Meal kit pioneer HelloFresh now delivers over 450 million meals annually to 7 million customers globally. But while meal kit services promise to make dinnertime easier, busy customers don‘t always want endless subscriptions accumulating on their credit cards.
This comprehensive guide will explain how to easily cancel your HelloFresh account, offer tech-driven analysis on the booming meal kit industry, and suggest both alternatives to HelloFresh and strategies to downgrade instead of fully cancel.
Whether you‘re just looking to take a break from meal kits or switching to a new service, read on for detailed steps to cancel HelloFresh in minutes.
Why Meal Kits Are So Popular Now
The meal kit sector has absolutely exploded over the past half-decade thanks to several tech-fueled tailwinds:
1. The rise of ecommerce and food delivery apps. Platforms like Instacart, goPuff, and DoorDash have normalized consumers ordering groceries and meals online. Meal kit delivery taps into the same demand for convenience.
2. Big data analytics. Food tech companies leverage customer data to predict behaviors and customize offerings. HelloFresh R&D analyzes billions of data points to improve recipes and menus.
3. Smarter grocery and meal planning tools. Startups like Mealime and PlateJoy offer app-based meal planning integrated with online grocery delivery, threatening the traditional meal kit subscription model.
Meal kit services saw massive growth even through the pandemic, with some key stats:
- From 2016-2020, the global meal kit market expanded over 28% annually – nearly 10x faster than the food industry overall (Statista)
- Over 50% of customers who try a meal delivery kit service keep subscribing for over 6 months (Second Measure)
- In 2020, HelloFresh served over 274 million meal kits globally – a YoY increase of 107% (Forbes)
With millions of weekly deliveries and over $5 billion in annual revenue, HelloFresh now dominates 50% of the global meal kit industry.
But not every customer wants or needs an endless supply of HelloFresh boxes piling up on their doorstep. Next, let‘s look at why you may want to cancel.
Top 5 Reasons to Cancel HelloFresh
Meal kits situations and preferences change. Here are the most common triggers for canceling HelloFresh:
1. Financial Changes – Job losses or income drops motivated 29% of meal kit cancellations in 2020, according to Fast Company. Meal kits cost $10-12 per serving – more expensive than home cooking.
2. Burnout from Cooking – While quicker than total home cooking, HelloFresh still requires chopping, following recipes, and cleaning up – which led to burnout for some customers during COVID quarantines.
3. Recipe Repetition – HelloFresh claims "endless variety" but still recirculates many recipes. Customers tire of making the same meals over and over.
4. Changing Dietary Needs – Shifts to specialized diets like keto, paleo, vegetarian/vegan, or gluten-free are hard to accommodate with most mainstream meal kit plans.
5. Service Issues – Complaints around damaged ingredients, subscription management, or even hot weather melting ice packs can motivate cancellations.
No matter the reason you‘re quitting HelloFresh, the cancellation process itself is quick and painless.
Step-by-Step: How to Cancel HelloFresh
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Log into your HelloFresh account and click your name to access Account Settings.
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Select Plan Settings from the menu. View your subscription status, next bill date, delivery day, food preferences, etc.
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Scroll down and click the red Cancel Plan button. HelloFresh will immediately ask why you are canceling.
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Take the exit survey and give feedback on what drove your decision. This can help HelloFresh improve their offerings.
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On the final page, click Confirm Cancellation. Your account will instantly be closed and scheduled deliveries canceled.
Tip: Cancel at least 5 days before your billing date to avoid being charged for another delivery.
And done! Easy as that.
Now let‘s talk about alternatives to canceling completely that allow you to retain access if you ever want to resubscribe down the road.
Pause or Downgrade Your Plan
Instead of permanently closing your entire HelloFresh account right away, consider these temporary alternatives:
1. Pause Your Account
Rather than fully canceling, you may be able to temporarily pause your account for 4-8 weeks. This gives you a break without losing your membership pricing and preferences if you think you may want meal kits again soon.
Downside: HelloFresh does not offer an official pause feature yet, so this is a "hack" that sometimes works but isn‘t guaranteed.
2. Skip Individual Weeks
If you want more flexibility week-to-week, most customers are allowed to skip their upcoming delivery as long as you give 5+ days‘ notice. You won‘t get charged or sent a box for the weeks you skip.
3. Downsize Your Plan
Dropping down to just 2-3 meals per week (instead of 4+) cuts costs while still allowing you to enjoy HelloFresh when you want a break from meal planning. Tweaking your plan size or food preferences allows you to keep the membership.
What Sets Other Meal Kits Apart From HelloFresh
With over 150 active meal kit companies competing for your monthly subscription dollars, separating them can be tricky.
Beyond HelloFresh, here are a few of the largest and most popular alternatives:
Company | Unique Perks |
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Home Chef | Most recipe customization options |
Blue Apron | Signature wine pairings available |
Green Chef | Organic & special diet-friendly |
Sun Basket | Very flexible ordering |
Gobble | 15-min dinner guarantee |
Let‘s compare pros and cons:
Home Chef
With weekly menu choices and adjustable protein/sides, Home Chef arguably gives you the most control over your weekly meals. Substituting poultry, seafood, pork and veggies makes it perfect for picky families or fluctuating tastes.
Easy oven-ready recipes, generous portions, and fewer exotic ingredients also make Home Chef popular with beginner cooks and meal kit skeptics.
Downsides? Slightly more plastic packaging waste than competitors.
Green Chef
Vegetarians, vegans, paleo, keto – no matter your diet, Green Chef likely has a plan that aligns. Their meal kit menus offer better variety for specialized nutritional needs than HelloFresh‘s broader appeal.
Green Chef also spotlights organic, non-GMO, and sustainably sourced ingredients more than most. Cost falls on the higher end but so does food quality.
Sun Basket
For ultimate flexibility, Sun Basket has no weekly minimum or subscription required. Order any 2+ meals whenever fits your schedule. Sun Basket also stands out for fresh, organic produce and responsible packaging.
The biggest downside, beyond premium pricing, is potentially irregular deliveries depending on warehouse inventory and farmer supply for their ultra-fresh ingredients.
Gobble
In a hurry? Gobble positions itself as the fastest meal kit for busy families, guaranteeing dinner finished in 15 minutes. This means recipes have much fewer ingredients to prep and cook, like pre-chopped veggies.
Skeptics argue the simplified recipes sacrifice flavor and technique education you‘d get from a classic meal kit. But Gobble‘s speed and family-friendly themes keep customers coming back.
Beyond Meal Kits: Quick & Healthy Dinner Alternatives
While popular, meal kit subscriptions clearly aren‘t the perfect solution for every customer. Before committing to yet another food service, also consider alternatives like:
Prepared Meal Delivery
If convenience truly tops your priority list, prepared meal delivery startups like Factor_ and Freshly cook entrees for you then ship them fresh or frozen. Reheating takes minimal effort compared to following complex recipes like traditional meal kits require.
However, the cost per meal runs $11-$15 on average – a significant step up from DIY options.
Meal Planning Apps + Grocery Delivery
Combining digital meal plans powered by data analytics – see eMeals and Mealime – with grocery ordering/delivery providers like Instacart or Amazon Fresh also offers convenience without subscriptions or shopping hassles. This route just doesn‘t eliminate as much upfront work as fully prepped meal kits.
FAQs: Closing Your HelloFresh Account
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions around canceling HelloFresh for good:
How do I stop Get charges after canceling?
The only way to guarantee you won‘t get charged for another weekly delivery is to cancel at least 5 full days before your next auto-renewal date. You can find your upcoming charge date under Plan Settings or on your billing page. Cancel in time and you can dodge additional charges.
Can I reactivate my account later?
Fortunately canceling HelloFresh does NOT permanently delete your account. You can resume the same membership anytime by simply logging back in and reactivating it under Plan Settings. All preferences and order history remain intact for 12+ months typically. Rejoin hassle-free.
Are discounts available if I re-subscribe?
Yes – you‘ll still qualify for the same New Customer promotions and discounts even if you return after canceling previously. HelloFresh wants to incentivize cancellers to come back, so they often offer short term % discounts or free gifts to win back lapsed subscribers.
I‘m under an annual plan – can I get out of it?
Customers under prepaid Annual Plans generally cannot cancel early. However you can request pro-rated refunds for uneaten boxes or postponing deliveries until a specified restart date. Check under Plan Details for your remaining commitment term.
And those cover the most frequently asked questions around canceling and reactivating with HelloFresh!
Key Takeaways: Canceling HelloFresh Smoothly
While modern and convenient when life feels crazy, even the most popular meal kit subscription won‘t perfectly suit every customer forever.
Fortunately, HelloFresh makes it relatively painless to cancel or downgrade your plan if your needs change:
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Canceling only takes seconds via your online account dashboard
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You won‘t lose your member pricing if you reactivate the same account later
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Downgrading recipes per week or meal portions saves money without quitting completely
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Be sure to cancel 5+ days pre-renewal or you may be charged again
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Top competitors like Home Chef and Green Chef give useful alternatives to explore
With millions of active subscribers, HelloFresh dominates today‘s meal kit landscape. But the weekly deliveries and perpetual charges aren‘t indefinitely sustainable for most households. This guide outlined various exit strategies – from quick account cancellation to diet-specific competitors – to depart HelloFresh smoothly.
Hopefully these tips help you ditch the meal kit churn or find an alternative food delivery service tailored to your needs! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.