Cancellation survey questions for customers who just canceled
Ten questions a customer answers in about three minutes, sent the moment their cancellation is confirmed.
- 10questions
- About 3 minto complete
- 1optional comment box
- No nameor email asked
The 10 cancellation survey questions
A cancellation survey asks a customer who has just canceled a subscription why they left and what would have kept them. These ten take about three minutes: one optional box in their own words, then nine taps. A free survey builder opens them ready to reword for your product.
Why they left
The open box comes first. In a Pew test, 43 percent of people asked an open question gave an answer the closed list did not offer.[1]
- In your own words, why did you cancel your subscription?reasons in the customer's own words, before any list shaped them.
- Which of these comes closest to your main reason for canceling?the main reason; turn on Randomize option order.
Their time with you
Set these three beside question 2. To find the stage where current customers start to drift, send a customer experience survey.
- How long did you have your subscription before you canceled?new customers apart from long-standing ones; split the rest by it.
- When did you decide to cancel?the gap between the decision and the cancel click.
- What was happening at the time you decided?the trigger, kept apart from the main reason.
What could have kept them
When price tops question 2, test it with current customers using the price survey questions. When support does, send a customer service survey after each ticket.
- Before you canceled, had you told us about a problem?problems you heard about, apart from problems you never saw.
- What, if anything, would have kept you?the one fix most likely to have kept them.
- Where have you gone instead?
The way back
Two closing taps: who might return, and how the cancellation felt.
- Would you consider coming back?your win-back list, sorted into three groups.
- How easy was it to cancel?the last part of your product this customer used.
Sending it and reading the answers
Put the link in the email that confirms the cancellation, and send one reminder a week later. Customers whose card expired or whose renewal lapsed never click cancel, so send them their own copy and read the two sets apart. Former customers answer without a name or email.
Read the written answers before any chart. Then count question 2 and split it by question 3: the same reason after one month and after two years calls for different fixes. For customers who have not left, a brand loyalty survey shows who is thinking of switching.
Cancellation survey FAQ
What questions should a cancellation survey ask?
Start with why they canceled, in their own words, then the main reason from a list. Add how long they were a customer, when they decided, what would have kept them, where they went and whether they would come back.
Is a cancellation survey the same as a churn survey?
Yes. Churn survey, customer exit survey and cancellation survey all name a short set of questions for a customer who has just left. These ten work under any of the three names.
Can I use it for a canceled membership or service?
Yes. Swap "subscription" in questions 1 and 3 for membership, plan or service, and the rest work as they are. To hear from members who are still on the roster, send the membership survey questions.
Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 26 September 2026 · How templates are reviewed
Sources (1)
- Pew Research Center. "Writing Survey Questions." pewresearch.org
Hear from customers the day they cancel
Ten questions, about three minutes, sent with the email that confirms the cancellation.
Use this template