Cancel in writing, even if you also click Cancel
Clicking a cancel button leaves you with nothing to show if the charges continue. An email creates a dated record that you asked to stop, which is exactly what your card issuer asks for if you later dispute a charge. The email this tool writes always asks for written confirmation that no further charges will be made.
If the service has a cancellation page, it appears in the contact list too. Use it, then send the email anyway as your record.
Ask for the last charge back when it's fair to
A renewal you didn't notice, a free trial that converted the day you meant to cancel, or a yearly plan that renewed without a reminder are all reasonable grounds to ask. Many companies refund a recent renewal on request, especially when the account hasn't been used since. Pick Cancel and refund as the outcome and the email asks for both.
- Renewed without warning: say when it renewed and that you haven't used it since, if that's true.
- Trial turned into a charge: give the date you signed up and the date of the charge.
- Charged after cancelling: give the date you cancelled. A screenshot or confirmation email helps.
The rules that back you up
In the US, the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act requires subscriptions sold online to give you a simple way to stop recurring charges, and California's automatic renewal law requires online cancellation if you signed up online. In the EU and UK, many online purchases come with a 14-day cooling-off period. The email cites one of these only when your facts fit it, with a link to the official source.
App Store and Google Play subscriptions
If you subscribed inside an iPhone or Android app, the subscription lives in your Apple or Google account, and that's where you cancel and ask for a refund. When the receipt shows that, the tool says so and links to the right page.
Related: refund email generator, refund call script, find a company's billing email, refund guides by company.