How to Identify a Subscription Charge on Your Statement

Last checked against official pages from Apple, Google, the CFPB and the FTC.How we check

The name on your statement is often not the name you know the service by. It can be shortened, show the billing company instead of the brand, or show an app store that billed on the service’s behalf. These steps help you work out who charged you.

1. Read the charge carefully

Note the exact text, the amount and the date. Then ask:

  • Does the amount repeat? The same amount every month or year usually means a subscription.
  • Does it start with an app store’s name? Apple and Google charges have their own formats (see below). The real service is then listed in your Apple or Google account, not on the statement.
  • Is it a shortened name? Try searching the main word, or the website address if there is one, together with the word “subscription”.

2. Charges from Apple: “apple.com/bill”

Apple says a charge from apple.com/bill can be for apps and subscriptions bought with an Apple account. To see what it was for:

  1. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com with your Apple account.
  2. Search for the amount of the charge.

Apple also says that:

  • Apple may group several purchases and subscriptions into one bill, so the amount may not match a single item.
  • If you can’t find the charge, it may be on another Apple account. Sign in with that account and check again.
  • If you use Family Sharing with Purchase Sharing turned on, the family organizer can see what they were charged for. Apple also suggests asking family members whether they made the purchase.

If it’s a subscription you don’t want, cancel it in your Apple account.

3. Charges from Google: “GOOGLE*”

Google says its charges start with GOOGLE* followed by a product name or another description, and that some descriptions are shortened. For Google Play purchases it lists these formats:

  • GOOGLE* plus the app developer’s name
  • GOOGLE* plus the app’s name
  • GOOGLE* plus a content type, for example GOOGLE*Books

To check a Google Play charge:

  1. Look in your Google Play order history. If the charge is there, it came from Google Play.
  2. Google says a subscription may be on a different Google account, so check each account you use.
  3. If you still don’t recognize it, Google says to report it through its form for charges you don’t recognize. For card and PayPal charges, Google says to do this within 120 days.

Google also says that if a charge isn’t in one of these formats, it didn’t come from Google Play.

If it’s a subscription you don’t want, cancel it in Google Play.

4. Other charges

  • Check your email. Search your inbox for the amount, or for the name on the statement. A receipt or renewal email usually names the service.
  • Check PayPal if you use it. Its list of automatic payments shows which companies can charge you through PayPal. See how to find all your subscriptions.
  • Ask the people you share cards or accounts with. A family member may have signed up.
  • Ask your card company or bank. They can often tell you more about who made a charge.

If the charge isn’t yours, or you didn’t agree to it

  • Credit card: the FTC says you can dispute charges for things you didn’t accept or that weren’t delivered as agreed. Write to the card issuer at the address for billing inquiries, not the payment address. Your letter needs to reach them within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you.
  • Bank account or debit card: the CFPB says to tell your bank or credit union right away if you see a payment you didn’t allow. Federal law lets you dispute unauthorized transfers as long as you tell your bank in time.
  • Possible fraud: contact your card company or bank’s fraud department. Apple says that if someone else has your Apple account password, you should change it.

If it’s a subscription you forgot about

Cancel it with whoever bills you: Apple, Google Play or the company itself. If you pay through PayPal, cancel with the company too. Stopping the automatic payment in PayPal alone may not end the subscription. Find the guide for your subscription. Then check your next statement to make sure the charge stopped.

Sources

Find the guide for your subscription