How do I make sure a subscription is canceled?

See the following from How to cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support

If you don’t see Cancel, the subscription is already canceled and won't renew.

and

If you cancel a paid subscription, you can keep using the subscription until the next billing date.

Another indication is that it will have wording in fine print similar to "Expires on [date]" rather than "Renews on [date]."