Charged After Cancelling a Subscription? How to Get Your Money Back in Australia

If a business charged you after you cancelled, ask it in writing for the money back, then ask your bank to reverse the charge (a chargeback) if it refuses or goes quiet. Visa's guidance tells merchants they are "prohibited from billing the Visa account after a cancellation request has been received", and the Banking Code of Practice extends your chargeback rights to recurring payments. Start with proof of your cancellation date and your bank's time limit: AFCA can't make a bank pursue a chargeback you raised after the card scheme's deadline.

1. Gather proof that you cancelled

Your claim rests on two dates: the day you cancelled and the day of each charge after it. Collect:

• the cancellation confirmation email, screenshot or reference number (search your inbox and junk folder for the business name and "cancel")
• any chat transcript, or the date, time and staff name of a phone call
• the statement line for every charge after the cancellation date

With no confirmation, write down what you did and when, and say so in your request.

Your statement also shows which other businesses kept charging after you left. Run a free scan on a PDF, CSV or Excel export and SubTracker lists every recurring charge on it, with no bank login.

2. Ask the business for a refund in writing

Contact the business before you dispute. CommBank says that for a transaction you originally authorised, "if you skip this step, we may not be able to help you", and Westpac and NAB give the same advice.

The ACCC recommends a written complaint so you have a record: the problem, the outcome you want, the key dates, what you've already done, a request for a response within a reasonable time, and copies of your documents. An email like this covers it:

Subject: Refund of charges made after I cancelled (account: your email or member number)

I cancelled my [service] subscription on [date]. My confirmation is attached.

You charged my card ending [1234] $[amount] on [date], after that cancellation. I authorised the original subscription but withdrew that authority on [date], so I did not authorise this charge.

Please refund $[total] to the same card within 14 days and confirm in writing that my account is closed and no further charges will be made.

If I don't hear from you by [date], I will ask my bank to reverse the charges and lodge a complaint with [your state's fair trading agency].

Keep the reply, or a note that none came. Your bank will ask for it.

SubTracker can send the business a formal demand letter for you instead, with your statement lines attached.

3. Dispute the charge with your bank

A chargeback is your bank's claim to reverse a card payment under the card scheme's rules (Visa, Mastercard or eftpos). The business can challenge it with evidence, and the card scheme decides if the two sides disagree; AFCA says a final decision can take up to eight weeks. Visa has a dispute type for this exact case, "Cancelled Recurring Transaction", and tells merchants to accept it when the cardholder withdrew permission and no refund was issued.

Under the Banking Code of Practice, if you dispute a card transaction within the card scheme's time limit, your bank will claim the amount back where it finds you were charged incorrectly (paragraph 157), including on a recurring payment (paragraph 158).

Consumer Affairs Victoria puts card scheme limits at 45 to 120 days from the transaction date. Banks need time to lodge before that, so the limit they give you is often shorter:

Other banks and credit unions set their limits in the card's conditions of use. Dispute every charge after the cancellation date, attach your proof and the business's reply, and answer the bank's questions fast: Westpac says a dispute can lapse if you don't reply within 15 days.

Describe it as a charge after cancellation, and don't report it as fraud. At CommBank, an unauthorised transaction dispute means the bank cancels and replaces your card.

4. Escalate if you still haven't been paid

If your bank refused or mishandled the chargeback, complain to the bank, then to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). AFCA is free. It refers your complaint back to the bank first, and banks generally have 30 days to respond. AFCA checks whether the bank met its chargeback obligations, such as lodging in time; it can't review the card scheme's rules.

If the business kept the money, contact your state or territory consumer protection agency, such as NSW Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs Victoria (the ACCC's "Where to go for consumer help" page lists them all). They can advise you and may negotiate with the business, and each state has a small claims tribunal. The ACCC doesn't resolve individual complaints, but you can report the business to it. In December 2025 it took HelloFresh and Youfoodz to the Federal Court, alleging that 62,061 HelloFresh customers and 39,408 Youfoodz customers were charged despite cancelling before the cut-off.

From 1 July 2027, the Unfair Trading Practices Act 2026 requires businesses to offer a way to cancel a subscription that is easy to find and straightforward, including online where the Act requires it. Existing subscriptions come under it at their first renewal after that date.

Why a new card often doesn't stop the charges

A business can receive your replacement card's details automatically. Westpac's credit card terms say: "If a Merchant is using Tokenised Credentials your Card details may be automatically updated (for example, if your Card is reissued or replaced). In those circumstances, reissuing or replacing a card may not stop recurring payments with that merchant."

Two mechanisms carry your details across:

• Tokens: the business stores a token linked to your card account instead of the card number, and the token keeps working after the number changes.
• Account updater services: Visa Account Updater and Mastercard's Automatic Billing Updater let businesses that keep cards on file look up a card's new number and expiry. Macquarie enrols its credit cards in Visa's service automatically, so participating businesses get the new details when a card expires or is replaced.

This question comes up again and again in Australian Reddit threads. In one r/AusFinance thread, a DoorDash charge followed a CommBank customer onto a third replacement card in three months. Fraud replacements can differ: Macquarie may opt a card out of the updater after fraud, and CommBank tells customers whose card it replaced after an unauthorised dispute to update their billers.

Cancelling with the business is what stops a card subscription. The Banking Code has banks cancel direct debits on request, but says recurring card payments "must be done by contacting the Merchant or service provider directly". Any charge after that is a chargeback claim. Westpac's app can also cancel eligible subscriptions on Westpac cards.

Stopping a payment doesn't end the contract

Blocking a payment leaves the contract in place, so the business can still hold you to what it says you owe. CommBank, Westpac and Australian Payments Plus (which runs PayTo) each say this on their own pages.

Moneysmart adds one protection for direct debits: if your account is debited after you asked your bank to cancel, the bank can't charge you overdraft fees to cover it.

Common questions

Can I get a refund if I forgot to cancel?

It's up to the business. Visa's cancelled-recurring dispute needs a cancellation before the charge, so the steps above don't apply. Ask the business, or Apple or Google through their refund pages if you paid through the store.

How long do I have to dispute a charge?

It depends on your bank and card: from 30 days after the statement date (CommBank credit cards) to 120 days after the transaction (ANZ, Visa). Check your card's conditions of use and dispute as soon as the business says no or stops replying.

Does cancelling my card stop a subscription?

Often not. A business using card tokens or an account updater service can receive your new card details automatically. Cancel with the business and dispute any charge after that.

Can my bank block a merchant?

For a direct debit from a bank account, yes: your bank must cancel it on request, and Westpac offers a 3-year block. For card payments, the Banking Code sends cancellation to the business, and your bank's tool is the chargeback.