General Information & Management

How do I manage my subscription and account information?

Signing in to My Account allows you to:

• Update your mailing address

• Change your payment method

• Cancel your subscription/trial

• Renew your subscription

• Manage your gift subscription

• Change the email address associated with your subscription

When will I get my first print issue?

Delivery time depends on location. Please refer to the table below.

How do I find my account number?

Print subscribers can find their account number on the address label of their issues. It is five to eight digits long and does not include any leading zeros. 

Please see a sample account number highlighted below.

If you do not have an issue handy or are a digital-only subscriber, please email us for assistance.

How do I connect my subscription to my online account?

If you have a subscription and haven’t yet activated your digital access, please go here.

How do I cancel my subscription or trial?

Cancel your subscription at any time by logging in to My Account and navigating to the Library tab.

Then toggle the Auto-Renew button off.

A blue text box that reads “Auto-renew canceled” should pop up upon successfully toggling off auto-renew.

If you would like to cancel immediately and receive a prorated refund, please email us.

If you do not have a login on scientificamerican.com, please go here and enter the relevant information.

Then navigate to “Cancel My Subscription” in the sidebar, where you can request a cancellation.

How do I update my mailing address?

You can update your mailing address by signing in to My Account and navigating to the Library tab. 

There you will see either a gray Manage button or a green Manage Subscription button. Please click on whichever is applicable.

For subscribers with a gray Manage button, an option to update your delivery address will appear in the dropdown.

Clicking “Update delivery address” will prompt you to enter a new delivery address.

Subscribers with a green Manage Subscription button will be taken to a separate web page.

Please enter the relevant information, and you will be taken to another page.

Then navigate to “Change Mailing Address” in the sidebar, where you can enter your new address.

How do I update my payment method or billing information?

You can update your billing information by signing in to My Account and navigating to the Payment methods tab. 

Please enter the relevant information.  

If you do not see any payment method listed, please navigate to the Library tab and click the green Manage Subscription button. You will be taken to a separate web page.

Please enter the relevant information, and you will be taken to another page.

Then navigate to “Change Credit Card” in the sidebar, where you can enter your new information.

How do I update my email address?

You can update your email address by signing in to My Account and navigating to the Profile tab. 

There you will see a text box with your current email that you can edit accordingly. Please click the Save changes button to finalize your new email address. 

If you do not have a login on our website, please go here and enter the relevant information. 

Then click “Update Email Address & Preferences” and add your information accordingly.

As an Unlimited subscriber, how do I give my complimentary digital subscription to a recipient?

Please note that the following instructions are only for Unlimited subscribers who did not already send a digital voucher during the purchase process. 

You can give your complimentary digital subscription by signing in to My Account and navigating to the Library tab.

There you can click on the Manage dropdown and then “Manage shared accounts.”

Please enter your recipient’s information and ensure that their online account email matches the entered email address. Click “Save” when done.

Upon successfully giving a complimentary digital subscription, your voucher tab will look as follows.

If you do not see an option to give a complimentary digital subscription and have not already named a recipient during the purchase process, please email us for help.

What forms of payment are accepted?

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit and debit cards. 

Print subscribers may pay by check or money drawn in USD. For information about paying by check, please email us.

Can I buy subscriptions over the phone?

For a faster purchase experience, please go here to order a subscription online. 

Alternatively, please call 800-333-1199 to purchase a subscription for yourself or as a gift. 

International customers can call 001-515-248-7684.

Gift Subscriptions

How do I give a subscription?

You can purchase a gift subscription here.

Please note that when you purchase a gift subscription, a voucher is sent to your recipient’s email. Your recipient will then enter their preferred mailing address into the voucher themselves.

How do I activate my gift subscription?

When a gift subscription is purchased, an email with the information needed to activate the subscription is sent to the gift recipient. 

If you didn't receive an email, please email us for help.

International Inquiries

Do print subscriptions ship internationally?

Yes! Scientific American delivers to most countries. Please select a print subscription from here to see the pricing for delivery. 

Can I get a subscription in another language?

We have several partners that republish our content in other languages. They are published and sold independently of Scientific American. Please click here to see the list of international editions.