Charged after you cancelled? What to do

Quick answer

Our suggestion: first check that the charge isn't the last payment for a billing period, or a second plan you forgot. Then write to the company with your cancellation proof.

If the company won't fix it, or is slow to reply, how you pay decides your next step. If more payments are due from your bank account, don't wait for the company: the CFPB says to tell your bank right away (see below).

• Paid from a bank account or debit card? The CFPB says that once you've told both your bank and the company that you've revoked authorization, "any additional payments initiated by that company would be errors, and you can contact your bank for a refund."
• Paid by credit card? The CFPB says to "call the card company and let them know about the problem right away." Regulation Z sets a 60-day window for written billing-error notices (see "Credit card" below). The FTC and the OCC's HelpWithMyBank.gov both give guidance on disputing charges after you cancel (quoted below).

Our suggestion: watch the dates. Regulation E and Regulation Z both count 60 days from when the statement was sent, not from the day you spot the charge.

Steps

1. Check it isn't the last billing period or a second plan. Our suggestion: look at your cancellation confirmation and your account, since a company may bill a final period or bill each plan separately. For company-specific steps, see our company playbooks.
2. Write to the company, with your proof. The CFPB's refund page says: "First, reach out to the company that sold the product or service to you." That's the CFPB's suggestion. Our suggestion: don't let a slow reply from the company use up your 60 days. Send it in writing, attach your cancellation confirmation, and keep a copy. Use the first message below.
3. Paid from a bank account or debit card? Go to "Bank account or debit card" below.
4. Paid by credit card? Go to "Credit card" below.
5. Keep a dated record. The CFPB's credit card page says: "Keep a copy of your letter as proof that you wrote to the credit card company." Our suggestion: do the same for every message to the company and your bank, and note the date each one was sent.

What to write to the company

Copy message

Why this wording: it gives the dates, amount and proof, and asks for a written answer. It makes no legal claims and assumes nothing about the result.

Bank account or debit card

• Revoke authorization with both the company and your bank. The CFPB says: "After you contact your bank and the company to clarify that you have revoked authorization from the company, any additional payments initiated by that company would be errors, and you can contact your bank for a refund."
• Cancel the contract too. The CFPB says: "To cancel an ongoing contract for a service, like cable or a gym, be sure to cancel your contract with the company as well as telling it to stop automatic payments."
• Tell your bank fast. The CFPB says: "Tell your bank or credit union right away if you see a payment that you did not allow or a payment that was made after you revoked authorization."
• The 60-day window. Regulation E (12 CFR 1005.11) says the bank must hear from you no later than 60 days after it sends the statement that first shows the problem. The rule says your notice can be oral or written. It also says the bank "may require the consumer to give written confirmation of an error within 10 business days of an oral notice."
• How long the bank has. Regulation E says the bank generally has 10 business days to investigate. It can take up to 45 days if it provisionally credits your account within 10 business days. Some transactions get 90 days instead of 45, such as point-of-sale debit card transactions. The rule also lists exceptions to provisional credit.
• Stopping the next payment. Regulation E (12 CFR 1005.10(c)) says you can stop a preauthorized transfer by telling your bank, orally or in writing, at least three business days before it's scheduled. The rule says the bank may ask for written confirmation within 14 days, and an oral stop-payment order "ceases to be binding after 14 days" without it.
• The FTC's advice. The FTC also advises disputing with your debit card company (quoted under Credit card).
• Fees. The CFPB says: "Banks and credit unions generally charge fees for stop payment orders." Our suggestion: ask your bank about any fee before you place the order.

What to write to your bank

Copy message

Why this wording: it shows you revoked authorization with the company and the bank, as the CFPB describes. It asks for an investigation and a written answer, and makes no legal claims.

Credit card

• Tell your card issuer quickly, then write. The CFPB says: "To dispute a charge on your credit card bill, you should call the card company and let them know about the problem right away." A phone call alone isn't a written billing-error notice under Regulation Z; see the next point.
• If you believe the charge is a billing error, write within 60 days. Under the federal billing-error rule (Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13), a written billing-error notice must reach the card issuer, at the address it gives for this, no later than 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the charge. The rule doesn't say whether a charge made after you cancel counts as a billing error, so ask your card issuer. Our suggestion: if you're not sure, send your written notice inside the 60 days anyway, so you don't miss the window while you wait for an answer.
• Use the right address. The CFPB says: "The address for billing disputes may be different from the address where you send your payments." Our suggestion: check your statement or your issuer's website for the disputes address.
• If your notice is a billing-error notice under the rule: Regulation Z says the issuer must acknowledge it in writing within 30 days (unless it resolves it sooner), and resolve it within two complete billing cycles, and in no event later than 90 days.
• What the rule doesn't say. As of Oct 17, 2026, the billing-error rule (12 CFR 1026.13) and its official commentary on what counts as a billing error don't mention cancellations, subscriptions or recurring charges. Our suggestion: ask your card issuer how it handles a charge made after you cancelled.

What federal agencies advise

Our suggestion: read these as consumer guidance from the agencies, not as regulations.

• The FTC says: "Check for charges on your debit or credit card after you canceled the subscription. If a company charged you extra or won’t stop charging your account after you told them to cancel your subscription, file a dispute for chargeback with your credit or debit card." It also says: "To protect any rights you might have, follow up in writing by sending a letter to the address listed for billing disputes or errors." (FTC, Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions, checked Oct 17, 2026)
• HelpWithMyBank.gov (OCC) says, for a merchant that keeps charging a credit card after a free trial was cancelled: "First, write to the merchant, directing them to stop the charges. Second, notify your bank in writing about any charges that you feel were in error. (Use the billing error instructions, which should appear on the back of your credit card statement. This address is usually different from where you send your payment.) The bank must receive your notice of a billing error within 60 days of its having sent you the first monthly statement containing the unauthorized charges." (OCC, HelpWithMyBank.gov: I canceled after the free trial period, but I keep getting charged, last reviewed April 2021, checked Oct 17, 2026) (HelpWithMyBank.gov answers are written for banks the OCC regulates.)

Our suggestion: follow your own card issuer's dispute steps too.

What to write to your card issuer

Copy message

Why this wording: it gives your name, account, the charge date and amount, and your reasons. Regulation Z also asks a billing-error notice to say you believe there's a billing error; use the optional line if you do. It assumes nothing about the result.