What started as a simple click to delete turned into a time-consuming battle with chatbots, customer service, and outdated systems—as well as a lesson in digital decluttering.
Last weekend, I tried to close a hotel rewards account I signed up for in 2008. I thought it’d be easy. After all, I could access the email account I used all those years ago, I had my membership number handy, and I’d recently logged into the account. I was all set for a quick digital decluttering session, but my progress stalled fast. That’s because it can be incredibly hard to close your online accounts, and for some companies, this kind of frustration is by design. We saw this recently when former New York Times readers won a settlement for unpaid refunds after cancellations. That’s why I’m going to tell you why you should close accounts you’re not using, and why you should check how to cancel an account before you even sign up. Why You Should Care About Forgotten Accounts
Think of your old accounts as if they’re a bunch of abandoned rooms in your online home. Sure, now they’re locked, but if your password gets posted to the dark web after a data breach, the hacker will have the key to your room. Once they get in, criminals can use all the personal information in your forgotten corner of the internet to identify you and access your current, important accounts, like your bank account or social media accounts. If you’re a fan of reusing passwords, when an old site gets breached, hackers can take your password and get into any new accounts you have. One exposed password could be the key that opens your entire castle to the outside world.
Anecdotally, hospitality rewards programs, newsletter subscriptions, and media publication subscriptions are the hardest services to cancel.
Old accounts can lead to online annoyances, too. For example, unused accounts and reward memberships may appear on call, email, and text message lists used by scammers and telemarketers. Closing these accounts could remove you from those lists, which may reduce spam and scam attempts in your inbox or on your phone.
Keeping track of fewer accounts reduces your digital footprint, so you have more control over your data. Keeping your data to yourself can reduce the number of scam and spam phone calls and text messages you receive, and can even prevent junk mailers from sending fake checks or political missives to your mailbox. If you know which apps and websites have your data, when one gets breached, you can contain the problem quickly, without worrying about future fallout.The Agonizing Art of Digital Decluttering
So let’s talk about my terrible experience with digital decluttering. As mentioned above, when I tried to close a longtime account with a popular hotel brand, it was far more difficult than I expected.
After a few minutes of clicking around the hotel’s website, I found the Frequently Asked Questions section, which provided the following options: Cancel my account by phone (absolutely not) or via the hotel website’s live chat window. I opened the chatbox window and typed, „I need to cancel my account.“
A friendly chatbot appeared and asked me for my name, phone number, and account email address. I provided that information. The chatbot then asked what I wanted to do.
„I would like to cancel my account“, I typed, hoping a form or a button would appear in the chat window to let me remove my data from the hotelier’s virtual clutches. The chatbot told me I’d need to speak to a live person, and asked me to wait a moment.
The easiest way to save yourself a headache when closing an account is to know what you’re getting into before you sign up.
After a couple of minutes, „Sandy“ joined the chat. They asked me, again, for an email address, name, and phone number to verify my identity. I provided the information. Sandy asked, „What can I help you with today?“ Again, I typed, „I would like to cancel my account.
