Q. I subscribed to the NFL Sunday Ticket this season on DIRECTV for the first time in a few years, but I am wondering if I need to cancel after the season to make sure I don’t get charged next year. That has happened to me before. What’s the procedure here? — Hank, Toledo, Ohio.
Hank, I can understand your concern. In past seasons, some Sunday Ticket subscribers have complained that DIRECTV renewed their subscriptions without their permission, triggering a sizable increase to their monthly bill come the next NFL season.
Of course, they actually had given their okay for the renewal because DIRECTV had included in the fine print that every Sunday Ticket subscription would be automatically renewed unless the customer called to cancel prior to the next season.
That didn’t mean the subscribers had to pay the next season, but they often had to call (sometimes more than once) DIRECTV’s customer help team to resolve the problem. (I was one of many who went through this experience and it was no fun, let me tell you.)
However, you will be glad to know that DIRECTV this year included new terms in the fine print that says “NFL Sunday Ticket will not automatically renew.” That means that you will have to manually renew your Sunday Ticket subscription for the next season, if you so desire.
This is in contrast to what the terms said in previous seasons, such as 2019:
“Your NFL Sunday Ticket package is automatically set to auto-renew for the 2019 NFL season at the end of July. You have the option to opt-out of the auto-renewal process.”
So, Hank, you have nothing to worry about. Your bill won’t suddenly take on a bigger monthly payment next summer when the Sunday Ticket subscription process begins anew.
Hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
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— Phillip Swann
