Headspace is sold on subscription with a free trial as the standard entry point. The trial requires a payment method and converts automatically, which is where most unexpected charges originate.
Trials have been offered at various lengths, including extended ones through partnerships with employers, health services, universities and other apps. A long trial is particularly easy to forget, because the gap between signing up and being charged can be a month or more.
Annual is the default push
The annual plan is materially cheaper per month and is what the signup flow steers towards. It produces one large charge a year. A Headspace charge several times the size of a monthly subscription is an annual renewal.
Annual plans renew on the anniversary, by which point the trial that started it is a distant memory.
Partner and employer access
Headspace has been distributed free through employers, health providers and other subscriptions. When that arrangement ends, whether because you changed jobs or the partnership lapsed, the account can convert to a paid personal subscription rather than simply stopping.
A Headspace charge appearing for the first time shortly after leaving a job is very often this.
Student pricing
Discounted student rates require verification and are time-limited. When eligibility lapses the plan reverts to standard pricing, producing an increase with no action on your part.
Cancelling
- Identify where you subscribed. In-app purchases are billed by Apple or Google and must be cancelled there.
- For web subscriptions, sign in at headspace.com and open the subscription settings.
- Cancel before the renewal date. Cancelling mid-term stops the next renewal but does not usually refund the current period.
- If an annual renewal caught you out immediately, contacting support promptly is worth trying, as goodwill refunds are sometimes given shortly after an unwanted renewal.