Did you cancel your New York Times subscription? You may be able to get paid

Canceling a news subscription has long been a multipronged nightmare. But some New York-based news consumers might qualify for a bag of coffee’s worth of relief.

The New York Times has reached a settlement with the New York State Attorney General’s office over claims that the company didn’t refund customers who canceled their digital and home delivery subscriptions, the legal news site Top Class Actions reported. (The New York Times hasn’t admitted to any wrongdoing.)

Anyone with a New York billing address who canceled a digital Times subscription between January 19, 2018 and June 30, 2022 or a home delivery subscription between January 19, 2018 and August 9, 2023 qualifies for a $14 refund if they submit a claim form by March 3.

The New York Times has been the subject of class action lawsuits before. In North Carolina in 2022, a plaintiff claimed the Times “systematically violates the Autorenewal Statute by failing to present the automatic renewal offer terms in a clear manner in the contract offer, and for failing to disclose clearly how to cancel the contract.” That case settled in 2024, with the Times agreeing to pay $275,000. In California, the Times settled similar claims of unclear auto-renewal policies for about $5.5 million, including $3.9 million worth of access codes for California subscribers and $1.25 million in lawyers’ fees; a plaintiff also received $5,000.

The story about the New York settlement led today’s edition of Top Class Actions’ daily newsletter, of which I am an avid reader. The site was founded in 2008 to alert and inform consumers about class action lawsuits. The stories are structured as explainers and lay out the actions readers should take if they qualify for a settlement. I regularly scan the newsletter for settlements I or people I know can claim. I share its Instagram Reels with friends all the time, to the point where one friend told me I could stop sending them to her because she also follows the account.

Quite frankly, I’m obsessed and unashamed! It’s my favorite example of news you can use: get paid when a company potentially wronged you.

Read more about the latest New York Times settlement here.