You cancelled — or thought you did — and the charges kept coming. Subscription disputes are decided by dates and documents: when you cancelled, what the terms said, and whether billing should have stopped. This guide covers the four evidence pillars — cancellation proof, the terms as you agreed to them, usage after the cancel date, and trial-conversion records — plus the federal 60-day written-notice rule for credit-card disputes.
Answer one question and get a prioritized, printable evidence checklist for subscription disputes.
In a cancelled-recurring dispute, one document usually matters more than all the rest: proof that you cancelled, with a date. The reviewer's core question is whether the disputed charges came before or after cancellation took effect. The strongest forms, in rough order:
If you cancelled inside the merchant's app, screenshot every step — the cancellation page, the confirmation screen, the confirmation email. Some merchants make confirmations hard to find later; capture them the day you cancel, not the day you dispute.
The merchant will almost certainly point to their terms — so you need the version you agreed to when you signed up:
Compare the terms against what actually happened: did you follow the stated cancellation procedure? A case where you cancelled exactly as the terms required — and were billed anyway — is the cleanest subscription dispute there is. If the terms were vague about how to cancel ("contact us"), document every contact attempt.
Charges continuing while the account sits unused tell a consistent story. Supporting evidence:
Be honest about this one: if you kept using the service heavily after "cancelling," the usage logs will cut against you, and the merchant may produce them. If you did keep using it, your case rests on the cancellation-procedure argument instead: you followed the terms, and billing should have stopped regardless.
A large share of subscription disputes start with a free trial that quietly became a paid plan. These cases usually turn on disclosure: what did the signup flow actually tell you? Gather:
For credit-card subscription disputes, there's a federal rule worth knowing by name: the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 USC §1666). It lets you dispute billing errors — including charges for services not delivered as agreed — by sending a written notice within 60 days after the creditor transmits the statement containing the error.
The notice must identify you (name and account number), the amount you believe is wrong, and why. Once the creditor receives it, the law requires a written acknowledgment within 30 days and a resolution — correction or written explanation — within two billing cycles, and never more than 90 days. The written-notice requirement is the key detail: a phone call may resolve things faster in practice, but the letter is what triggers the creditor's formal duties. Our dispute letter generator produces a written dispute in exactly this shape.
Two caveats. First, the FCBA covers credit cards and other open-end credit — debit-card billing errors fall under a different law, Regulation E (see our debit card guide). Second, the 60-day clock runs from the statement date, not from when you noticed the charge — another reason to review statements promptly. Check your filing deadline alongside the FCBA window.
This is the most common weak spot in subscription disputes: "I called and cancelled, but I have nothing in writing." Don't give up — build secondary proof:
Then file the dispute with what you have, and be straightforward about the gap: "I cancelled by phone on [date]; the merchant provided no confirmation." Reviewers see this pattern constantly, and an honest file generally fares better than an embellished one.
Get the subscription-dispute evidence list as a printable checklist — tick items off as you gather them.
Proof you cancelled — a confirmation email, a screenshot showing cancelled status, or your dated cancellation request. This one document usually decides the case.
Gather secondary proof: phone records showing the call, any follow-up confirming it, and account activity showing you stopped using the service. Then put your cancellation in writing now.
For credit cards, yes — the FCBA (15 USC 1666) lets you dispute billing errors with a written notice sent within 60 days after the statement containing the error was transmitted. Debit card errors fall under Regulation E instead.
Not necessarily — it depends on what the terms said when you signed up and whether you cancelled properly. If the terms changed after you joined, the version you agreed to generally matters more.
Possibly. It usually turns on what was disclosed at signup: trial length, conversion price, and whether you got a reminder before billing. Screenshots of the signup flow are the key evidence.
