To cancel your AMA membership, send a written request to the American Medical Association Member Service Center at membership@ama-assn.org, and do it before December 1 if you want to stop the next year’s automatic renewal charge. A phone call to 800-262-3211 works for questions and immediate confirmation, but the AMA’s auto-renewal terms require cancellation “in writing,” so email or a mailed letter is what actually stops the charge.
Where to Send the Request
The Member Service Center takes calls Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM Central Time, at 800-262-3211. Calling is useful for confirming that your account has been located and your request logged. It is not, on its own, enough. If you cancel by phone, follow up with a short email to membership@ama-assn.org that references the call, the date, and the representative’s name. That email is your proof if a charge shows up later.
The AMA runs an account portal at account.ama-assn.org for viewing status and updating contact information, but the published terms direct members to cancel in writing rather than through a self-service button. Clicking around in your settings won’t end the membership.
What to Put in the Email
Keep it short. Include your full name, the email or mailing address on file, a clear statement that you want to cancel your membership, and whether you’re also requesting a refund. If you’re canceling specifically to stop the upcoming auto-renewal, say so in plain terms.
The AMA no longer issues membership ID cards or requires a member ID to identify your account. Your name and the email address tied to your membership are usually enough. If you happen to have an old member number, adding it doesn’t hurt, but don’t delay the request looking for one.
The December 1 Deadline
The AMA membership cycle runs on the calendar year, and auto-renewal members are charged on or around January 1. A reminder notice goes out around November 1. To avoid being charged for the next year, your written cancellation must reach the AMA by December 1.1American Medical Association. AMA Membership Dues
The same December 1 cutoff applies if you pay in monthly installments. Installment payments run through December 31, and without a written cancellation by December 1, the AMA starts charging one-twelfth of the next year’s dues in January.1American Medical Association. AMA Membership Dues
Missing December 1 doesn’t lock you in for the year. It just means you’ll be charged first and will need to pursue a refund.
Getting a Refund
How much you get back depends entirely on when you ask.
- Within 30 days of activation: full refund.
- After 30 days: prorated refund for the remaining months in the calendar year.
- After September 30: no refund for the current membership year.1American Medical Association. AMA Membership Dues
If you’re canceling mid-year, do it early. A physician paying the $420 regular practice rate who cancels in March recovers a meaningful prorated amount; the same request in October returns nothing. The refund has to be requested in writing, so put the refund request in the same email as the cancellation.
If you missed the December 1 deadline and got charged in January, the 30-day full refund window is the tool to use. A prompt written request in January should reverse the charge in full.1American Medical Association. AMA Membership Dues
Residents and students on multi-year memberships fall under the same refund rules, but the prorated amount is calculated on what you actually paid, not the single-year rate.
What Ends When Your Membership Ends
Before sending the request, check what you’re giving up. The biggest one for most members is unlimited online and mobile access to the JAMA Network journals, along with the print subscription to JAMA. If you use these for clinical reference or CME, line up separate access before you cancel.
Cancellation also ends AMA advocacy representation, access to practice management resources, eligibility for AMA-affiliated insurance programs, and member pricing on continuing medical education. If your employer reimburses your dues, confirm how cancellation affects that arrangement before you send the email.