How to delete your Ashley Madison account, and what stays behind

01Deactivate or delete: pick the right button

Ashley Madison’s terms give you two options, both in your account settings on the website. They do very different things.

If you’re leaving for good, or after a scare: delete, don’t just deactivate.

02Step 1: stop any subscription

Ashley Madison runs mostly on credits, but some memberships are subscriptions, and those renew automatically. Deal with that first.

On the website, open Settings, then Purchases, scroll to Active Subscriptions and deactivate the one you don’t want renewed. You can also email customer support.

• Paid on an iPhone: Settings, tap your name, Subscriptions, choose Ashley Madison, then Cancel Subscription.
• Paid on Android: open your Google Play subscriptions, tap the subscription, then Cancel subscription.
• Deleting the app cancels nothing. Google says so in plain words.

03Step 2: your credits, now or never

Unused credits expire immediately when you delete your account, and nothing in the terms promises a refund. If you still have some, decide before you click: use them, or accept losing them.

Accounts inactive for 12 months are also deleted automatically and lose their credits, unless there’s an active membership. Waiting won’t get anything back.

04Step 3: clean up, then delete

Before deleting, remove the most sensitive things yourself. It’s a simple precaution, given the site’s history.

• Delete your photos, public and private, and revoke any private access you’ve granted.
• Clear your profile text and any details you can edit.
• Write down your last purchase date and the billing name (“AMDA,” per the App Store listing) so you can watch your statement.
• Log in on the website, not the app, since some settings aren’t available there. Open your account settings, choose Delete and confirm.

05Step 4: send a data erasure request

The terms say you can file a data erasure request under the privacy policy to speed up deletion. Send it through the channel the privacy policy lists, from the email address on your account, and keep a copy.

EU residents have a legal right to erasure under the GDPR. In the US, some state privacy laws, such as California’s, may also give you a right to request deletion. Here’s a template to adapt.

Subject: Data erasure request. Hello, I deleted the Ashley Madison account linked to this email address on [date]. Please erase all of my personal information, including usage history, and confirm in writing once it’s done. Name: [name], country: United States.

06Why not just trust the button

In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that the operators at the time charged $19 for a “Full Delete” service that didn’t actually delete everything. The company has since changed its name and leadership, and its current terms describe deletion from your settings.

There’s no sign the problem persists. But a written erasure request costs nothing and leaves you a record: it’s the safest way out.

07Step 5: watch your statement

For the next two billing cycles, check that no new charge appears. If one shows up after you canceled, contact customer support with your proof first. If that goes nowhere, your card issuer can explain how to dispute it.