial, then $49.95 for the first year and $79.95 in later years.

That plan covers recipes and videos from America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country. Cancel it in your ATK account or in the store that billed you.

The Cook’s Illustrated Magazine App for iPad can sell its own plan. Current App Store listings include $1.99 a month with a 7-day trial, $19.99 a year with a 30-day trial, and $6.99 single issues. Apple bills those purchases. Cancel in Apple Settings, not by deleting the app.

How to Cancel a Print Magazine Subscription

Use the official magazine account page if America’s Test Kitchen bills the print plan. You need the account number on the magazine label and your ZIP code.

1. Open the magazine login page at atk.cloud.buysub.com.
2. Enter the account number from the address label and your ZIP code.
3. After you sign in, open My Orders or My subscription.
4. Choose Cook’s Illustrated from the dropdown.
5. Select Stop Continuous Service to turn off future renewals, or Cancel if you want the current plan ended right away.
6. Save a screenshot and watch for a confirmation email or on-screen message.

Official help says you will not see those buttons if the plan already expired or was already canceled. Check the expiration date on the label above your name if you are unsure.

Stop Continuous Service is usually the better choice if you still want the issues you already paid for. Cancel is the option official help describes as ending the subscription immediately.

How to Cancel Through Customer Support

You can also cancel by phone, email, or chat. Official help lists 1-800-526-8442 and cooks@americastestkitchen.com. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. Some order pages list 1-800-526-8447 or support@americastestkitchen.com.

Have this ready before you contact support:

• The account number on the magazine label
• The mailing name and address
• The email on the order
• The last four digits of the card, if you have them
• Whether you want remaining issues stopped or only the next renewal stopped

Ask for written confirmation. Save the email, chat transcript, or the date, time, and agent name from the call. Official auto-renew terms say you can cancel at any time during the term or a renewal period.

How to Cancel an America’s Test Kitchen Digital Membership

Cancel the website membership if your Cook’s Illustrated access is through ATK Essential, not the print magazine.

1. Go to americastestkitchen.com and log in.
2. Select the person icon in the upper right, then My Account.
3. Under Your Digital Subscriptions, choose Edit Membership.
4. Select Cancel Membership and finish the on-screen steps.

Official help says Apple or Google Play purchases must be canceled in those stores. ATK cannot turn off store billing for you. Website chat is available from the support icon at the bottom right of the site.

How to Cancel Through Apple or Google

Use the store only if Apple or Google charged you. That is common for the iPad magazine app and for some ATK app memberships.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name, then Subscriptions.
3. Tap Cook’s Illustrated, America’s Test Kitchen, or the matching plan.
4. Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.

Apple typically requires you to turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the period ends. App Store terms for the magazine app also say you cannot cancel the current issue during an active period. Paid access usually lasts until the listed expiration date.

On Android

1. Open the Google Play Store and tap your profile icon.
2. Tap Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
3. Select the America’s Test Kitchen or related plan.
4. Tap Cancel subscription and confirm.

If the plan is not listed, you are probably billed by the publisher or a magazine seller instead. Do not assume uninstalling the app stops the charge.

How to Cancel Through a Magazine Reseller

Some readers buy Cook’s Illustrated from magazines.com or another catalog seller. Those companies bill their own auto-renew terms. Cancel in that seller’s account, not only on the ATK site.

1. Sign in to the store where you placed the order.
2. Open My Account or subscription management.
3. Select Cook’s Illustrated and cancel auto-renewal.
4. Save the confirmation.

Amazon stopped selling most magazine subscriptions in March 2023. If an older Amazon or Kindle plan is still active, check Amazon’s memberships and subscriptions page as well. Gift plans should be canceled by the person whose card is charged.

A separate annual cookbook preview series can also arrive after a magazine or cookbook order. That is not the same as the six-issue magazine. Official help says you can decline a preview or cancel that series through support.

What Happens After Cancellation

A print cancel that only stops continuous service usually leaves your remaining paid issues on the way. An immediate cancel may stop future copies. First-class delivery for a new print order often takes about four to eight weeks, so one more issue can still arrive after you cancel.

Digital ATK access typically ends when the current membership period ends, unless support tells you otherwise. Saved recipes and full website access are membership benefits, so expect those to drop after the paid term.

Watch your next one or two statements. Look for Cook’s Illustrated, BCP, or America’s Test Kitchen. Keep the confirmation until you see that the recurring charge has stopped.

How to Request a Refund

Official print auto-renew terms promise a full refund on all unmailed issues when you cancel. That is a credit for copies that have not shipped, not a promise to refund issues already delivered.

Ask support which issues are still unmailed before you accept an immediate cancel. If a renewal already posted, ask whether that new term can be reversed for the copies that have not mailed.

Apple handles refunds for App Store plans through reportaproblem.apple.com. Google Play reviews Play Store charges. A magazine reseller follows that seller’s refund rules, which may be stricter than the publisher’s unmailed-issue refund.

Common Cancellation Problems and Solutions

You cannot find the account number.

Look on the magazine label above your name, on a renewal invoice, or in the original order email. Support can also look up the account with the mailing address.

You canceled the wrong product.

Print magazine billing, ATK Essential, the iPad magazine app, ATK Classes, and the cookbook preview series are separate. Check your statement and cancel each one that is still charging.

A gift subscription renewed on your card.

The purchaser, not the gift recipient, usually has to cancel. Call support with the recipient’s mailing address and your billing name.

You only deleted the app.

That does not stop Apple, Google, or publisher billing. Cancel in the store or magazine account, then confirm the expiration date.

A renewal posted after you called.

Official hours are weekday business hours. Follow up with the confirmation details and ask for the unmailed-issue refund if the new term has not shipped.

Tips to Prevent Future Charges

Cancel at least a few weeks before the renewal date on the magazine label. Official reminders often go out about 30 days ahead, but you should not wait for that letter.

Set a calendar alert for the expiration date. Keep the confirmation email in a folder you can find later.

Check Apple Subscriptions, Google Play subscriptions, and the magazine account page if you ever used more than one signup path. Unsubscribing from marketing email only stops ads. It does not cancel the Cook’s Illustrated subscription.

FAQs About How to Cancel Cook’s Illustrated Subscription

Q: Does canceling the magazine also cancel America’s Test Kitchen online access?

No. Official help treats the print magazine and the web membership as separate products. Cancel ATK Essential in My Account or in Apple or Google if that store billed it.

Q: Will I get a refund after I cancel Cook’s Illustrated?

Publisher print terms offer a full refund on unmailed issues. Copies already mailed are generally not refunded. Store and reseller refunds follow those companies’ rules.

Q: Can I cancel Cook’s Illustrated by phone?

Yes. Official help lists 1-800-526-8442, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. You can also email cooks@americastestkitchen.com or use site chat.

Q: Does deleting the Cook’s Illustrated app stop billing?

No. Delete only removes the app from your device. Turn off auto-renewal in Apple or Google, or cancel the print plan on the magazine account page.

Conclusion

The most direct way to cancel a Cook’s Illustrated subscription is the magazine account page at atk.cloud.buysub.com. Use the label account number and ZIP code, then choose Stop Continuous Service or Cancel. Call 1-800-526-8442 or email cooks@americastestkitchen.com if you cannot log in.

After you cancel, save the confirmation and watch the next statement. Make sure no new Cook’s Illustrated or America’s Test Kitchen charge posts. That is how you confirm auto-renewal has stopped.

Disclaimer: This guide provides general educational information based on publicly available details at the time of writing. Cancellation procedures and refund policies may change. Contact the service or your payment provider for account-specific assistance.