If you are asking how to stop automatic payments, the order matters. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advice is to tell the company first and your bank second, and to remember that stopping a payment does not cancel the agreement behind it. This short guide routes you to the right place for each way you might be paying, so you can cancel recurring payments cleanly and keep them stopped.

Step 1: Cancel with the company that charges you

Start with the merchant: the streaming service, gym, app or utility that takes the money. Cancel the subscription or membership in your account with them, or tell them you are withdrawing your permission for automatic payments. The CFPB’s guide on how to stop automatic payments from your bank account suggests calling and then following up in writing, and keeping a copy.

This step matters because, as the CFPB explains, stopping automatic payments does not cancel what you owe. If you only block the payment, a gym or cable contract may still be active, and a loan still has to be repaid some other way.

If Apple or Google Play bills you, the store is the company to cancel with. Use our App Store or Google Play guides. For anything else, search our cancellation guides for the service’s own cancel page.

Step 2: Stop it where the money comes from

Once the company knows, close the payment side too. Pick the route that matches how you pay.

PayPal

On the PayPal website, PayPal’s instructions are to go to Settings, then Payments, then Automatic payments, choose the merchant and cancel. In the app, open the menu, choose Subscriptions or Linked Businesses, select the merchant and unlink it. PayPal warns that this “typically does not cancel the underlying subscription or contract with the service provider,” which is why Step 1 comes first. Full steps: how to cancel subscriptions on PayPal.

Cash App

For charges to your Cash App Card or through Cash App Pay, Cash App’s help page explains how to block a business: open the Activity tab, choose a past transaction from that business, select its icon to open its profile, then select Block. Bank (ACH) debits work differently: Cash App says those blocks cannot be managed in the app, so you ask Cash App Support. Cash App also says blocking does not cancel existing subscriptions or recurring charges, and that removing a business’s access may not stop charges if it has your card number on file. See how to cancel subscriptions on Cash App.

Apple Pay

If you set up a subscription with Apple Pay on a merchant’s website or app, Apple Wallet can list it under Preauthorized Payments, with a link to manage it with the merchant. Apple says revoking the authorization in Wallet asks the merchant to stop charging your card but does not cancel the subscription, and charges may still occur. Cancel with the merchant to be sure.

Your bank account

For automatic debits from a checking account, the CFPB describes two tools:

  • Revoke the authorization. Tell your bank you have withdrawn the company’s permission. Once both the company and your bank know, the CFPB says any further payments that company starts are errors, and you can ask your bank for a refund.
  • Ask for a stop payment order. This tells your bank not to pay a specific company. To stop the next payment, the CFPB says to give the order at least three business days before the payment is due. Your bank may require you to confirm a phone request in writing within 14 days, and banks commonly charge a fee.

The CFPB’s guide also includes sample letters for writing to the company and to your bank.

Your credit or debit card

For card charges, cancel with the merchant, then contact your card issuer and ask what it can do about future charges from that merchant. Options vary by issuer. If a charge you do not recognize or did not agree to shows up on a credit card bill, you can dispute it. The CFPB says to call the card company right away and send a written notice within 60 days after the charge appeared on your statement.

Step 3: Watch the next statement

Check that the next scheduled charge does not go through. If it does, tell your bank or card issuer right away. The CFPB notes that federal law lets you dispute unauthorized transfers from your account, as long as you report them in time. If a company or your bank will not help, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Know what renews next

Automatic payments are easiest to stop before they happen. A list of your recurring charges with a reminder ahead of each renewal gives you time to cancel first. Subex is an Android app for that list: you add subscriptions and bills by hand and can get a reminder 1 or 3 days before each renewal. It does not move money, stop payments or cancel anything for you. Read how to track subscriptions to compare methods, or download Subex.

FAQ

Does stopping automatic payments cancel my subscription?

No. The CFPB says stopping automatic payments does not cancel the contract or what you owe. Cancel with the company as well.

Can my bank stop a recurring payment?

For debits from your bank account, yes. You can tell your bank you have revoked the company’s authorization, and you can ask for a stop payment order, which usually costs a fee.

How far ahead do I need to contact my bank?

To stop the next scheduled debit with a stop payment order, the CFPB says at least three business days before the payment date.

What if a company keeps charging me after I cancel?

Tell your bank or card issuer right away and ask about disputing the charge. Keep your cancellation confirmation as evidence. If that does not resolve it, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.