​Netflix to cancel inactive subscriptions ​

Netflix has been praised for its new policy of cancelling subscriptions that have been inactive for 12 months.

Eddy Wu from Netflix’s Product Innovation team announced the change in a blog post and wrote: “The last thing we want is people paying for something they’re not using.”

Anyone who is paying for Netflix but hasn’t used it in a year will receive an email or in app notification asking them if they want to keep their membership.

“If they don’t confirm that they want to keep subscribing, we’ll automatically cancel their subscription,” Wu wrote.

According to Netflix, inactive accounts represent less than half of one per cent of its overall member base.

“We’ve always thought it should be easy to sign up and to cancel,” Wu wrote. “So, as always, anyone who cancels their account and then rejoins within 10 months will still have their favourites, profiles, viewing preferences and account details just as they left them.

“In the meantime, we hope this new approach saves people some hard earned cash.”

The streaming giant has been applauded for its new policy on social media.

“This is a first. A company that wants to STOP taking your money for a subscription you are not using?!? Wow,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“Man, some people really like just to throw away money. Good guy Netflix,” another person wrote.