How to get a refund for a subscription from the App Store or Google Play

Checked: October 26, 2026

If you paid through Apple, sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com, choose “Request a refund” and pick the charge. If you paid through Google Play and it has been less than 48 hours, request the refund from your order history at play.google.com; after that, you write to the app developer. Nobody guarantees a refund, but if you did not use the app it is worth asking. Cancel the subscription first, or the charge will repeat.

These steps only work for purchases made through the App Store or Google Play. If you paid on a website after a questionnaire, Apple and Google know nothing about that charge and cannot refund it. Go here instead: how to cancel a subscription you bought on a website and how to dispute a charge with your bank.

How to get a refund from Apple: reportaproblem.apple.com

1. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID (the one the subscription was bought with).
2. Under “I’d like to”, choose Request a refund.
3. Pick a reason. An honest one is fine: forgot to cancel the trial, did not use it, did not expect the charge.
4. Select the purchase or subscription in the list and tap Submit.

Apple says you will hear back within 24 to 48 hours, and you can check the status on the same page. If the charge is still pending at your bank, Apple will not take the request yet: wait for the emailed receipt and try again. Apple does not state a deadline for refund requests, but the sooner the better. Apple’s own instructions: support.apple.com.

Cannot find the subscription in the list at reportaproblem.apple.com? Then it was not paid through Apple. Check the name on your card statement: what is this charge on my card.

How to get a refund from Google Play

With Google, timing matters. For 48 hours after a purchase, Google itself reviews the request, which is the easiest route. After that, Google sends you to the app developer.

1. Open play.google.com in a browser and sign in to the Google account that bought the subscription.
2. Click your profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Budget & order history.
3. Find the charge and click Report a problem.
4. Choose the option saying you want a refund, describe the situation briefly and click Submit.

Google usually decides within a day, sometimes up to 4 days. Google’s page: support.google.com. The steps differ slightly in some countries, for example the UK, so follow the version of that page for your country.

More than 48 hours have passed? Write to the developer. Their contact is on the app’s page in the Play Store, near the bottom, in the developer section. We have a ready letter you can copy: refund request letter template. The developer does not have to refund you, but many do when the app was not used.

• A charge you did not make (a child, or someone else with your card): Google accepts these reports for 120 days. Use the same form and say the purchase was not yours.
• Google only refunds the unused part of a subscription in some countries. If you are not sure yours is one of them, ask for the whole charge back, not for the “remaining days”.
• Refunds can take several days to reach your card, and banks sometimes say a few weeks. If Google confirmed the refund and nothing arrives, ask your bank.

What to do if Apple or Google says no

Refusals happen. Then the order is: first make sure the subscription is canceled (iPhone, Android) so nothing new is charged. Next, write to the developer directly. If they refuse too, or do not answer, you can ask your bank or card company to dispute the charge: how to dispute a charge with your bank. The bank will look into it, but a refund is not guaranteed there either, and you should go within days, not months. If you paid with PayPal, open a dispute in the PayPal Resolution Center instead.

If this started with a “$0.99 trial” that turned into an expensive subscription by itself, here is how that works and why it catches so many people: paid $0.99 for a trial, then charged much more. It happens to a great many people. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.

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.