AOL Mail Plus is a paid email service that adds storage and removes ads from your AOL account

AOL Mail Plus costs $4.99 per month and gives you 250 GB of storage instead of the free 25 GB that comes with a standard AOL Mail account. The subscription also removes banner ads from your inbox and gives you priority customer support through phone and email. You can cancel at any time, and the charge appears on your credit card or debit card statement each month.

AOL Mail Plus is separate from AOL's other paid services. If you already pay for AOL Desktop Gold (which includes antivirus software and system utilities), you get 250 GB of storage included — you do not need Mail Plus on top of it. The subscription works on the web version of AOL Mail and on mobile apps.

Key Takeaways

  • AOL Mail Plus costs $4.99 per month and includes 250 GB of storage, ad-free email, and phone support.
  • The free AOL Mail account gives you 25 GB of storage; Mail Plus is the only way to get more storage without paying for AOL Desktop Gold.
  • You can start or stop the subscription from your AOL account settings at any time, and you will not be charged after you cancel.
  • The subscription is tied to your AOL account login, so you use the same email address and password you already have.

How to start an AOL Mail Plus subscription

Go to mail.aol.com and sign in with your AOL email address and password. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select "Settings." In the left menu, look for "Subscriptions" or "Billing." You will see an option to upgrade to Mail Plus. Click it, review the $4.99 monthly charge, and enter your payment method (credit card or debit card). The subscription starts immediately.

If you do not see the subscription option in Settings, try going directly to aol.com/mail-plus. You can also call AOL customer support at 1-800-358-4860 to start a subscription over the phone. They will ask for your payment information and confirm your billing address.

What storage means and whether you need it

Storage is the amount of space AOL gives you to keep emails, attachments, and folders. The free AOL Mail account includes 25 GB. Most people who send and receive regular emails — even with photos and documents attached — use far less than 25 GB in a year. You hit the limit only if you keep years of emails with large files or if you receive many emails with video attachments.

If you are close to your storage limit, AOL will send you a warning email. You can delete old messages to free up space without paying for Mail Plus. However, if you want to keep everything and do not want to manage storage, Mail Plus gives you 250 GB, which is enough for most people for several years.

How to cancel AOL Mail Plus

Sign in to mail.aol.com, click the gear icon, and go to Settings. Find "Subscriptions" or "Billing" in the left menu and look for your active Mail Plus subscription. Click "Cancel" or "Manage Subscription." AOL will ask you to confirm the cancellation. Once you confirm, the subscription stops and you will not be charged again.

The cancellation takes effect immediately. Your email account stays active and free, but your storage drops back to 25 GB. If you are over 25 GB when you cancel, you will not lose emails, but you will not be able to receive new mail until you delete enough to get under the limit. You can restart Mail Plus at any time by going back to the same Settings menu.

Payment and billing details

AOL charges $4.99 per month to the credit card or debit card you provide when you sign up. The charge appears on your statement as "AOL" or "AOL Mail Plus." The billing date is the same day each month — if you start on the 15th, you are charged on the 15th of every month. If a month has fewer days, the charge happens on the last day of that month.

If your card is declined, AOL will try to charge it again a few days later. If it fails a second time, your subscription pauses and you lose access to the extra storage until you update your payment method. You can add a new card in your Settings under "Billing" or "Payment Methods."

AOL Mail Plus versus AOL Desktop Gold

AOL Desktop Gold is a separate paid product that costs $9.99 per month and includes antivirus software, system utilities, and 250 GB of email storage. If you already pay for Desktop Gold, you do not need Mail Plus — you already have the storage and ad-free email. If you only want more email storage and do not need antivirus or system tools, Mail Plus is cheaper at $4.99 per month.

Some people use both services, but that is redundant. If you have Desktop Gold and are thinking about adding Mail Plus, cancel Mail Plus first because you already have what it offers. If you have Mail Plus and want antivirus protection, you would switch to Desktop Gold instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AOL Mail Plus on my phone?

Yes. The extra storage and ad-free email work on the AOL Mail app for iPhone and Android, and on the web version at mail.aol.com. You sign in with the same email address and password you use on a computer. The subscription is tied to your account, not to a specific device.

What happens to my emails if I cancel Mail Plus?

Your emails stay in your account. Your storage drops back to 25 GB, so if you are using more than that, you cannot receive new mail until you delete old messages. Existing emails do not disappear — they are just inaccessible until you make room. You can restart Mail Plus anytime to regain access to all of them.

Is there a free trial for AOL Mail Plus?

AOL does not offer a free trial for Mail Plus. You pay $4.99 for the first month. However, you can cancel within a few days if you decide you do not want it, and you may be able to get a refund for that first month if you contact customer support quickly.

Can I change my payment method?

Yes. Sign in to mail.aol.com, go to Settings, and look for "Billing" or "Payment Methods." You can add a new credit card or debit card and remove the old one. Changes take effect immediately, and your next monthly charge uses the new card.

Does Mail Plus include a custom email address?

No. Mail Plus does not give you a new email address or let you create a custom one. You keep your existing AOL email address. If you want a different address, you would need to create a new AOL account, which is free but separate from your current one.