Cancelling Blockbuster online - when/how is best?
 

After comparing Netflix and Blockbuster online rental services recently, I've decided I want to stay with Netflix for the time being.

How many days in advance of the next billing date do I need to cancel Blockbuster online to make sure they don't bill me for the next month and then stop the rental service immediately?

I called Blockbuster's toll free number where the rep said I could cancel up until the day before, but I thought I read somewhere it takes a few days to be processed. This rep also said it doesn't matter when I cancel during the month because they would keep sending rentals until the next billing date instead of stopping immediately when I cancel. In other words, he said nobody loses any rental days when you cancel membership - which is quite different than what I remember reading in their online agreement where it said they don't refund any unused portion of the month when you cancel.

Could someone with experience cancelling Blockbuster online describe how the cancellation works and the best time to cancel to avoid getting charged for the next month while losing as few rental days as possible?

Blockbuster's online help pretty much says you can cancel online any time and then movies are due within 10 days, but it doesn't really give any other details I need. Thanks.

I've found cancelling depends on how the movies being shipped work out. I had 3 titles coming in the mail and 5 days to go in the membership so I figured there's no way I can sqeek out any more rentals so I just cancelled 5 days early.

I was hoping to find out the fewest days in advance I could wait before cancelling. I have about a week left until the billing date, and I want to know if I can wait to cancel until 1 or 2 business days before the billing date in hopes that they'll be able to ship out more movies between now and then. That would make it Thursday or Friday I'd need to cancel. Will that work or is that not giving them enough time?

You can cancel the evening before you are set for renewal. At least that was the case in August. The change is immediate.

You then have a month (I think) to return the discs.

Correct. I just did this last month.

same here!

That's good to know you can wait until the last day to cancel. I'll probably do it on Friday then.

Does anyone know what happens if you cancel Blockbuster a week early? Do they keep sending you stuff until you hit your billing date or do they stop sending you anything else the moment you cancel even if you paid for 4 weeks and cancel 1 week early?

I expect the latter (which is the opposite of what the Blockbuster rep told me), so I'm curious to know.

If I remember correctly, the cancellation is immediate, so you won't be getting any more discs even if you had a week left.