Manage Heroku

How to cancel heroku and stop paying for cloud hosting

Understanding heroku and why you might want to cancel

Heroku is a cloud platform built for developers who want to deploy and run applications without managing servers themselves. You get dynos (the compute units that power your apps), managed databases like Heroku Postgres, and integrations with Git and CI/CD tools that make deployment straightforward. For many Canadian developers and small teams, Heroku simplifies the hosting process significantly.

That said, Heroku billing can add up quickly if you're running multiple paid dynos or premium add-ons. You might be scaling down your application, switching to a different hosting provider, or simply looking to reduce monthly expenses. Whatever your reason, Stopee is here to walk you through the cancellation process step by step so you don't leave money on the table or accidentally lock yourself out of your account.

When cancellation makes sense

You should consider cancelling Heroku if you're no longer actively using your application, if costs have grown beyond your budget, or if you've found a hosting solution that better fits your needs. Some developers also downgrade rather than fully cancel, scaling down to free tier dynos and removing paid add-ons while keeping the account active. This flexibility means you choose the path that works for your situation.

The real cost of staying subscribed

Heroku charges monthly for every paid dyno and add-on running on your account. A Performance-L Dyno alone runs about C$675 per month, and if you're running Heroku Postgres, key-value stores, or multiple Standard dynos, your bill compounds quickly. Many developers forget about staging or test apps still running on paid plans, so your actual monthly spend may surprise you when you finally review your billing dashboard.

Heroku pricing in canada (2024)

Here's what you'll see charged to your CAD card each month, depending on what you're running.

Note: Heroku bills in USD, so exchange rates affect your final CAD charge. The amounts above use an approximate 1 USD to 1.35 CAD conversion. Your actual invoice depends on the current exchange rate and your exact resource mix.

Why costs creep up on heroku

It's easy to lose track of what's running on your account. You might spin up a staging environment on a Standard dyno, add a PostgreSQL database for testing, and then forget to take it down. Six months later, that C$40-per-month environment is still charging you. Stopee recommends doing a full audit of your Heroku dashboard before you decide to cancel or downgrade.

Your consumer rights when cancelling heroku in canada

Under Canada's consumer protection laws and Heroku's terms of service, you have specific rights when managing your account and billing.

What the law protects you against

Canadian consumer protection legislation (including provincial acts like Ontario's Consumer Protection Act) requires that online services clearly disclose billing practices, allow you to cancel without unreasonable barriers, and process refunds within a reasonable timeframe. Heroku must allow you to remove paid resources and stop incurring charges. If you believe you've been billed in error or charged after you removed all paid resources, you have the right to dispute the charge with your credit card issuer or bank.

Heroku's refund policy (and its limits)

Heroku does not refund charges for service outages, scheduled maintenance, or general account credits. If you overpay due to an error on Heroku's side or you've applied for a tax exemption that was approved, Heroku may issue a credit to your account within 5 to 10 business days. However, Heroku will not refund a previous invoice or reissue charges to a different payment method. If you believe a charge is incorrect or unauthorized, contact Heroku support first, then escalate to your card issuer if Heroku doesn't respond or refuses to help.

Steps to take if heroku refuses to cancel or refund

If Heroku support fails to respond or blocks your cancellation request, you can:

• File a dispute directly with your credit card company or bank, citing the unauthorized or erroneous charge.
• Submit a complaint to your provincial consumer protection authority (for example, Ontario's Ministry of Government and Consumer Services).
• Request a chargeback for any charges incurred after you removed all paid resources from your account.

Stopee has helped thousands of consumers escalate disputes when companies fail to respond, and the same approach works here: documentation is your ally. Keep screenshots of your Heroku dashboard showing paid resources removed, email confirmations from support, and your billing history.

How to cancel heroku step by step

Cancellation on Heroku happens in two phases: removing paid resources, and optionally removing your payment method to prevent future charges.

The complete cancellation process

1. Sign in to your Heroku account at dashboard.heroku.com using the email and password associated with the account that holds your payment method.
   • If you've lost your password, use the "Forgot password?" link on the login page.
   • If you have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled and can't access your phone, open a Help Center ticket at help.heroku.com immediately so Heroku support can help restore access.
2. Review all your applications and paid resources across your dashboard.
   • Go to each app and check what dynos are currently running (Standard, Performance, etc.).
   • Navigate to the "Resources" tab for each app to see all active add-ons (Postgres, Redis, third-party services).
   • Make a note of anything that costs money; free tier dynos and services don't affect billing.
3. Scale down or delete every paid dyno.
   • Click the app name, then go to "Resources."
   • For each paid dyno, click the "X" icon to delete it, or click the dyno type to downgrade to a free tier option if available.
   • Confirm the deletion. Once you delete a dyno, it stops incurring charges immediately.
4. Delete all paid add-ons (Heroku Postgres, Redis, key-value stores, third-party services).
   • Go to "Resources" or "Add-ons" in your app settings.
   • Click the trash icon next to each paid add-on.
   • Warning: Deleting an add-on (especially a database) permanently removes associated data. Export any data you need before deletion.
   • Heroku will ask you to confirm the deletion. Proceed only if you've backed up your data.
5. Export critical data before completing any deletions.
   • For Heroku Postgres: use the pg_dump command or Heroku's Backup feature to export your database.
   • For application files and logs: download them through your app's file system or use Heroku's log archives.
   • Store exports in a secure location (cloud storage, external drive) so you can recover data if needed after cancellation.
6. Verify that no paid resources remain on your account.
   • Return to your dashboard homepage.
   • Under "Apps" and "Resources," confirm that only free-tier dynos or no dynos appear.
   • If no paid resources remain, billing stops immediately.
7. Remove or update your payment method (optional but recommended).
   • Click your account avatar in the top-right corner and select "Account settings."
   • Go to "Billing" and scroll to "Payment method."
   • Click "Delete" next to your credit card to prevent any future charges on that card.
   • Alternatively, update the card details if you're switching cards but staying on Heroku.
8. Check your next invoice to confirm billing has stopped.
   • After 2-3 billing cycles, log back into your dashboard and verify that no new charges appear.
   • If you see unexpected charges after removing all paid resources, contact Heroku support with screenshots of your resource-free dashboard.

Pro tip: Don't delete your account entirely unless you're certain you'll never use Heroku again. Heroku allows you to keep a free account with Eco or Basic dynos at no cost, so you can return later if your needs change.

If you can't access your account

Lost credentials or a locked account can feel frustrating, but Heroku support can help. Open a support ticket at help.heroku.com and provide:

• The email address associated with your account.
• Your account name (visible on your dashboard).
• The payment method on file (last four digits of your card).
• Any app names deployed to the account.

Heroku support will verify your identity and reset your password or 2FA settings. If support is unresponsive after 7 days, contact your credit card issuer to dispute any charges incurred while you couldn't access your account.

What happens after you cancel heroku

Cancellation doesn't instantly erase your account, and understanding what changes can help you avoid surprises.

Your account and free tier access

When you remove all paid resources, your Heroku account remains active. You retain access to free-tier dynos (Eco or Basic if available) and can still log in, view your apps, and deploy new code. Your account is yours to keep unless you actively request account deletion through Heroku support.

Data retention and permanent loss

Once you delete an add-on like Heroku Postgres or a Redis store, Heroku removes the associated data and typically cannot recover it. Your application code (stored in Git) remains safe because it's in your Git repository, but databases, caches, and stored files are gone for good. This is why exporting data before deletion is non-negotiable. Stopee emphasizes this point repeatedly because data loss is one of the most painful cancellation mistakes.

Final billing and invoices

Heroku may issue a final invoice for any usage that occurred before you removed paid resources. For example, if you run a Standard dyno from the 1st to the 15th of the month, then delete it on the 15th, you're billed for 15 days of usage. This appears on your next invoice, typically within a few days. Review your billing history to confirm the final charge matches your expected usage window.

Common cancellation mistakes and how to avoid them

Cancelling Heroku is straightforward, but small oversights can cost you money or data.

Forgetting about staging and test apps

Many developers spin up staging environments with Standard or Performance dynos to test code before deployment to production. If you forget these exist and cancel only your production app, you'll continue paying for staging. Before hitting cancel, do a complete audit: log into your dashboard, list every app, and check the dyno type for each. Stopee recommends taking a screenshot of your full app list so you don't miss any.

Deleting databases without a backup

Heroku's delete action is instant and irreversible. If you remove a Heroku Postgres database without exporting it first, your data is gone. Use pg_dump to export PostgreSQL, or use Heroku's built-in Backup feature if available on your plan. Store the export outside Heroku (cloud storage, external drive, or your local machine).

Removing payment method too early

If you delete your credit card immediately after removing paid resources, Heroku still may issue a final invoice for the billing period. That invoice will fail to charge, and Heroku may suspend your account or send a late-payment notice. Wait until you've seen one clean billing cycle with no charges before removing your payment method. This typically takes 3 to 7 days after removal of paid resources.

Not confirming cancellation with support

Heroku doesn't send a "your account is cancelled" email. You have to verify yourself by checking the dashboard. If you're uncertain whether billing has truly stopped, open a support ticket asking Heroku to confirm that no paid resources remain on your account. Document the response for your records.

Refunds and what to expect

Heroku's refund policy is narrow, but you do have recourse in specific situations.

When heroku will and won't refund

Heroku does not refund charges for downtime, service outages, or maintenance windows. The company also does not issue refunds for monthly subscription costs already billed. However, if you've applied for a tax exemption and Heroku approves it, the company issues a credit to your account within 5 to 10 business days. Heroku also doesn't reissue invoices or move charges between payment methods; each invoice is tied to the payment method on file at the time it's issued.

Disputing incorrect charges

If you're billed for resources you removed, or if you spot a charge you don't recognize, contact Heroku support first. Provide:

• A screenshot of your dashboard showing no paid resources at the time of the disputed charge.
• Your billing history (dates when you removed resources).
• The exact invoice amount and date.

If Heroku doesn't respond within 7 business days or refuses to help, contact your credit card issuer or bank. You can initiate a chargeback for any unauthorized charges, and your bank will investigate on your behalf. Stopee recommends keeping all documentation (emails, screenshots, invoices) for at least 90 days after cancellation in case a dispute arises.

Key actions to take right now

Don't let indecision cost you more money. Here's your checklist to move forward today.

Your pre-cancellation checklist

• Log in to your Heroku dashboard and list all active apps.
• Note the dyno type and add-ons for each app (Standard? Postgres? Redis?).
• Calculate your total monthly spend based on the pricing table above.
• Export any critical data (databases, files, logs) to a secure location.
• Delete all paid dynos and add-ons.
• Verify your dashboard shows zero paid resources.
• Remove or update your payment method in Account Settings.
• Take a screenshot of your resource-free dashboard for your records.
• Wait 3-5 business days and check your billing history to confirm no new charges.
• If unexpected charges appear, open a Heroku support ticket with screenshots.

Why stopee exists to help with cancellations like this

Cancelling cloud platforms, subscriptions, and SaaS services is often needlessly complicated. Companies hide cancellation behind support tickets, add friction to the process, or make it hard to know what resources are still billing. Stopee was built to strip away that confusion and guide you through the process clearly, step by step, the same way we would if you were on the phone asking questions.

We've documented hundreds of services, including Heroku, so you know exactly what to do and what to watch out for. You also know your rights as a Canadian consumer and exactly when it's time to escalate to your bank or a consumer protection authority if a company refuses to help.

Heroku cancellation takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. You're in control, you understand the cost of staying, and you have clear steps to stop paying whenever you choose. Stopee has helped thousands of consumers cancel unwanted services and recover from billing mistakes, and we're here to make sure your Heroku cancellation goes smoothly.

Get started today

Open your Heroku dashboard right now, follow the steps above, and take control of your billing. If you hit any roadblocks or Heroku support doesn't respond, return to this guide and use the escalation tactics outlined in the consumer rights section. You've got this.