Ultimate Guide for Managing Recurring Charges / Subscriptions

You’re probably in a tight-spot with a subscription charge or simply want to learn more about unwanted recurring charges and how to avoid them. Perhaps, you've even checked your account statement and noticed a recurring payment you don’t remember entering into or recognize. It can happen to anyone — you’re not alone.

We’ve all often agreed to recurring charges or subscriptions — sometimes intentionally because they make life so much easier, and other times without realising it. These are usually quick to do and can be quite a handful to track/remember. Merchants make it easy to sign up — these charges can often continue after you no longer need them due to forgetting to unsubscribe, or because it's difficult to cancel.

Before agreeing to a subscription or a purchase

Endeavour to do these before you make a purchase:

• Check the merchant’s terms and conditions / cancellation and refund policies: Merchants might not specify on the billing page that a first time purchase or card verification will trigger recurring charges or that your trial will auto-renew into paid/full subscriptions. So pause — check through their terms and conditions before entering your card details. Remember that the terms and conditions are your contract with the merchant, and you should both honour it. Pro tip: check for keywords that might suggest recurring charges, and know their cancellation/refund policies ahead of time, in case something goes wrong.

• Check out the merchant’s reliability before entering your card details: As cumbersome as it may seem, it only requires a few seconds to do. You should seek to find out more about the merchant you’d be entrusting your card details with prior to giving them your card information, not after charges have been made. Online trust ratings aren’t always accurate, but they can help you to make better/informed decisions. Websites that can help you with these are: ScamAdviser & Trustpilot

• Think about the offer and whether they’re too good to be true: People often enter into subscriptions without doing due diligence first because they saw an offer that they couldn’t resist. For instance, online dating or adult content websites use discreet billing and might charge you under a different merchant name. Sometimes, you might have seen an offer through a link asking you to verify yourself through entering your card details without any mention of charges, and find that you’ve been subscribed to something. Don’t fall for phishing attempts claiming that you need to enter your card details for a parcel delivery, among others. Free/discounted trials often auto-renew and become (fully) paid subscriptions at the end of the trial period e.g. third party ticketing websites like Opodo, Edreams etc. Some of the most common types of subscriptions are addressed already in our FAQ page.

How to avoid unwanted recurring charges

There are further precautionary measures that you could also take:

• Using our digital cards: They’re free to get, cancel and replace. You can avoid unwanted charges that may occur by proactively replacing the digital card in just a few clicks. More information on this page.

• Cancelling subscriptions before the trial ends: Many merchants automatically charge your card after the trial period ends — be proactive and cancel the service if you no longer need or want it.

• Keeping track of your subscriptions: Make a list of all the subscription services you’re currently using and their billing cycles, or set reminders. You can stay on top of your payments and cancel when no longer needed, ahead of the next billing cycle. Some of your subscriptions might be billed through Apple App Store or Google Play, so you could also check what subscription services are being billed there and cancel your subscriptions.

• Reviewing your billing statements: Make a habit of regularly reviewing your billing statements. Sometimes you might not recognize a charge because you didn’t recognize the merchant’s name on your statement. Checking your statement regularly while you’re still somewhat aware of what the charges on your account are for, is important.

How to resolve an issue with recurring charges

You’ve done your best to be careful, but there are still some unwanted recurring charges that you don’t remember entering into, no longer need or want, or simply forgot to cancel. Some tips/strategies to resolving these are:

• Contacting the merchant: You might not recognize a charge, but it’s possible that the payment is legitimate and you simply forgot about it or didn’t recognize the merchant’s name on your statement. Contacting the merchant can help you identify the source of payment and whether it’s authorised or not.

• Cancelling the recurring payment or subscription: If the recurring payment is for a subscription you no longer need or want, you can cancel them with the merchant via the merchant’s website or contacting their customer service department. Make sure you’re cancelling before the next billing cycle to avoid additional charges.

• Disputing the charge with your card issuer: If you’re unable to resolve the issue with the merchant and believe the charge to be unauthorised, the next step is to dispute it with us through our dispute form. Make sure to add a copy of your communication with the merchant and their terms and conditions. You should also dispute such subscriptions if you’ve cancelled prior to the charge, and send over a dated cancellation confirmation notice.

In conclusion, unwanted recurring card charges can be confusing and frustrating, but you should be alright if you take necessary precautions. Our lovely customer support team is always here to help you and to answer your questions regarding your account and transactions.