Hulu’s library is becoming more worthwhile as it keeps taking beloved shows from Netflix. Unlike most other subscription services, Hulu lets you take a temporary break for up to twelve weeks without canceling your subscription entirely. Here’s how to put a temporary hold on your account.
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Hulu’s holds are a useful way to take a break when you know you’re not going to use it for a while. For example, if you watch shows like Agents of SHIELD on Hulu (which only carries the five most recent episodes), then you may not need your subscription during the hiatus between seasons. You could also binge everything you want to watch on Hulu for a couple months, then put your account on hold to save a little money while you get through a different part of your show backlog on HBO or Starz.
The hold on your Hulu account will kick in at the end of your billing cycle, so you’ll need to plan ahead. So, for example, if your Hulu account re-ups on the 10th of the month and you activate your hold on the 3rd, you can still watch for a week. Afterwards, the hold will kick in. Once the hold is over, Hulu will automatically charge your card again and your subscription will start over. This is a little inconvenient if you want to schedule your hold for a vacation or something, but it’s still useful when you want to take a break for a couple months.
To put a hold on your account, open Hulu in your web browser and click your name in the upper right corner.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Next to Hold Your Subscription, click the blue Hold button.
Click the dropdown box in the middle of the window that appears and choose how long you want to hold your account. You can choose up to twelve weeks. When you’re done, click Submit.
Once you’re done, you’ll see a box like the one below at the top of your account page. It will tell you when the hold will take effect (this should be the date that your account would renew otherwise). You can click Resume My Subscription to cancel the hold at any time.
Once the hold ends, you’ll be charged for a new month. You can set a new hold immediately afterwards, but it won’t kick in until that month is over. So, if you need to disable your subscription for longer than twelve weeks, you’re better off canceling and renewing whenever you want to come back.
