As an experienced technology analyst who has subscribed to pretty much every major streaming service out there, I‘ve cancelled my fair share of subscriptions when the cons started outweighing the pros. This guide will help you decide if cancelling Discovery Plus is the right call for you, then walk through the quick and straightforward cancellation process in 5 easy steps.
Overview – How Does Discovery Plus Stack Up to the Competition?
Before getting to the step-by-step instructions for cancellation, let‘s examine how Discovery Plus compares against other major streaming giants. This will help assess if it delivers enough value to justify the monthly expense or if you‘d be better off elsewhere.
Quick Facts About Discovery Plus
- Launched January 2021, owned by Discovery Inc
- Focuses on reality TV shows, home improvement, cooking shows, documentaries
- Content comes mainly from existing Discovery networks like HGTV, Food Network, TLC with some originals
- No blockbuster movies or live sports available
- Ad-supported and ad-free subscription plans starting at $4.99/month
- Bundled free for 1 year with some Verizon unlimited wireless plans
How does this compare against the well-established competitors? Let‘s see…
A few key takeaways:
- Discovery Plus has significantly smaller content library than Netflix or Hulu
- Lacking big name original exclusives compared to Disney+, Apple TV+
- Very targeted focus on reality shows and documentaries
- Relatively low subscription cost especially for ad-supported tier
So if you mainly watch cooking shows or home improvement DIY programs, then Discovery Plus delivers that niche value. But for more rounded general entertainment across movies, TV shows, kids programs, and exclusives, other services have clear advantages.
Let‘s dig deeper into the reasons you might stick with or cancel Discovery Plus.
Key Reasons to CANCEL Your Discovery Plus
🚫 Still building original programming portfolio – For now, Discovery Plus merely compiles existing shows from their networks without exclusive must-see shows yet. Competitors like Netflix and HBO Max are far ahead here.
🚫 Missing key content libraries – No blockbuster movie catalogue or live sports and news that services like Hulu Live have.
🚫Price hike rubbed subscribers the wrong way – Discovery Plus originally launched at an appealing $4.99 price point to undercut competitors. But shortly after, they raised prices 20% while still limiting content. Left a bad taste for subscribers.
🚫 Billing issues or errors – Some users experienced glitches with billing dates or incorrect amounts charged. Easier to just cancel than deal with fixes.
Key Reasons to KEEP Your Discovery Plus
✅ Dirth of reality TV and documentaries – The sheer depth of home improvement, cooking, true crime programs is unmatched. Niche value for certain audience segments despite limitations.
✅ Bundled free with Verizon Unlimited plans – Some wireless subscribers get up to 12 months of Discovery Plus included which enhances the value proposition.
✅ Promising original exclusives slated to come – While light for now, Discovery will invest over $1 billion in streaming content over the next year as they play catch up and shift priority to streaming first.
Here‘s a peek at some of the anticipated releases:
Let‘s now walk through how to cancel Discovery Plus if you decide it‘s not currently delivering enough value to justify the costs.
Step-by-Step: How to Cancel Discovery Plus in 5 Minutes
Ready to end your subscription? Let me guide you through quick and easy process.
1. Visit DiscoveryPlus.com
Open any web browser and navigate to the Discovery Plus homepage. Click your profile icon in top right and select Account from dropdown menu.
Alternatively you can go directly to account.discoveryplus.com to get to manage your account.
2. Click Manage Subscription
Under Account page, scroll down to Subscription section. Click Manage Subscription to edit current plan.
3. Select Cancel Subscription
Discovery Plus will display your current subscription plan details including price and billing date. To cancel, click Cancel Subscription in blue text on right side.
4. Pick Reason For Cancellation
You will be asked why you are cancelling. Select one or more reasons from list and Continue to Cancel. Want to provide additional context? Use text field to share more details.
Common reasons include:
- Costs too much
- Want to switch services
- Streaming issues/lack of content
5. Confirm Cancellation
One last chance to change your mind! If ready, click the red Cancel Subscription button to complete cancellation process.
You will see a confirmation message with your remaining access end date. You can continue streaming Discovery Plus until then.
And done! The whole process takes less than 5 minutes start to finish. Almost as quick as signing up initially 😉
Troubleshooting Tips
Stuck or need help? Try these troubleshooting tips:
- If canceling from Roku or Amazon Prime Video, you must unlink Discovery Plus account there first
- For ongoing billing issues, contact Discovery Plus customer support for assistance
- Check Discovery Plus system status page for any service issues
Still have questions about cancelling your Discovery Plus subscription? Let me know in comments!
Final Recommendation – Should YOU Cancel Discovery Plus?
So should you stick with Discovery Plus or cancel and switch to an alternative streaming provider? Here is my data-driven perspective:
I expect Discovery Plus to aggressive invest in more originals and shore up their content gaps relative to competitors like Netflix and Hulu over the next year or two.
But for now, their limited library and reliance primarily on existing Discovery network programming makes it hard to recommend Discovery Plus for casual streamers looking for diverse entertainment options.
There are exceptions of course. For instance if you ONLY watch cooking competitions, home improvement shows and documentaries, the sheer depth of that niche content on Discovery Plus keeps it relevant despite lack of blockbuster exclusives in other genres.
Or if you lucked out with 1-year free through a Verizon Unlimited plan, obviously continue taking advantage of that bundled deal as long as you can.
But otherwise, services like Hulu and Paramount+ provide better entertainment bang for your buck across reality shows, movies, network series and originals. And streaming pioneers like Netflix and HBO Max are still the gold standard when it comes to must-see exclusives.
So run the numbers yourself based on the shows and movies YOU watch – but for most mainstream viewers, I‘d currently rank Discovery Plus as lower priority to cancel compared to pricier services with greater breadth like HBO Max or narrower niche focus like horror-centric Shudder.
There you have it – an in-depth guide to deciding whether to cancel your Discovery Plus subscription, then step-by-step instructions to actually cancel painlessly in 5 minutes. Let me know if this helps explain the key tradeoffs or makes cancellation easier. Happy streaming!
