If a free trial charged you unexpectedly, contact the merchant first. Ask for the specific action you need: cancellation, a refund, confirmation that future billing has stopped, or records showing how the trial renewed. Keep your message and the reply.

If the merchant won't resolve a possible credit-card billing error, send a separate written dispute to the card issuer. An email to the merchant creates a record, but it doesn't replace the issuer's billing-dispute process.

These templates are for U.S. consumers. They request a remedy; they don't guarantee a refund. The signup terms, cancellation evidence, and payment method will affect what happens next.

Pick the message that matches your situation

• The trial is still active: Cancel it and ask for written confirmation that it won't renew.
• The trial renewed unexpectedly: Ask the merchant to cancel the subscription and refund the charge.
• You canceled but were charged anyway: Include the cancellation date, confirmation number, and transaction details.
• The normal cancellation method doesn't work: Ask support to cancel the account manually.
• You need to understand the charge: Request the trial, renewal, and cancellation records.
• The merchant rejected your first request: Send a concise follow-up asking for the decision and the policy behind it.
• You may have a credit-card billing error: Use the separate issuer-dispute template below.
• You want to prevent another charge: Ask the bank or card issuer what it can do about future recurring payments.
• A refund was approved but hasn't appeared: Ask for the submission date, reference number, and posting timeframe.

Before writing, check the account and statement. Note the merchant name as it appears on the statement, the charge date, amount, account email, trial end date, and any cancellation confirmation. Don't include your full card number, password, Social Security number, security code, or one-time verification code. The last four digits are generally enough for a support team to identify the payment.

What actually controls the dispute

The checkout terms and account disclosures usually contain the price, renewal date, billing frequency, and cancellation method. A merchant's refund policy may control whether it grants a voluntary refund, but that policy isn't the same thing as a credit-card billing dispute or another payment-provider process.

The FTC's guidance on free trials and negative-option subscriptions tells consumers to check when and how much they will be charged, understand how to cancel, and dispute an unwanted charge promptly when the company won't resolve it.

The 60-day deadline is narrow

The commonly cited 60-day period concerns written disputes about qualifying credit-card billing errors. It isn't a universal free-trial refund window. A subscription charge made within 60 days isn't automatically refundable, and the credit-card deadline shouldn't be applied automatically to debit cards or ACH payments.

Copy-paste free-trial complaint email templates

Replace bracketed text with accurate information. Send only the details the recipient needs to locate the account or transaction.

1. Cancel a trial before it renews

Subject: Please cancel my free trial today

Hello [Company Support],

I am canceling my [service name] free trial effective [date]. The account email is [email address].

Please confirm in writing that the trial or subscription is canceled, that it will not renew, and that no further charges will be made. If I need to complete a specific cancellation step, please send the official instructions.

Please include the cancellation date and confirmation number in your reply.

Thank you,

[Your name]

2. Request a refund for an unexpected trial renewal

Subject: Refund request for [amount] charged on [date]

Hello [Company Support],

I signed up for a trial on [signup date] and found a charge of [amount] from [merchant name] on [date]. I did not intend to continue the service after the trial.

Please cancel the subscription and refund the charge to the original payment method. If you believe the renewal was properly authorized, please send the renewal terms, price, renewal date, and consent record associated with my account.

Please confirm the cancellation and tell me when the refund was submitted.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Account email: [email address]
Transaction or order number: [number]

Keep the description factual. If you accepted automatic renewal but forgot to cancel, say that you didn't intend to continue rather than calling the payment unauthorized.

3. Report a charge made after cancellation

Subject: Charge after cancellation - request for reversal

Hello [Company Support],

I canceled my [service name] subscription on [date] through [website, app, email, or phone]. My confirmation number is [number], but I was charged [amount] on [charge date].

Please investigate and reverse this charge. Also confirm that the account is canceled and that no additional recurring charges will be made.

I have attached or included the cancellation confirmation and the relevant statement details.

Please reply with the refund amount, refund date, and reference number.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Account email: [email address]
Last four digits of payment method: [last four digits]

4. Ask the merchant to cancel when the normal method fails

Subject: Cancellation request - online cancellation is not working

Hello [Company Support],

I tried to cancel my [service name] account on [dates] using [describe the cancellation path]. The process failed because [briefly describe the error or missing option].

Please process the cancellation manually, effective [date], and confirm that the account will not renew. If you cannot complete it by email, please provide a working official cancellation method.

I have saved screenshots of the failed cancellation attempts.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Account email: [email address]

Use the merchant's official support channel as well as email if a renewal deadline is near. Keep evidence of every attempt.

5. Request the trial and renewal records

Subject: Request for trial and renewal details

Hello [Company Support],

I am reviewing a charge of [amount] dated [date] for the account associated with [email address].

Please provide the following account records:

- The date I started the trial
- The trial end date
- The renewal price and billing frequency
- The automatic-renewal disclosure shown at signup
- The cancellation method provided
- Any cancellation or renewal confirmation linked to my account

I am requesting these details so I can reconcile the charge and determine the appropriate next step.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Transaction or order number: [number]

Requesting records doesn't admit that the charge was valid. Neutral wording is useful when you still need to establish what happened.

6. Escalate a refund request after the first response

Subject: Second request: cancellation and refund for [amount]

Hello [Company Support],

I contacted you on [date] about the [amount] charge dated [charge date]. I requested cancellation and a refund, but the issue remains unresolved.

Please complete the following:

1. Cancel the subscription
2. Refund [amount] to the original payment method
3. Confirm in writing that no further charges will occur

If you are denying the refund, please provide the reason, the relevant refund policy, and the renewal details you relied on.

I am keeping copies of this correspondence and the related account records.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Previous ticket number: [number]
Account email: [email address]

7. Send a written dispute to a credit-card issuer

Use this only when the facts support a possible credit-card billing error. Follow the issuer's instructions and send the notice to the billing-inquiries address or an issuer-approved online dispute channel. A regular email to the merchant doesn't by itself begin the issuer's billing-dispute process.

Subject: Billing dispute for [merchant name], [amount], charged on [date]

To the Billing Inquiries Department,

I am disputing a charge of [amount] from [merchant name] posted on [date] to my credit-card account ending in [last four digits]. The first statement containing this charge was sent on [statement date].

The reason for my dispute is: [the recurring charge was not authorized as disclosed / I canceled before the renewal / the merchant charged me after confirming cancellation].

I contacted the merchant on [dates]. The merchant responded [brief summary], or has not responded. I have attached copies of the statement, cancellation records, and correspondence.

Please investigate this billing dispute and confirm receipt. Please tell me if you need any additional documentation.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Billing address]
[Phone or email]

The FTC's credit-card billing guidance says the written notice should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent. The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint in writing within 30 days unless it resolves the issue sooner, and generally has no more than 90 days to resolve the dispute.

Don't wait for the merchant's reply if that deadline is close. Tell the issuer that you contacted the merchant and provide the records you have.

8. Ask the payment provider about stopping future charges

Subject: Request to stop future recurring payments to [merchant]

Hello [Bank or Card Issuer],

I canceled my [service name] subscription with the merchant on [date]. The account is associated with [email address], and the payment method ends in [last four digits].

Please tell me whether you can stop future recurring payments from this merchant and what notice or documentation you require. I understand that stopping future payments may not resolve a charge that has already posted, so I am separately reviewing the charge dated [date] for [amount].

Please confirm the steps I need to take.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Account number or customer reference: [number]

Stopping future payments and disputing a completed charge are separate requests. Ask what the provider can do instead of assuming that a stop request will reverse an earlier payment.

9. Follow up on a refund the merchant already promised

Subject: Follow-up on promised refund of [amount]

Hello [Company Support],

On [date], I was told that a refund of [amount] for the charge dated [charge date] had been approved. I have not seen the credit yet.

Please confirm:

- The date the refund was submitted
- The amount submitted
- The payment method receiving the credit
- The refund reference number
- The expected posting timeframe

If the refund has not been submitted, please process it and confirm when that is done.

Thank you,

[Your name]
Previous ticket number: [number]
Account email: [email address]

The date the merchant approves a refund and the date the credit appears on your statement may differ. Save both.

Evidence to save before escalating

Keep a small folder containing:

• The trial signup or welcome email
• The price, renewal date, and cancellation terms
• Screenshots of the checkout page or account billing page
• The cancellation date, time, and method
• Any confirmation number or support ticket
• The statement showing the charge
• The merchant's refund or denial response
• Notes about phone calls, including the date, representative, and reference number

Redact unrelated transactions and sensitive information before sharing a statement. Keep the original files in case the card issuer or bank asks for clearer copies.

If the merchant won't fix the problem

Credit card

If the facts support a billing-error dispute, send written notice to the issuer, especially when the first statement containing the charge was sent less than 60 days ago. Use the issuer's billing-dispute instructions and retain proof that the notice was submitted.

A merchant email and a card-issuer dispute serve different purposes. The merchant may offer a refund under its policy; the issuer investigates a billing dispute under the payment account's rules.

Debit card or ACH

Contact the bank or payment provider promptly. Explain whether the payment was unauthorized, continued after cancellation, or resulted from another billing problem. Ask about stop-payment procedures, required documentation, and the deadline for your payment type.

The credit-card 60-day rule doesn't automatically apply to a debit card or bank debit.

Suspected deception

If the signup or billing practice appears deceptive, use the FTC's consumer contact guidance. Include the merchant name, dates, amounts, screenshots, and a concise comparison of what the checkout disclosed with what actually happened.

An FTC report isn't a substitute for canceling with the merchant or disputing a charge with your bank or card issuer. Handle those steps separately.

Avoid fake renewal notices

Some messages claiming that a free trial or subscription is renewing are scams intended to collect payment details. Don't provide your card number, security code, password, or one-time verification code in response to an unexpected email or call.

Instead:

1. Open the merchant's website or app from a saved bookmark or a manually entered address.
2. Check the account's billing page.
3. Compare the message with the merchant name and amount on your statement.
4. Contact support through the official account or website.
5. If you already shared payment details with a suspected scammer, contact your bank or card issuer promptly.

Common questions

Is there a universal 60-day refund rule for free trials?

No. The 60-day period generally concerns written disputes over qualifying credit-card billing errors. It isn't a blanket deadline requiring every merchant to refund a free-trial charge, and it doesn't automatically govern debit-card or ACH payments.

What if I agreed to automatic renewal but forgot to cancel?

Ask the merchant for cancellation and a refund, but describe the facts accurately. Saying that you didn't intend to continue is different from claiming that the charge was unauthorized. The merchant and, if necessary, the payment provider will assess the records and applicable process.

Does deleting an app or account cancel the subscription?

Not necessarily. Use the merchant's stated cancellation process and obtain written confirmation. If the process fails, document the error and ask support to cancel the account manually.

Is an email enough to cancel a free trial?

An email shows when you made the request, but the merchant may require cancellation through a particular account page, app store, phone line, or other channel. Follow the stated process while keeping the email and any confirmation.

Should I contact the FTC to get my money back?

The FTC collects reports about suspected deceptive practices, but it doesn't act as a personal refund service. Contact the merchant first and use the appropriate bank or card-issuer dispute process if the issue remains unresolved.

Start with the template that matches your records. If a possible credit-card billing error appears on a statement sent less than 60 days ago, send the issuer notice now rather than waiting for the merchant's support team.