How to Cancel a Subscription That Keeps Billing You

The cancellation went through, or seemed to, and another charge landed the following month. Usually one of two things is true: the subscription was bought through an app store, so the cancel button inside the app never touched the billing, or the cancellation was never recorded and there is no proof it happened. Both are fixable, and both start with evidence.

Cancel in the account and capture the proof

Sign in on the company's own website rather than the app, find the billing or membership page, and cancel there. The FTC's page on free trials and auto renewals says to follow the company's cancellation instructions, keep a copy of the cancellation request along with notes about any conversations, and then watch the statements for charges after the cancellation. Screenshot the confirmation screen and keep the confirmation email with its timestamp.

Cancel through Apple or Google if the purchase went through them

Apple's page on canceling a subscription gives the path on an iPhone or iPad as Settings, your name, Subscriptions, the subscription, then Cancel Subscription, and on a Mac through the App Store app under Account Settings. It says a free or discounted trial should be canceled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, and that when there is no Cancel button or an expiration message appears in red, the subscription is already canceled. Google's page on canceling a Google Play subscription gives the path through subscriptions in Google Play, warns that uninstalling the app does not cancel the subscription, and says access continues for the time already paid for.

Tell the company to stop, then tell the bank

These are two different acts. The CFPB's answer on stopping automatic payments describes calling and writing the company to revoke permission, then calling and writing the bank or credit union to say the authorization has been revoked, and notes that a bank may also recommend a stop payment order, for which banks generally charge a fee. It links sample letters for the company, the bank, and the stop payment order. A separate CFPB answer on stopping electronic withdrawals says a stop payment order should reach the bank at least three business days before the scheduled payment, and that when a bank asks for the order in writing after a phone call, the written version should follow within 14 days.

Dispute the charges that already posted

The FTC's alert on trying to cancel a service and failing says to file a dispute, also called a chargeback, with the credit or debit card online or by phone, and to follow up in writing to the address listed for billing disputes or errors, sent by certified mail with a return receipt.

If it keeps happening after all of that. The FTC's contact page directs reports about fraud, scams, and bad business practices to ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and the FTC alert also names a state attorney general. As of September 2026 the CFPB complaint form is live for problems with the bank or card issuer.

Sources. FTC, free trials and auto renewals, FTC, canceling a service, Apple subscriptions, Google Play subscriptions, CFPB, stop automatic payments, CFPB, stop electronic withdrawals, FTC contact page, CFPB complaint form.