The Athletic
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Regular price
$9.99/mo or $71.99/yr (annual plan, most popular)
Discount you can get
Annual plan reduced to ~$24/yr (approximately 67% off) when initiating the cancellation flow. Some users report offers as low as $19.99/yr or $9.99/yr depending on account history and timing.
How to unlock this discount
Log in to your The Athletic account at theathletic.com (or open the app) and navigate to your Account Settings.
Find the 'Subscription' or 'Manage Subscription' section and click on 'Cancel Subscription'.
You will be presented with a reason-selection screen — choose a reason for leaving (see tips below for the best choice).
After selecting your reason, The Athletic will present a retention offer screen showing a discounted rate (commonly ~$24/yr down from $71.99/yr, though the exact offer varies by account).
Review the discounted offer carefully. If it meets your expectations, click the button to accept the offer and keep your subscription at the reduced rate.
Confirm the new discounted plan. Your subscription will continue at the lower price for the offered term.
Insider Tips
Select 'Too expensive' or 'Price' as your cancellation reason — this signals to the system that a discount is most likely to retain you, and typically triggers the best monetary offer
If the first offer is not compelling (e.g., only a free month), decline it and continue through the flow — some users report a second, better offer appearing
Do NOT complete the final cancellation step; always stop when the discount screen appears
If you accidentally fully cancel, wait a few days — The Athletic often sends a win-back email with a steep discount ($9.99–$20/yr has been reported)
Sources
Information compiled from multiple community sources within the last 12 months: 247Sports forum post (Kansas board) confirming $72→$24 retention offer via fake cancellation; Big Blue Interactive forum thread reporting $19.99/yr loyalty offer and $71.99/yr standard annual price; Reddit r/baseball threads discussing $9.99/yr post-cancellation win-back offers; SimplyCodes (March 2026) listing standard price at $12.99/mo; RedFlagDeals forums (2026) showing various promotional rates for new/returning subscribers ($1/mo promos); WorthEPenny and Tenereteam coupon aggregators confirming up to 80% off deals as of March 2026. Offers vary by account and exact amounts are not guaranteed.