How do I request a refund for a subscription I already cancelled?

Why didn't cancelling give my money back?

App store subscriptions are paid in advance. When you cancel, Google Play and Apple keep the plan running until the end of the period you bought, then stop it. Neither store refunds the unused days automatically, so a monthly plan cancelled on day two still runs, and stays paid for, until day thirty.

That is fair when you simply changed your mind. It is not fair when you never meant to buy the period at all, which is the usual story with trials that convert. In the 40,376 reviews analysed in October 2026, being charged at the end of a trial accounted for 25.7% of billing complaints.

Trials work slightly differently. Cancelling during a trial normally ends it on schedule with no charge at all, so a charge on the trial's last day suggests the cancellation came too late or did not register.

Was I really charged after cancelling?

• Compare dates: the charge may be for the period that began before you cancelled.
• Check the account: a second Google account or Apple ID can hold a separate plan.
• Look for the cancellation email; if there isn't one, the cancel may not have gone through.
• Check for a direct subscription with the company, which the store cannot see.

Most surprises turn out to be one of these. If none applies and the charge is dated after your cancellation, report it as an error rather than a change of mind.

A screenshot of the subscription list showing Cancelled, with the date, is useful evidence. Take one each time you cancel something.

How do I ask, and what improves the odds?

1. Open Report a Problem on Apple, or the Play refund request on Android, and select the charge.
2. Choose the reason closest to what happened, such as a trial cancelled in time or an unintended purchase.
3. Give the cancellation date and quote the confirmation email.
4. If the store refuses, write to the developer using the contact on the store listing.

Speed helps on both stores. A request made the day of the charge is easier to approve than one sent weeks later. For unwanted charges in general, see getting a refund for an unwanted subscription; for the cancel steps themselves, see the cancel guide.