How to use this reference
This is the policy reference, not a step-by-step cancel guide. It sets out what each vendor says happens to your money and data at each exit point: the end of a trial, a refund request, a downgrade, a lapse in payment, and account deletion. Policies come from help pages, pricing pages and privacy policies read on 30 October 2026, and vendors can change them. Where a vendor publishes no rule, we say so rather than guess.
Everything here applies to subscriptions bought directly from the vendor. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, refunds go through the store.
Refunds and trials
| App | Trial | Refund rule for direct subscribers | App-store subscriptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | 34 days; no card when you sign up directly, so no charge unless you subscribe | No fixed rule published. The refund article tells direct subscribers to contact support. Cancelling keeps access to the end of the billing period. | Refund through Apple or Google. Apple trials convert to paid unless cancelled in the App Store. |
| Monarch | 'Your first week is on us'; you are billed at the end of the trial unless you cancel at least 24 hours before | Money-back guarantee: a refund for the remaining time on your subscription at any point, subject to appropriate use under its Terms of Use. Premium access ends immediately when the refund is issued. | Not eligible. Apple handles App Store refunds. |
| PocketSmith | No trial; a 14-day money-back guarantee instead | Cancel or downgrade within 14 days for a full refund of the last payment. After 14 days, monthly plans get no refund, while quarterly and annual plans can ask for a refund of the remaining full months. | Not covered on the pages read. |
| Lunch Money | 30 days, according to its getting-started guide | Not stated on the help pages read; the billing page refers to Lunch Money's Terms of Service. Pausing gives a pro-rated credit, not a refund. | Not covered on the pages read. |
What happens when you stop paying
| App | Access after cancelling | Bank connections | Data retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | Until the end of the paid period, then you lose access to your plans. Resubscribing restores them. | Not specified on the pages read. | Most account data kept for up to 24 months after a subscription or trial expires (privacy policy). Inactive trial accounts are deleted 120 days after the trial expires, with an email a week before. |
| Monarch | Until the end of the paid period. Subscriptions cannot be paused. | Disconnected 30 days after the subscription ends. Nothing new syncs while unsubscribed. | Data is not deleted when you cancel, and full history stays downloadable after the subscription ends. |
| PocketSmith | A downgrade to Free takes effect immediately unless you choose Keep using [plan] to finish the paid period. A lapsed paid plan is moved to Free automatically. | Feeds expire 21 days after a paid plan lapses. Feed accounts become offline accounts and must be re-added and relinked if you return. | Data such as transactions and budgets is kept on Free. Billing details are removed. |
| Lunch Money | Cancelling deletes the account. Pausing stops charges but blocks access to the data until you unpause. | Not applicable after deletion. | Account and all data purged within 48 hours of cancelling. Pausing keeps data but gives up your locked-in price. |
Worked example: quitting an annual plan after three months
Suppose you paid annually and stop after three months, with nine full months left. The dollar figures below are our own arithmetic on list prices read on 30 October 2026. The vendors describe the rule but do not publish the calculation.
| App | Annual list price | What the policy says | Rough outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| PocketSmith Foundation | $9.99 a month billed annually (about $119.88) | Refund of the remaining full months on request | About $89.91 if each month is valued at the annual rate of $9.99 |
| Monarch Core | $99.99 a year | Refund for the remaining time on the subscription | About $75 if pro-rated by month. Access ends immediately |
| YNAB | $109 a year | Contact support. No published rule | Unknown. Without a refund you keep access to the end of the year |
| Lunch Money | Not verified | Pause for a pro-rated credit, or cancel and lose the data | A credit toward future billing if you pause; refund terms not verified |
Deleting your account
- YNAB: delete your account from Account Settings in the app (two-step verification must be turned off first). Apple subscribers must cancel through Apple first, or they may be charged after deletion. A deleted account cannot be restored.
- Monarch: household admins must cancel the subscription first, then go to Settings > Security > Delete Account. It is permanent. Monarch says some information may be kept under its privacy policy. To have personal information deleted as well, email a separate request.
- PocketSmith: Profile menu > Subscription & Billing > Delete your account, then type DELETE to confirm. Web only. Data is permanently removed.
- Lunch Money: Billing page > 'Cancel subscription & delete entire account', or email support for deletion within 48 hours. Accounts 5 days past trial expiry with no billing information are purged automatically.
Before you cancel: a checklist
- Export everything first. This matters most for Lunch Money, where cancelling deletes the data. Our export formats guide lists what each file contains.
- Decide between downgrading and cancelling. A PocketSmith downgrade to Free keeps your data. Monarch keeps your data and lets you download it after cancelling.
- On PocketSmith, choose Keep using [plan] after downgrading so you do not lose paid features you have already paid for.
- Ask for the refund before deleting the account. Monarch asks you not to delete your account before requesting one.
- Check where you are billed. App-store subscriptions must be cancelled and refunded through Apple or Google, and uninstalling the app does not cancel them.
- Note the dates. Monarch disconnects banks after 30 days and PocketSmith feeds expire 21 days after a lapse, so returning later means reconnecting.
Questions before you decide
Can I get a refund on an annual budgeting app plan?
PocketSmith: yes for the remaining full months, if you ask after the first 14 days, and a full refund of the last payment within 14 days. Monarch: a refund for the remaining time at any point under its guarantee, except App Store subscriptions. YNAB: its refund article tells direct subscribers to contact support and publishes no fixed rule.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
YNAB keeps most account data for up to 24 months after a subscription or trial expires, according to its privacy policy. Monarch does not delete data when you cancel, but disconnects bank connections after 30 days. PocketSmith keeps data on the Free plan. Lunch Money purges the account and its data within 48 hours of cancelling.
Will I be charged when the free trial ends?
YNAB direct sign-ups are not charged because no card is collected. Monarch bills at the end of the trial unless you cancel at least 24 hours before. Lunch Money purges accounts 5 days after trial expiry if no billing details were added. PocketSmith has a 14-day money-back guarantee instead of a trial.
I subscribed through the App Store. Do these policies apply?
Not the refund parts. YNAB sends Apple and Google subscribers to those stores for refunds. Monarch says App Store subscriptions are not eligible for its guarantee and only Apple can refund them. Check the store you paid through first.
Follow the sources
- YNAB official pricing page Checked Oct 30, 2026
- YNAB Help: Your YNAB Trial (includes account retention and deletion) Checked Oct 30, 2026
- YNAB Help: How to Request a Refund Checked Oct 30, 2026
- YNAB Help: How to Manage Your Subscription Checked Oct 30, 2026
- YNAB Privacy Policy (Data Retention section) Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch official pricing page Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Monarch FAQs Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Monarch's Money-back Guarantee Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Canceling Your Subscription Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Updating Your Subscription (lists Core prices) Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Delete a Monarch Account Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Help: Downloading Transaction or Account History Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Monarch Privacy Policy (Data Retention section) Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith official plans page Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Refund of your PocketSmith subscription Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Re-enable paid features until end of subscription Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Your PocketSmith subscription plan Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Billing and plans FAQ Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Re-adding bank feeds after an account downgrade Checked Oct 30, 2026
- PocketSmith Learn Centre: Deleting your PocketSmith account Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Lunch Money Help: Getting Started Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Lunch Money Help: Billing (pausing, cancelation and account deletion) Checked Oct 30, 2026
- Lunch Money Help: FAQ (account deletion) Checked Oct 30, 2026
Provider terms can change. Recheck the linked source before applying or subscribing.