Subscription not showing in iPhone or Google Play but still charged: how to cancel a subscription you bought on a website

Checked: October 26, 2026

If you paid on a website (usually after a long questionnaire or “test”), the subscription lives with that company, not in your phone’s settings. Find the receipt email: it has a “manage subscription” or “cancel” link. If there is no email, go to the company’s website, log in to your account, or email their support and keep a copy.

Why the subscription isn’t in your iPhone or Google Play

The subscription lists on an iPhone and in Google Play only show what was bought through Apple or Google. If you typed your card into a website in a browser, Apple and Google know nothing about it. Apple says this plainly: if a subscription isn’t in your list, it may have been bought from another company, so check your statement and contact the company that bills you (support.apple.com/en-us/118428). The same is true for Google Play.

This is how most “free test” websites are built: a long questionnaire, then a page with the price, then card payment right in the browser. You may have installed the app only after paying, which is exactly why it never appears among your phone’s subscriptions. The lesson on the long questionnaire in our free course walks through the whole thing with a clickable example.

Deleting the app does not cancel anything. The charges continue until you cancel with the company or your bank stops them.

Where to find the cancel page

1. Your email. Search for the service’s name, for the name shown on your bank statement, and for the amount. Try “receipt”, “invoice”, “subscription”, “welcome”, “your plan”. Look in Spam and Promotions. The receipt almost always has a “Manage subscription” or “Cancel” link.
2. Your account on the site. Open the website and log in with the email you used when paying (often there is no password: the site emails you a login link). Look for “Billing”, “Payments”, “Plan”, “Subscription” or “Account”.
3. The bottom of the page. The footer usually has “Terms”, “Subscription terms”, “Contact” or “Support”. The terms say how to cancel and which address to write to.
4. If you don’t know the website. Trace the company from the statement line first: “Unknown charge on my card: who is charging me”.

Once you cancel, take a dated screenshot of the confirmation screen and keep the confirmation email. If no confirmation arrives within a day, email support and ask them to confirm in writing. You will need this proof if another charge appears.

If there is no cancel button, or nobody answers

Some sites deliberately hide cancelling behind a chain of screens: “Are you sure?”, “Here is a discount”, “Pause instead?”. Click through to the end and don’t accept a “pause”: a pause is not a cancellation. The lesson “The cancel maze” shows what these screens look like.

If you cannot cancel on the site, write to support by email, not chat: a dated email is evidence. Here is a short text you can copy.

Subject: Cancellation request and confirmation

Hello,

Please cancel my subscription to [service name] registered under the email [your email]. Last charge: [date], [amount and currency], card ending in [0000].

Please send me written confirmation of the cancellation and do not charge my card again. If anything else is needed from me to cancel, tell me exactly what.

Date: [today’s date]
[Your name]

If there is no reply within 3–5 days, or the company says it cancelled but charges you again, go to your bank: ask it to stop card payments to this company or to reissue your card, and ask what exactly it can block. Details: “How to stop the charges and block your card”. If money was taken after you cancelled, read “Cancelled but still being charged”.

If you paid through PayPal, you can also cancel the company’s permission there: Settings → Payments → Automatic payments, choose the business and cancel (paypal.com). This stops future payments; it does not refund past ones.

Will I get the money back for charges already taken?

Cancelling only stops future charges. Money already taken is a separate request: first to the company (a ready text is in “Refund request letter template”), and if they refuse, you can ask your bank to dispute the charge: “How to dispute a card charge through your bank”. A refund is never guaranteed, but your chances are better if you didn’t use the service and you act fast.

Found the subscription in your iPhone list or in Google Play after all? Then follow “How to cancel a subscription on iPhone” or “How to cancel a subscription on Google Play”.

Don’t beat yourself up. These sites are designed so that the price and the terms are easy to miss, and smart, careful people fall for them every day. To spot the trap before you pay next time, take our short free course.

This is general information, not legal advice. Bank and app store rules change and differ from country to country, so check the steps in your bank’s app or with their support.