Merchant Keeps Charging Your Card? How to Make It Stop

If a merchant keeps charging your card after you cancelled, what stops the next charge depends on how they bill you. A recurring debit-card or bank-account pull is covered by Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10(c): you can order your bank to stop it by notifying the bank at least three business days before the next scheduled debit. A credit card has no matching stop-payment law. Ask the issuer to stop future charges from the merchant, and for each charge dated after you cancelled, send a written billing-error notice that reaches the issuer within 60 days after the statement that first shows it (Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13); a charge for a service you had cancelled can fit its "services not accepted" category. For Visa cards, the issuer can also use Visa's Dispute Condition 13.2, a rule Visa sets for issuers (not consumer law) with its own 120-day limit, which is the issuer's deadline, not yours. Either way, the first move is the same: cancel through every door the merchant offers, then send a written withdrawal of payment permission that records the date, time, and the contact route you used — that record is what your bank or issuer needs to act on.

Who is this guide for?

This is for someone who cancelled, or tried to cancel, a subscription or recurring bill and the merchant kept charging the same card or bank account anyway, and who wants the next charge stopped. It is not for a single charge that already posted after a clean cancellation — use the dispute-or-wait guide for that decision. It is not the deep-dive on ACH and bank-account debits either — the automatic-payments guide covers that lane and its own revocation template. It does not promise a refund, a chargeback win, or that any specific charge is illegal.

What stops the next charge, by payment type?

How the merchant charges you	What stops the next charge	Your legal footing	Deadline to act
Debit card	Cancel with the merchant, then place a stop-payment order with your bank	Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10(c): the bank must honor the order and keep blocking resubmitted debits once told the authorization ended	Notify the bank at least 3 business days before the next scheduled debit
ACH / bank account number	Same Regulation E right; once the bank knows the authorization is no longer valid, it must block all future payments for that payee and cannot wait for the payee to stop	Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10(c) and its official comments	Notify the bank at least 3 business days before the next scheduled debit
Credit card	Ask the issuer to stop future charges from that merchant, and dispute each charge dated after your withdrawal	A Regulation Z billing-error notice for each charge dated after your withdrawal (12 CFR 1026.13). Visa's Dispute Condition 13.2 is a separate network rule the issuer may use	Your written notice must arrive within 60 days after the statement that first shows the charge. Visa's 120 days from processing is the issuer's limit, not yours. Already past 60 days? See the credit card rights that still apply
PayPal / app store (Apple, Google)	Cancel the subscription inside PayPal or the app store account settings directly	Not checked here; see the exit-door directory for account-level cancel paths	Before the date shown in the PayPal or app-store subscription screen

The stop-payment right above is in Regulation E, which does not apply to credit cards — a credit card runs on your issuer's own process and, for Visa, the network rule described below.

What must a merchant do under Visa's rules?

This section applies if you paid by Visa card. Visa's rules bind merchants and card issuers; they are not consumer law, and only your issuer can use them. Mastercard, American Express and Discover publish their own rules; this page checked only Visa's public rules (edition 18 April 2026).

Under Visa's Recurring Transaction requirements (section 5.8.11.1, Table 5-21), a merchant must provide a simple cancellation procedure — at least an online one if you signed up online — disclose the fixed dates or intervals it will charge, and, when a trial, introductory offer, or promotional period is ending, notify you at least 7 days before the first charge after it, including the amount of that charge and how to cancel. For recurring and other stored-card charges, Visa's Table 5-20 also says the merchant must refund the full amount paid if it did not keep to the terms of the sale or service. None of this gives you a claim of your own against the merchant. It tells you what to point out to your issuer.

Dispute Condition 13.2, Cancelled Recurring Transaction, lets an issuer dispute a charge when you withdrew permission to charge the card, or the merchant was told before the charge that the account was closed. The recovery is limited to the unused portion of the service or merchandise. It does not cover a charge you say is fraudulent (that is a different dispute condition), a transaction you initiated yourself, or — for disputes processed on or after 18 April 2026 — a transaction where your cancellation came after the transaction date. The issuer must certify three things: the date you withdrew permission, the contact route you used to reach the merchant (email, phone, or physical address), and details of any other payment method you gave the merchant, or the date the issuer told the merchant the account was closed. The deadline is 120 calendar days from the Transaction Processing Date. Separately, ROSCA, 15 U.S.C. 8403, requires a seller taking billing information over the internet for a negative-option plan to disclose material terms, get your express informed consent, and provide a simple way to stop the recurring charges; the FTC and state attorneys general enforce it, and the statute does not give consumers their own right to sue under it. The FTC's 2024 "click to cancel" amendments are not in force: the FTC's March 11, 2026 request for comment refers to "the vacated 2024 Rule". The auto-renewal guide covers that rulemaking and the state reminder laws.

What should you do, in order?

1. Cancel through every door the merchant offers — account settings, email, chat, and phone if that is all they give you — and save proof of each attempt. Use the cancellation proof-file tool to keep it organized.
2. Send a written withdrawal of payment permission to the merchant. Use the template below so the record has the date, time, contact route, and account details an issuer or bank will ask for.
3. Tell your bank or issuer. For a debit card or bank-account debit, place a stop-payment order at least 3 business days before the next scheduled charge and give the bank a copy of your withdrawal. For a credit card, ask the issuer to stop future charges from that merchant and to dispute any charge dated after your withdrawal date.
4. Watch the next statement. Any charge dated after your withdrawal is a candidate to dispute. Use the dispute deadline calculator to get the exact dates, and the dispute-or-wait guide to decide if a specific charge is worth disputing yet.
5. Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or your state attorney general if the merchant gave you no simple way to cancel — that is the gap both ROSCA and Visa's merchant rules are meant to close.

What do you send the merchant and the bank?

Copy this into an email, secure message, or letter to the merchant. Fill in only what applies.

Subject: Withdrawal of permission to charge my card — [merchant name]

To: [merchant name] billing/support

I cancelled my [service or plan name] on [date] at [time], using [cancellation method: online cancel page, email, chat, or phone].

Account or customer ID: [ID]
Card type and last 4 digits only: [Visa/Mastercard/etc.] ending [XXXX]

I withdraw my permission for you to charge this card or any other payment method on file for this account, effective today.

Please confirm in writing that:
1. My payment authorization has been cancelled.
2. Any stored payment details for this account have been deleted.
3. No further charges will be attempted.

Contact route used for this cancellation and this notice: [online cancel page / support email address / chat transcript / phone call, representative name, and date]

Sent on: [date]

Then send your bank or card issuer a short note that points to it:

I am withdrawing my permission for [merchant name] to charge my [debit card / credit card] ending [XXXX]. I withdrew this permission directly with the merchant on [date], by [contact route] — copy attached. Please [place a stop-payment order on future debits from this merchant / stop future charges from this merchant and dispute any charge dated after [date]].

What proof should you keep?

Keep a dated file. Put the three facts an issuer needs to certify a Visa 13.2 request first:

• The date and time you withdrew permission.
• The contact route you used to reach the merchant (email address, phone number, or physical address).
• Any other payment method you gave the merchant — or, if the card account was closed, the date your issuer told the merchant.
• The merchant's confirmation of your cancellation or withdrawal, if it sent one.
• Your bank's or issuer's stop-payment or "stop future charges" confirmation, with a reference number.
• Each new charge's date and amount, checked against your withdrawal date.
• A calendar note for each charge's billing-error deadline: 60 days after the statement that first shows it. Visa's 120 days from processing is the issuer's own limit and comes later.

Worked example (hypothetical)

This example is hypothetical, to show how the deadlines are computed; it is not a record of an actual dispute.

A reader has a $29.99 monthly plan billed to a Visa credit card on the 3rd of each month. The online cancel page fails, so the reader cancels by email on 2026-10-10 — that is the withdrawal date on record. The merchant still charges the card on 2026-11-03 and 2026-12-03.

• Both charges are dated after the 2026-10-10 withdrawal, so both fit a Dispute Condition 13.2 "withdrew permission" request, which the issuer decides whether to file. A charge dated before the withdrawal would not qualify.
• Assuming the Transaction Processing Date equals the charge date, the 120-calendar-day Visa deadline for the November 3 charge is 2027-03-03, and for the December 3 charge is 2027-04-02.
• Separately, if the statement that first lists the November 3 charge closes on 2026-11-20, the credit card's own Regulation Z billing-error notice window, 12 CFR 1026.13, runs 60 calendar days from that statement date, to 2027-01-19 — a shorter, earlier deadline than the Visa dispute window, and a different process. The December 3 charge starts its own 60-day window once its own statement posts.

Now run the same case with a debit card instead of a credit card, same $29.99 plan, same November 3 charge date. November 3, 2026 is a Tuesday. Counting back three business days — Monday, November 2; Friday, October 30; Thursday, October 29 — the reader must notify the bank on or before 2026-10-29 to stop that debit under Regulation E's three-business-day rule. Because the reader withdrew permission with the merchant on October 10, well before October 29, there is time to also call the bank before the deadline.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Disputing a charge dated before you withdrew permission. It is usually a normal charge for the period already running, and since April 18, 2026 Visa's 13.2 condition does not cover a charge dated before your cancellation.
• Relying on a new card number to stop the charges. Card networks run updater services that can pass your new number to merchants automatically, so replacing the card alone may not work — see the replaced-card guide.
• Calling without writing anything down. A phone stop-payment order is valid under Regulation E, but the bank can require written confirmation within 14 days, and the order lapses after 14 days if you do not send it. Write down the date, time and name, and send the confirmation.
• Ignoring the unused-portion limit. A Dispute Condition 13.2 recovery is limited to the unused part of the service or merchandise, not the full history of charges.
• Stopping payment on a bill you still owe. A stop-payment order or withdrawal notice stops the pull; it does not settle whether the underlying balance is valid. Pay a valid balance another documented way.

What should you do next?

Send the withdrawal-of-permission notice today, then contact your bank or issuer with the matching note above before your next scheduled charge. If a charge has already posted, use the dispute-or-wait guide to decide what to do with that one charge, and the cancellation proof-file tool to keep your record organized for whichever path you take.

FAQ

How do I get a merchant to stop charging my card after I cancelled?

Cancel through every door the merchant offers and save proof, then send a written withdrawal of payment permission that records the date, time, and contact route. Give that record to your bank (for a debit card) or your card issuer (for a credit card) and ask them to act on it.

Can my bank stop a merchant from charging my debit card?

Yes. Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10(c), lets you stop payment of a preauthorized electronic fund transfer, including a recurring debit-card pull, by notifying your bank at least three business days before the next scheduled debit.

Does Regulation E cover my credit card too?

No. The stop-payment rule above is in Regulation E, which does not apply to credit cards. For a credit card, ask the issuer to stop future charges and send a Regulation Z billing-error notice for each charge dated after you cancelled, within 60 days after the statement that first shows it. For Visa cards, the issuer can also use Visa's Dispute Condition 13.2.

What is Dispute Condition 13.2?

It is a Visa rule for card issuers that lets your issuer recover the unused portion of a charge made after you withdrew permission, or after the merchant was told your account was closed. It is not consumer law: the issuer decides whether to file it, within 120 calendar days of the charge.

Will a new card number stop the charges?

Not necessarily. Card networks run updater services that can send merchants your new card number automatically, so a replaced card can keep getting charged — see the replaced-card guide before you assume a new number solved it.

Claim ledger

Claim	Source	Checked	Confidence
A consumer may stop payment of a preauthorized electronic fund transfer, including a recurring debit-card pull, by notifying the bank orally or in writing at least three business days before the scheduled transfer.	https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1005/10/	2026-09-28	High
Once a bank is notified that the authorization is no longer valid, it must block all future payments for that debit from that payee, and may not wait for the payee to stop; if the bank cannot block the debit itself, it may use a third party as long as the account is not debited.	https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1005/interp-10/	2026-09-28	High
Regulation E's stop-payment rule applies to bank-account transfers, including recurring debit-card payments from a consumer account; it does not apply to credit cards.	https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1005/10/	2026-09-28	High
Under Visa's Recurring Transaction merchant requirements, a merchant must provide a simple cancellation procedure (at least online, if the order was accepted online), disclose the fixed dates or intervals of charges, and notify the cardholder at least 7 days before the first recurring charge after a trial, introductory, or promotional period ends.	https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf	2026-09-28	High
Under Visa Dispute Condition 13.2, an issuer may dispute a charge when the cardholder withdrew permission to charge the card, or the account was reported closed before the charge; the recovery is limited to the unused portion, and the dispute must be processed within 120 calendar days of the Transaction Processing Date.	https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf	2026-09-28	High
Dispute Condition 13.2 does not cover a transaction the cardholder says is fraudulent, a cardholder-initiated transaction, or (for disputes processed on or after 18 April 2026) a transaction where the cardholder's cancellation came after the transaction date.	https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf	2026-09-28	High
For a Dispute Condition 13.2 request, the issuer must certify the date the cardholder withdrew permission, the contact route used to reach the merchant, and details of any other payment method given to the merchant, or the date the issuer told the merchant the account was closed.	https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf	2026-09-28	High
For recurring and other stored-card charges, a Visa merchant must refund the full amount paid if it did not adhere to the terms and conditions of the sale or service.	https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf	2026-09-28	High
A seller taking billing information over the internet for a negative-option feature must disclose material terms, obtain express informed consent before charging, and provide simple mechanisms to stop the recurring charges; it is enforced by the FTC and state attorneys general.	https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/8403	2026-09-28	High
A credit card billing-error notice window under Regulation Z runs from the date the creditor sent the statement that first showed the charge.	https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/13/	2026-09-28	High
The FTC's 2024 negative option ("click to cancel") amendments are not in force; the FTC's March 11, 2026 notice refers to "the vacated 2024 Rule".	https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-seeks-public-comment-response-advance-notice-proposed-rulemaking-regarding-negative-option	2026-09-28	High
A charge dated after cancellation can be raised with a credit card issuer as a written billing-error notice received within 60 days after the statement that first shows it.	https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/13/	2026-09-28	High
Consumers can report a merchant that provided no simple way to cancel to the FTC.	https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/	2026-09-28	High