Manage Circleci

How to cancel CircleCI and protect your development pipeline

What CircleCI is and why teams use it

CircleCI is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform that automates the building, testing, and deployment of software across your development pipeline. If you're working with a development team, you know how critical it is to have reliable automation that runs consistent checks before code reaches production.

The platform integrates directly with your version control system to trigger automated workflows whenever your team pushes changes. This means your builds, tests, and deployments happen without manual intervention, which saves time and reduces human error. CircleCI is available as a cloud-hosted service and as a self-hosted option, depending on which plan you choose.

Who uses CircleCI

Development teams, DevOps engineers, and technology organisations across New Zealand and globally rely on CircleCI to accelerate their release cycles and enforce consistent build standards. Whether your team is small or scaling rapidly, CircleCI handles CI/CD workflows that would otherwise demand significant manual effort.

Plan types available

CircleCI offers a Free tier for getting started, a Performance plan for growing teams, and Server or self-hosted options for organisations that need complete control over their infrastructure. Each plan comes with different limits on build minutes, team members, and advanced features.

Your consumer rights in new zealand

The consumer guarantees act and your protections

Under New Zealand's Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) 1993, any service supplied to you must be delivered with reasonable care and skill, be fit for purpose, and be safe. Most importantly, suppliers cannot contract out of these protections, even if their terms and conditions say otherwise.

This means CircleCI must supply its service in a way that meets your reasonable expectations. If the service is unreliable, frequently unavailable, or fails to deliver the core functionality you paid for, you have legal grounds to request a refund or replacement service. The CGA is your safety net, and no subscription agreement can remove it.

How the CGA applies to CircleCI

If you purchase a CircleCI subscription and the service repeatedly fails, causes significant downtime, or doesn't work as described, the CGA entitles you to remedies. You can request a refund, compensation, or a replacement service. Stopee recommends documenting any service failures you experience, as this evidence strengthens your position if you need to escalate a dispute.

How to cancel CircleCI

Cancel your web subscription through the CircleCI dashboard

If you subscribed to CircleCI via their website (meetcircle.com), cancelling is straightforward. You'll need organisation Administrator access and a few minutes at your computer. Follow these steps exactly:

1. Sign into the CircleCI web dashboard with your account credentials.
   • Only organisation Admins can initiate cancellations, so ensure your account has this permission level.
2. Navigate to your organisation's settings.
   • Look for the "Billing" or "Plan" tab in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. Locate the cancellation option.
   • You should see a link or button that says "Looking to cancel your plan?" or "Cancel Plan".
   • Click this option to initiate the cancellation workflow.
4. Confirm your cancellation request.
   • CircleCI will ask you to confirm the cancellation and may offer you a chance to downgrade instead.
   • Proceed with the cancellation if you're certain.
5. Verify your account status.
   • Your account will remain active until the end of your current billing cycle.
   • You retain full access to all features until that final billing date.

Pro tip: Before you cancel, export any build logs, artifacts, or configuration files you need to keep. CircleCI will eventually delete your data after cancellation, so save what matters first.

Cancel subscriptions purchased through apple app store

If you subscribed to CircleCI via the Apple App Store, you cannot cancel directly through CircleCI's website. The App Store manages your subscription independently.

1. Open the App Store on your Apple device.
   • You can do this on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Navigate to your account settings.
   • Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner of the App Store.
   • Select "Subscriptions".
3. Find the CircleCI subscription in your list.
   • Scroll through your active subscriptions until you locate CircleCI.
4. Tap to manage or cancel the subscription.
   • Select "Cancel Subscription" when the option appears.
   • Apple will ask you to confirm, and may offer a discount to keep you as a customer.
5. Confirm the cancellation.
   • Your subscription will end at the next billing date. You keep access until then.

Warning: If you request a refund from Apple, you must do so within the App Store's refund window (usually 14 to 45 days depending on circumstances). Apple handles refunds directly - CircleCI cannot issue them for App Store purchases.

Cancel subscriptions purchased through google play

Google Play subscriptions to CircleCI must also be cancelled through Google's platform, not through CircleCI itself.

1. Open Google Play on your Android device or visit play.google.com from a browser.
   • If using a browser, ensure you're logged into the Google account linked to your subscription.
2. Navigate to your subscriptions.
   • On a mobile device, tap your profile icon, then "Payments and subscriptions".
   • Select "Subscriptions".
   • On a browser, go to play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions.
3. Locate CircleCI in your active subscriptions list.
   • Scroll until you find it.
4. Tap or click on CircleCI to open the subscription details.
   • Select "Cancel subscription".
5. Confirm the cancellation request.
   • Google will show your cancellation date and any remaining access period.

Pro tip: Google Play's refund window is typically 48 hours from purchase for new subscriptions, though this can vary. If you're within that window, you can request a refund directly through Google Play. Beyond that window, refunds are at Google's discretion, so act quickly if you need your money back.

Cancel via email or formal correspondence

If you cannot access the web dashboard or need to send a formal cancellation notice, you can contact CircleCI directly or send written correspondence.

1. Gather your account information.
   • Have your CircleCI organisation name, billing email, and subscription plan details ready.
2. Contact CircleCI support.
   • Visit the CircleCI support portal or email their support team with your cancellation request.
   • State clearly that you want to cancel your subscription effective immediately or at the end of your billing cycle.
3. Include your organisation details in your message.
   • Provide your organisation name, the email address associated with your billing account, and your current plan type.
4. Request written confirmation.
   • Ask CircleCI to confirm the cancellation in writing and provide the final date of access.
5. Keep all correspondence for your records.
   • Save emails and responses in case you need to dispute a charge or escalate a complaint later.

Warning: CircleCI does not maintain a physical office or postal address in New Zealand. If you need to send formal written correspondence, CircleCI's US headquarters is the applicable address. Stopee recommends email as your first method - it's faster and leaves a clear digital trail.

What happens when you cancel your CircleCI account

Your access and account status after cancellation

When you cancel, your CircleCI account remains active and fully functional until the end of your current billing period. You don't lose access mid-cycle, so your builds will continue to run and your team can keep deploying code without interruption.

Once the final billing date arrives, your account access will be revoked. CircleCI will no longer run builds or accept new deployments from your repositories. This is why timing your cancellation matters - cancelling on day one of your billing cycle means you've paid for a full month you no longer need.

Your data, build history, and configuration files

CircleCI does not permanently delete your data immediately after cancellation. However, your data and build logs will be retained for a limited period before CircleCI removes them from their servers. If you need to preserve your build history, configuration files, or any artifacts, export them before you cancel.

Check CircleCI's data retention policy in their help documentation to confirm exact timelines. Contact their support team if you need clarity on what happens to your data after cancellation.

Unused credits and performance plan features

If you're on the Performance Plan, any unused credits you've purchased will be forfeited when you cancel. These credits are non-refundable and do not carry over to future accounts or subscriptions. This is a significant consideration if you've prepaid for credits you haven't yet used - you'll lose that money.

Will you get a refund after cancelling

Refunds for web-based subscriptions (meetcircle.com)

If you subscribed through CircleCI's website, the company allows a full refund if you request it within 30 days of your subscription billing period. This means you have a 30-day window from when your most recent charge was processed.

To request a refund, contact CircleCI's support or billing team directly. Provide your organisation name, billing email, and the date of the charge you want refunded. Include a brief reason for your cancellation - this helps CircleCI process your request faster.

Pro tip: The 30-day refund window is strict. If you're approaching day 30, request your refund immediately via email and ask for a read receipt. This creates a timestamp proof of your request, which protects you if there's any dispute about when you asked for the money back.

Refunds for app store and google play purchases

CircleCI cannot issue refunds for subscriptions purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play. These app stores control the billing relationship, not CircleCI.

If you need a refund for an Apple App Store purchase, submit a request directly through the App Store. Apple reviews each refund request and typically allows refunds within 14 to 45 days, depending on your circumstances and whether you're a repeat refund requester.

For Google Play refunds, contact Google Play support through the Play Store. Google's standard refund window is 48 hours for new subscriptions, but you can request a refund beyond that window if you have a strong reason.

Unused credits and exceptions

Unused credits on your CircleCI Performance Plan are not refundable. This is a hard rule - CircleCI will not make exceptions. If you've prepaid for credits, cancelling your account means losing that money. Before you cancel, consider whether you can use those credits within your remaining subscription period by accelerating your builds or adding team members.

CircleCI pricing in new zealand

Available plans and features

CircleCI offers three main plan types: Free, Performance, and Server (self-hosted). The Free plan is ideal for individual developers or open-source projects. The Performance plan is built for growing teams that need faster builds and more concurrent job runs. The Server plan lets you host CircleCI on your own infrastructure for maximum control and compliance.

Stopee recommends reviewing the feature comparison on CircleCI's official website to determine which plan matches your team's needs before you commit to a paid subscription.

Pricing in NZD

CircleCI publishes its pricing in US Dollars (USD) only. No official New Zealand Dollar (NZD) pricing is available for 2024 or 2025. To find the NZD equivalent, you'll need to apply the current USD-to-NZD exchange rate (typically 1 USD = 1.60 to 1.70 NZD) to CircleCI's published USD prices.

Warning: Pricing changes periodically. Always check CircleCI's official pricing page before committing to a new subscription. Don't rely on cached or outdated pricing information.

Common mistakes people make when cancelling CircleCI

Cancellation can feel frustrating when you discover hidden gotchas you didn't expect

Many teams cancel CircleCI only to discover they've lost money they didn't anticipate losing. Understanding the common traps helps you avoid regret and makes your cancellation process smoother.

Forgetting to export your build history and configuration

Your CircleCI account contains valuable build logs, test results, and configuration files that may be required for compliance, auditing, or future reference. If you cancel without exporting this data, CircleCI will eventually delete it, and you'll have no way to recover it.

Before you cancel, log into your account and export any build artifacts, configuration files (.circleci/config.yml), and logs you need to keep. Store these locally or in a version control repository for long-term access.

Cancelling mid-cycle and losing the remainder of your paid period

If you cancel on day 5 of a 30-day billing cycle, you've paid for 30 days but will only use 5 of them. CircleCI will not refund the unused portion unless you request it within the 30-day refund window.

Check your next billing date before you cancel. If you're early in your cycle, consider waiting until closer to your renewal date, or immediately request a refund for the unused portion if you're outside the refund window.

Purchasing credits you don't use

On the Performance Plan, credits are non-refundable once purchased. If you buy a credit package and decide to cancel before using all of them, that money is gone. Stopee strongly recommends using up your credits before you cancel, or purchasing credits only when you're certain you'll use them.

Not cancelling subscriptions purchased through app stores

Forgetting to cancel your Apple App Store or Google Play subscription while also cancelling your web account means you'll continue to be charged by the app store even after your CircleCI access is gone. Always cancel the app store subscription separately - don't assume one cancellation triggers the other.

Losing track of your cancellation confirmation

If you cancel and don't receive or save a confirmation email, you won't have proof of your cancellation request if a charge appears on your next statement. Always request written confirmation of your cancellation and keep that email in a folder you can easily find later.

Stopee's checklist before you cancel

Use this checklist to ensure you've covered every step and won't encounter surprises after your cancellation:

• Verify your billing cycle date. Know when your next charge will occur.
• Check your refund eligibility window. Confirm whether you're within 30 days of your last charge for a web subscription.
• Export all build logs and configuration files. Save these locally or to version control before access is revoked.
• Confirm your account type. Know whether you subscribed via web, Apple App Store, or Google Play.
• Check for unused credits. Document any credits you're about to lose, and consider using them before cancelling.
• Ensure you have Admin access. Only organisation Admins can cancel web subscriptions.
• Request cancellation confirmation in writing. Email CircleCI support and ask for a confirmation receipt.
• Save all cancellation correspondence. Keep emails and receipts in a dedicated folder for your records.
• Cancel app store subscriptions separately. If you used Apple App Store or Google Play, cancel those subscriptions independently.
• Verify your final access date. Confirm the exact date your account will be disabled.

Key takeaways and next steps

You have clear options and consumer protections

Cancelling CircleCI is straightforward if you follow the right steps for your subscription type. Whether you subscribed via the web, Apple App Store, or Google Play, each method has a clear cancellation path. Your account access remains active until your billing cycle ends, giving you time to prepare your team and export critical data.

Remember that New Zealand's Consumer Guarantees Act protects you if CircleCI fails to deliver the service you paid for. If you experience persistent downtime, reliability issues, or service failures, you have legal grounds to request remedies beyond a simple cancellation.

Act quickly on refunds and unused credits

The 30-day refund window for web subscriptions is your deadline. If you want your money back, request it within that timeframe and keep confirmation. Unused credits on the Performance Plan are forfeited, so use them or lose them. Document everything in writing and keep copies of all correspondence with CircleCI.

Stopee has helped thousands of consumers cancel with confidence

At Stopee (stopee.com), we've guided thousands of customers through subscription cancellations just like yours. We understand the anxiety of losing access, the frustration of unexpected charges, and the importance of protecting your data. Whether you're cancelling because you've found a better tool, your budget has tightened, or your team's needs have changed, Stopee is here to help you navigate the process with clarity and confidence. Visit Stopee today to explore our full cancellation guides and consumer protection resources.

CircleCI's mailing address for formal correspondence

US headquarters contact details

CircleCI does not maintain a physical office or mailing address in New Zealand. If you need to send formal written cancellation correspondence, use their US headquarters address:

CircleCI, Inc.
San Francisco, CA
United States

Pro tip: Email is faster and more reliable than postal mail. Use CircleCI's support email channel (available on their website) as your first contact method. Email leaves a digital timestamp and read receipt, which protects you if there's any dispute about when you requested cancellation.

If you cannot find CircleCI's current support email or mailing address, visit their official help centre or contact their support team through the CircleCI dashboard. Stopee recommends always requesting a direct email address for billing inquiries - this ensures your cancellation request reaches the correct department.