How to dispute subscription and membership charges
Subscriptions are easy to start and hard to stop. If you were charged after cancelling, or renewed without a clear notice, you have good grounds to ask for the money back.
Prove you cancelled
Look for a cancellation confirmation email, a confirmation number, a screenshot, or notes of a call with the date and the agent's name. If you cannot find proof, write down when and how you tried to cancel.
Renewals you did not expect
For online subscriptions, sellers generally must clearly disclose the terms, get your consent to the charge, and give a simple way to cancel. Check what you saw at sign-up. If the renewal terms were hidden, or the cancel path was hard, say so.
Add-ons and fees
Look for premium add-ons, convenience fees and price increases you did not agree to. Compare your first receipt with the latest one.
Stop future charges now
Cancel in writing, keep the proof, and consider asking your card company to block the merchant if charges continue.
What to put in your letter
- Your account email and the date you cancelled.
- Each charge after that date with its amount.
- Your proof of cancellation.
- What you want: a refund of those charges and confirmation that the account is closed.
If they say no
Dispute the charges with your card company, within its time limit. You can also complain to your state attorney general's consumer office and the Federal Trade Commission.
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Fight That Fee reads your bill, writes your dispute letter, and tells you who to send it to and what to do next. $9.99 to start. Follow-up letters are $2.