Subscription refunds 💳

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If you’ve paid for a subscription you didn’t mean to, forgot to cancel, or got charged after a trial, you might be able to get a refund — but it depends where you subscribed (Apple / Google Play / direct with the company).

This guide shows the fastest way to check, cancel, and request refunds — plus what to do if they say no.

Step 1: Work out where you’re being billed

This is the biggest difference-maker.

Check your bank statement and look for:

• APPLE.COM/BILL / “Apple Services”

• **GOOGLE* / Google Play”

• SPOTIFY

• NETFLIX.COM

• PAYPAL (sometimes it’s billed via PayPal)

Once you know the billing platform, use the right route below.

1) Apple subscriptions (Apple TV+, iCloud, App Store subs, Apple-billed Netflix etc.)

Apple is one of the easiest places to request a refund, because they have a central portal.

How to request a refund (Apple)

1. Go to Apple’s refund site

2. Choose Request a refund and the reason

3. Select the subscription/payment

Apple’s official instructions: 

Refunds aren’t guaranteed, but Apple does review requests and it’s often worth trying if:

• you forgot to cancel a trial

• a family member/child purchase happened

• you were charged unexpectedly

2) Google Play subscriptions (Android apps + services billed via Play)

If the subscription was purchased through Google Play billing, use Google’s refund flow.

How to request a refund (Google Play – UK/EEA)

• Start with Google’s UK/EEA refund policy page (it explains eligibility) 

• Then submit via Google’s refund request workflow 

If Google won’t refund, you may also need to contact the app developer (Google explicitly notes this as an option). 

3) Spotify refunds (usually: no, but there are exceptions)

Spotify’s core stance is basically:

• you can cancel anytime and keep Premium until the end of the billing period

• they generally don’t refund standard Premium payments 

That said, Spotify does handle some refunds case-by-case in certain scenarios (for example specific add-ons/top-ups). 

4) Netflix refunds (usually: no, but check your billing method)

Netflix generally works like:

• cancel now → your service runs until the end of the billing period 

• refunds for unused time are not normally offered for standard direct billing

BUT if you’re billed via a third party (like Apple), the rules can differ (Netflix’s own help pages note Apple-billed scenarios and proration in some cases like plan changes). 

So:

• If your statement says Netflix.com → cancel and ask nicely, but expect a “no”.

• If your statement says Apple / Google / Sky / Virgin / telecom → you may need to cancel and request any refund through that billing partner.

The “best chance” refund situations (works across most services)

You’re most likely to get money back if:

• the charge was unauthorised (someone else used your account/payment)

• you were charged during/after a free trial you tried to cancel

• you were double-billed

• there was a clear technical billing error

• you cancelled but got charged again (prove the cancellation timestamp)

If they refuse: what to do next

1) Cancel immediately (first)

Even if you’re arguing about a refund, cancel now so you don’t keep bleeding money.

2) Ask for a “goodwill refund”

If it’s the first time, many companies will refund one month as goodwill (not guaranteed, but it’s common enough to try).

3) Use chargeback only when appropriate

If the payment was genuinely unauthorised or there’s strong evidence of an error, you can ask your bank about a chargeback.
(Only do this if you’re confident — some services may lock the account for disputed payments.)

Quick copy-paste message to request a refund

Use this in live chat/email:

Hi, I’ve been charged £X on (date) for (service). I didn’t intend to keep this subscription and it hasn’t been used since (date) / it was cancelled on (date). Please can you refund this payment and confirm the subscription is cancelled going forward? Copy

Final thoughts

If you’re paying for a subscription you don’t use, the win is usually:

1. Cancel it

2. Try for a refund via the correct billing platform

3. If refused, use it as a reminder to audit subscriptions monthly (even a quick bank-statement scan)