If you're about to buy an ebook, course, app, game, template, music file, or AI-generated asset, answer three questions before paying: What exactly will you receive? How long will access last? Will the payment recur?

For a U.S. purchase, a routine refund request usually starts with the seller or platform's policy. Missing access follows the same path. An unrecognized charge, a charge after cancellation, or another qualifying billing error can require a separate conversation with your card issuer, bank, or payment provider. Those routes are related, but they aren't interchangeable.

What counts as a digital good?

Digital goods are delivered electronically instead of shipped. Examples include:

You might receive a file, access to a private account, or permission to use content under a license. A one-time payment doesn't automatically mean you have unrestricted ownership.

The terms may limit the number of devices or users, offline downloads, commercial use, copying, sharing, modifying, resale, or the length of time you can use the product. They may also explain when the seller can suspend or revoke access.

Read the product description, checkout terms, license, receipt, and cancellation page together. Words such as "lifetime," "ownership," and "unlimited" don't always describe the practical limits.

Check these details before paying

  1. Look past the headline price. Check taxes, one-time fees, minimum terms, and the amount that applies after a discount or trial.
  2. Write down the renewal terms. Note the first renewal date, billing frequency, renewal price, and whether the price may change. The FTC's guidance on free trials and auto-renewals recommends knowing when and how much you'll be charged after a promotion ends.
  3. Find the real cancellation route. It may be an account setting, phone number, email address, or another stated process. If you can't understand how to cancel, the FTC's advice is to walk away.
  4. Check what "access" means. Is it a permanent download, temporary access, or an account entitlement that depends on the seller continuing to operate the service?
  5. Read the license. Look for restrictions on commercial use, sharing, transfers, seats, devices, and downloads.
  6. Find the refund policy. Record the deadline, exclusions, and whether the seller, app store, or marketplace handles the request.
  7. Identify the seller. A logo on the checkout page may belong to a platform or payment processor. The receipt should identify the business that sold the product.

Save the offer, price, license, and refund terms as a screenshot or PDF. Keep the receipt, order number, payment confirmation, and emails about access or cancellation. If the product page changes later, those records show what you saw when you agreed to buy.

Free trials and auto-renewing subscriptions

A negative-option subscription charges you because you don't cancel before a deadline. Free trials, introductory prices, automatic renewals, and continuity programs can all work this way.

In 2024, the FTC announced an amended Negative Option Rule. The announcement focused on clear material terms, express informed consent, and a cancellation process. It said most provisions were scheduled to take effect 180 days after publication in the Federal Register.

The rule's later status has been contested. A 2026 legal analysis reports that the 2024 rule was vacated in 2025 and discusses further rulemaking. That is secondary legal commentary, not a substitute for current official material. Don't assume that a "click to cancel" headline tells you which requirement applies to your subscription today. Check current FTC information, the seller's terms, and any applicable state law.

Before you start a trial

Some dishonest affiliate marketers use exaggerated claims or misleading information to get clicks. A renewal notice can also be a scam designed to collect card details. If a message creates urgency, open the service through its official app or type its known web address instead of following the link.

Cancel through the account or service

  1. Sign in to the account used for the purchase.
  2. Open billing, membership, or subscription settings.
  3. Complete every stated cancellation step and look for a confirmation screen.
  4. Save the confirmation email, screenshot, cancellation number, and date.
  5. Check the next statement after the expected billing date.

Deleting an app, ignoring renewal emails, or removing a payment card may not tell the seller that you want to cancel. Use the seller's stated process when you can.

If the cancellation page fails, contact the company through an official support channel and keep the request in writing. If you still can't cancel, the FTC advises calling your credit card company and asking it to stop the payments. That protects the payment stream; it doesn't necessarily close the subscription account. Keep the cancellation request and the company's response.

Refunds and chargebacks are different

A refund is money returned by the seller or platform. A chargeback is a dispute reviewed by your card issuer or financial institution. A chargeback isn't an automatic refund, and it shouldn't be used just to bypass a clear refund policy for an authorized purchase you no longer want.

For an ordinary refund, contact the seller first. State what went wrong, give the order number, and ask for a written response. Use the description that fits the facts rather than calling every disappointing purchase "fraud."

Problem First step Evidence to keep
You changed your mind about an authorized purchase Check the seller's refund policy and contact the seller The terms, receipt, and support response
The promised download or account access never arrived Contact the seller or marketplace Order confirmation, delivery messages, and screenshots
You were charged after canceling Contact the seller and your payment provider promptly Cancellation confirmation, dates, and statements
You don't recognize the charge Contact the card issuer or bank promptly and verify whether the message is genuine Statement, emails, and account history

If a company charged you without consent and won't refund the money, the FTC's subscription guidance says to dispute the charge with your credit or debit card company right away.

Credit-card billing errors

For a U.S. credit-card billing error, write to the card issuer so the letter reaches it within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Include:

Send the letter to the billing-dispute address shown on the statement. It may not be the same address used for payments. Keep a copy of the letter and proof of delivery. The FTC's credit-card dispute guidance says the issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue, and resolve the dispute within 90 days.

This procedure is specific to credit-card billing errors. Debit cards, prepaid cards, ACH payments, bank transfers, and peer-to-peer payment services can have different procedures and deadlines. Contact the provider promptly and ask which dispute or stop-payment process applies to your transaction.

Which company handles the problem?

The company displaying the product may not control the refund. Check the receipt, order history, and terms before choosing where to write.

A payment processor may not be able to change the merchant's license or refund policy. The seller, in turn, can't prevent you from asking your issuer to review a potentially unauthorized or erroneous charge. Keep the refund request and the payment dispute as separate records.

Digital licenses and California's AB 2426

A digital transaction may grant a license to access or use content rather than unrestricted ownership. That distinction matters for ebooks, music, movies, games, applications, code, and other account-based products.

California's AB 2426 took effect on January 1, 2025. Legal overviews from Greenberg Traurig and Morrison Foerster describe requirements for sellers and advertisers of covered digital goods to clearly disclose when a transaction grants a revocable license instead of an unrestricted ownership interest. The law also addresses terms such as "buy" or "purchase" when a reasonable consumer could interpret them as conveying ownership.

For a California purchase, look for:

AB 2426 is a California disclosure law. It doesn't replace the seller's refund terms or the payment-dispute rules, and it isn't a nationwide ownership rule. Consumers elsewhere should check the law in their own state. Wherever you live, paying for a digital file doesn't by itself give you copyright ownership, commercial-use rights, or permission to redistribute it.

Protect access and keep your records

Digital products are often tied to an account and an email address. Use a unique password and multifactor authentication when available. Check the recovery email and saved payment methods so you can still reach the account if you lose a device.

Download files through the official seller or platform. Test access soon after purchase, while the order is easy to find and support records are fresh. Keep backups that the license permits, but don't share or resell the content unless the license allows it.

If access disappears, check the basics before disputing a payment:

  1. Confirm that you're signed in to the account used for the purchase.
  2. Check whether access was temporary, subscription-based, device-limited, or tied to a different account.
  3. Contact the seller with the order number and a short description of the problem.
  4. If charges continue after cancellation, or the complaint concerns an unauthorized or erroneous charge, use the payment-provider route for the method you used.

Before the next renewal date, open the billing page, save the terms, cancel through the official account, obtain confirmation, and watch the next statement.