Check who processed the charge before sending a refund request. Apple or Google Play usually handles an in-app purchase billed through its store. A developer or another merchant handles a payment made directly to that business. If you genuinely don't recognize the charge, contact your card issuer promptly as well as the relevant platform.

A support message is only a request; it doesn't guarantee approval. Give the recipient one transaction to find, describe what happened accurately, attach useful evidence, and ask for a refund to the original payment method.

Six refund-request templates

Replace the bracketed information and remove anything that doesn't apply. You can paste the matching version into an official support form or send it to a developer that billed you directly.

1. Accidental purchase

Subject: Refund request for accidental in-app purchase [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

I am requesting a refund for the [amount and currency] in-app purchase made in [App Name] on [date].

Order or transaction ID: [ID]
Account email: [email]
Device or platform: [Apple or Google Play]
Payment statement date: [date, if different]

The purchase was accidental. [Brief, factual explanation, such as "I tapped the purchase button while using the app and did not intend to complete the transaction."]

I have attached the receipt and [screenshots or other evidence]. Please review this purchase and refund the charge to the original payment method. Let me know if you need any other information.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

Use this wording for an honest mistake. An accidental tap isn't the same as fraud, so don't describe it as an unauthorized transaction unless someone actually used the account or payment method without permission.

2. Purchase made by a child

Subject: Refund request for child's in-app purchase [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

My [age]-year-old child made a [amount and currency] purchase in [App Name] on [date] using my [Apple or Google Play] account. I did not give permission for the purchase.

Order ID: [ID]
Account email: [email]
Device: [device]
Purchased item or subscription: [name]

I have attached the receipt. Please review the transaction and consider a refund to the original payment method.

I have now [enabled purchase approval, changed the account password, or taken another prevention step]. Please let me know if you need additional information.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

Describe the circumstances accurately. A platform may review a child purchase under its own policy, but the request does not guarantee a refund.

3. Truly unauthorized charge

Subject: Unauthorized in-app purchase dispute [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

I am reporting an in-app purchase that I did not authorize and did not make.

Amount: [amount and currency]
Date: [date]
App or merchant: [name]
Order or transaction ID: [ID]
Account email: [email]

I have secured the account by [changing the password, signing out other devices, or taking another step]. Please investigate this transaction and refund the charge if it was processed through your system. If it involves recurring billing, please cancel that billing too.

I am also contacting my card issuer because the payment may be unauthorized. Please tell me what additional information you need through this secure support channel.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

Contact the issuer right away rather than waiting for the platform's reply. If your card, account, or device may be compromised, ask whether the payment method should be blocked or replaced.

4. Subscription renewal after cancellation

Subject: Refund request for subscription renewal [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

I canceled my [App Name] subscription on [cancellation date], but I was charged [amount and currency] on [charge date].

Order ID: [ID]
Account email: [email]
Subscription name: [name]
Platform used: [Apple, Google Play, or direct merchant]

Please confirm that the subscription is canceled and refund the charge made after my cancellation. I have attached the cancellation confirmation and receipt.

Please let me know if you need any other information to review the request.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

Cancellation and a refund are separate issues. Stop future renewals first, then include the cancellation date and confirmation in the refund request.

5. Charged but content was not delivered

Subject: In-app purchase not received [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

I was charged [amount and currency] for [item or feature] in [App Name] on [date], but the purchased content was not delivered to my account.

Order ID: [ID]
Account email: [email]
Device: [device]

I checked the account and restarted the app, but the purchase is still missing. Please refund the charge to the original payment method. I have attached the receipt and screenshots showing the missing item.

Please let me know what information you need to review the transaction.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

A developer or platform may be able to check the account ledger and restore missing coins, features, or subscription access. Keep the receipt and your timeline even if support offers to fix the delivery problem.

6. Refund-denial appeal

Subject: Appeal of refund decision for [Order ID]

Hello [Support team],

I am asking you to reconsider the refund decision for [App Name], order [ID], charged [amount and currency] on [date].

Since my original request, I am providing this additional information: [describe the new evidence clearly]. I have attached the relevant documents.

The issue is: [one-sentence explanation]. Please review the transaction again and explain which refund policy applies if the request remains denied.

Please confirm that this appeal has been added to the case.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Account email]

An appeal is more useful when it adds a specific fact, receipt, cancellation record, or screenshot. Repeating the original message usually won't change the review.

Identify who billed you

Check the receipt, the app-store order history, and the card statement. The biller's name determines where to start.

What you find Best first contact What to request
Apple receipt or Apple-billed statement entry Apple A refund review for the specific item
Google Play receipt or Google Play-billed statement entry Google Play A refund review through the order history
Developer or another merchant billed you directly Developer or merchant A refund, correction, or delivery of the purchased content
A charge you genuinely don't recognize Card issuer and the relevant platform Account security, transaction investigation, and a refund or dispute review

A developer may fix missing content, but it may not control a refund when Apple or Google processed the payment. Don't send a password, security code, full card number, or card verification value to a developer. Use a secure official channel, especially if an email about the charge was unexpected.

For Apple purchases, use Apple's refund request page instead of guessing at a customer-service email address. For Google Play, open the Google Play account page and use the purchase or order-history tools available for your account.

What rules apply to U.S. consumers?

A platform's refund policy and a card issuer's billing-dispute process are different systems. The deadline for one doesn't automatically control the other.

App-store refund policies

Apple's official process says to sign in, choose the refund option, select a reason and the item, and submit the request. Afterward, you can check the request's status. Apple also says that a pending charge can't be submitted for a refund yet, eligibility may vary by country or region, and applicable consumer-protection rights remain available.

Google Play also uses an account-based refund process. The options and eligibility shown can depend on the purchase, account, timing, and region. Submitting either platform's form is a request, not an automatic approval, and neither platform's form creates a universal processing deadline.

Federal credit-card billing-error protections

For a qualifying U.S. credit-card billing error, the Federal Trade Commission's credit-card dispute guidance says written notice should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you.

Send the notice to the issuer's billing-inquiries address shown on the statement. A general payment address may not be the right destination. Keep a copy of the letter or message and proof that the issuer received it.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it resolves the issue sooner. It generally must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days. For a qualifying dispute, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges while the matter is being investigated. Pay the rest of the bill on time.

The 60-day period is not an app-store refund deadline. It applies to the federal credit-card billing-error process. Don't automatically apply it to debit cards, prepaid cards, payment apps, or bank transfers.

Debit cards and other payment accounts

Debit-card protections and reporting deadlines follow different rules. Contact the bank as soon as you notice an unauthorized transaction and ask how it wants the dispute reported. Follow its instructions for blocking the card, changing account credentials, and submitting evidence.

Don't wait for an app store or developer to respond if someone stole your card details or accessed your payment account. You can notify the platform too, but account security and the bank's reporting deadline come first.

Evidence to collect

Gather enough information for the recipient to match your message to one transaction:

Cover unrelated transactions in a statement screenshot. Never include your password, security codes, card verification value, Social Security number, or full card number. If a recipient needs to identify the card, provide only the last four digits through a secure channel.

Send the request without weakening it

  1. Stop future billing. Cancel an unwanted subscription in the platform or merchant account settings and save the confirmation screen.
  2. Secure the account. Change the password and review signed-in devices if the transaction may be unauthorized.
  3. Use the official route. Submit Apple's form or the Google Play order-history option instead of relying on an unverified email address.
  4. State one clear request. Include the order ID, amount, date, reason, and the refund you want.
  5. Save the record. Keep the receipt, submitted message, case number, screenshots, and response dates.
  6. Follow up after the stated review period. Ask for the current status and whether support needs a missing document.
  7. Use the payment-rail process when needed. For a genuine unauthorized charge, contact the issuer promptly. For a qualifying credit-card billing error, send written notice within the federal deadline to the required address.

Keep the facts consistent. A bank dispute should accurately say whether the purchase was unauthorized, accidental, duplicated, misdescribed, or not delivered. Don't tell the platform one story and the issuer another.

If Apple or Google denies the request

Read the denial before appealing. Check whether:

Appeal with new evidence and ask which policy or fact controls the decision. If the developer billed you directly, send the appeal to that merchant instead of the app store.

For a genuinely unauthorized credit-card charge or a qualifying billing error, ask the issuer about its dispute process even if the app store refused a refund. Include the platform's decision, but don't assume that a denial means the bank must reverse the payment. The issuer makes its own determination under the applicable payment rules.

If the issuer opens a credit-card investigation, keep paying undisputed charges. Tell the issuer about any platform refund or merchant credit so the same charge isn't credited twice.

Mistakes that can hurt a request

A brief, truthful request with matching records gives support or the issuer something they can verify.

Frequently asked questions

Should I email Apple about an in-app purchase?

Apple directs customers to its online refund process. Use the official Apple refund instructions and follow the linked account flow. After submitting the request, you can check its status.

Does the 60-day deadline apply to an Apple or Google Play refund?

No. The FTC's 60-day period applies to written disputes of qualifying U.S. credit-card billing errors. Apple and Google Play use separate refund processes with their own eligibility rules.

Should I contact the app developer or the app store?

Check who processed the payment. Contact Apple or Google Play for a store-billed purchase, and contact the developer or other merchant for a payment it processed directly. A developer may still help with missing content even when the platform controls the refund.

Can I get a refund for a child's purchase?

You can request one and explain that the purchase was made without your permission. Approval depends on the platform's policy and the facts. Give the accurate reason and describe any steps you've taken to prevent another purchase.

What if I used a debit card?

Contact the bank immediately and ask for its unauthorized-transaction or billing-dispute procedure. Don't assume the federal credit-card timeline applies to a debit card or another payment account.

What if the charge is still pending?

Follow the platform's instructions. Apple says a pending charge can't be submitted for a refund yet. Monitor the transaction until it posts, then use the order information to submit a request if the platform allows it.

Start by matching the receipt to the biller. Then send the appropriate template through that biller's official channel, and contact the card issuer promptly if the charge is genuinely unauthorized.