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Cancellation letter for unauthorized charges

A charge appeared that you never agreed to. This letter ends the plan, withdraws any permission to charge you and asks the company to return the amount it took without your authorization.

Pick the company and add your details, then list the charges in the paragraph after the opening. Sending the letter by Certified Mail gives you a dated record, and the steps below show how to take the same charges to your card issuer or bank.

Write your letter

1. The company

Not in the list? Type the name as it appears on your bill.

The address your letter goes to. Find it on your bill or agreement.

2. Your details

Exactly as it appears on the account.

One line per row. The company uses it to find your account.

Where the company sends its written confirmation.

Printed on your bill or in your welcome email.

3. When it should end

Your letter

[Highlighted fields] fill in as you type.

[Your full name][Your street address][City, state and ZIP code][Your email address]

[Today’s date]

[Company name][Company mailing address]

Subject: Cancellation and refund request for unauthorized charges – [Company name]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally request the termination of my active subscription. Please process this cancellation at the earliest opportunity, effective from today’s date and subject to any applicable notice requirements.

I did not authorize the following charges: [date and amount of each charge]. I am cancelling the plan and I withdraw any permission to charge my payment method. Please return [total amount charged without authorization] to the payment method that was charged, remove my stored payment details and send me the record of the authorization you hold for these charges.

For verification purposes, please find my account details below:

Name:
[Your full name]
Address:
[Your street address], [City, state and ZIP code]
E-mail:
[Your email address]
Cancellation date:
As soon as possible

I ask that you honor the terms of service through the cancellation date and remove any stored payment methods from my account.

Additionally, pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), I request the prompt deletion of all personal data you hold on me, except where retention is permitted under Section 1798.105 of the CCPA.

Please send written confirmation of this cancellation to the email address listed above at your earliest convenience. To the extent my requests are not honored, I will consider pursuing any and all available legal rights and remedies, including, but not limited to, disputing charges with my financial institution, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely,[Your full name]

Want it to arrive with proof?

We print this letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Send it by certified mail for me

Next you find your company, then we take it from there.

Before you send it

  1. List every charge

    Write down the date, the amount and the name shown on your statement for each charge you did not agree to, and put them in the letter. The FTC advises checking your card and bank statements for charges you did not order.

  2. Send the letter with proof of delivery

    Mail it by Certified Mail and keep the receipt and tracking number. The FTC suggests asking for a return receipt, so that you have proof of what the other side received.

  3. Watch the sixty-day clock on a credit card

    Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the card issuer must receive your written notice of a billing error within sixty days after it sent the statement with the charge. The issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, and in no event later than ninety days. Write to the address for billing inquiries, not the one for payments. The FTC lists unauthorized charges among the errors you can dispute.

  4. Stop the next debit from a bank account

    Federal rules say a preauthorized debit from your bank account may be authorized only by a signed or similarly authenticated writing, and the company must give you a copy. You can stop a payment by telling your bank, orally or in writing, at least three business days before the scheduled date. The bank may ask for written confirmation within 14 days.

Source: FTC Consumer Advice: Getting in and out of free trials, auto-renewals and negative option subscriptions; FTC Consumer Advice: Disputing credit card charges; 15 U.S.C. § 1666, Fair Credit Billing Act: correction of billing errors (GPO); CFPB: Regulation E, 12 CFR § 1005.10, preauthorized transfers

How to send it so you can prove it was received

  1. Print the letter and sign it

    Use the print button on the tool. Sign above your printed name and keep a copy for your files.

  2. Send it by Certified Mail

    Buy Certified Mail at a Post Office and ask for the postmarked mailing receipt. Add Return Receipt to get the signature of the person who accepts it.

  3. Keep the receipt and the tracking number

    Write the date and tracking number on your copy of the letter. Check the tracking until it shows delivered.

  4. Note the company’s notice rule

    Some companies need notice a set number of days before the next billing date. Allow for delivery time: the company may count from the day the letter arrives, not the day you posted it.

Prefer not to queue at the Post Office? We print the letter, mail it by certified mail and confirm when it is delivered.

Source: USPS: Certified Mail and Return Receipt

Cancellation letter questions

Does the letter cancel the plan as well as ask for the money back?

Yes. It does both, so that the same charge cannot repeat. The company must still act on it, so keep the delivery record and watch your statements after the end date.

What if the company refuses to return the money?

The FTC advises that if you are charged without your consent and the company will not refund your money, you dispute the charge with your credit or debit card company right away. Include a copy of the delivered letter and your statements.

How long do I have to dispute a credit card charge?

For a billing error on a credit card, your written notice must reach the issuer within sixty days after the statement with the error was sent. Use the billing inquiries address on your statement and keep a copy of what you send.

More cancellation letter templates

Related guides

Sources