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What to Do About an Unknown Recurring Charge

Identify a repeating card or bank charge before deciding whether it is legitimate or fraudulent.

Quick Answer

Search receipts and subscription accounts for the exact merchant descriptor, then contact the merchant or card issuer through known official channels.

Step by Step

  1. Sign in through the service's official website or app rather than a link in an unexpected message.
  2. Search receipts and subscription accounts for the exact merchant descriptor, then contact the merchant or card issuer through known official channels.
  3. Read any effective date, renewal date, refund rule, or data-deletion warning before confirming.
  4. Save a confirmation email, receipt, or screenshot for important cancellations or account changes.

If That Doesn't Work

  • A subscription may be billed by Apple, Google, PayPal, a card processor, or the service itself, so the place you use the product may not be the place that controls billing.
  • Do not dispute a legitimate charge as fraud until you have checked whether it belongs to another account, family member, free-trial conversion, or recognizable merchant billing name.