In this guide
Do you qualify?
- 48 hours from the purchase is the line. Within it, you may be able to get a refund from Google, depending on the details of the purchase. After it, the app's developer decides under its own policy and applicable law.
- Charges that neither you nor anyone you know made are reported separately, within 120 days of the transaction.
- Cancelling does not refund the rest of the current period. Google supports partial refunds for subscriptions only in Israel, France, Germany and New York.
- In the European Economic Area and the UK, Google gives refunds for Play purchases that are faulty or do not match their description.
- An unused prepaid plan can be cancelled for a refund request from your Play subscriptions.
- Google says it usually cannot refund if you gave your account or payment details to someone else, appear to be abusing its policies, or do not protect your account with authentication.
ASK WHOEVER TOOK THE MONEY
How to request a Play Store refund.
Within 48 hours: ask Google
Google's own refund form. It covers apps, games and in-app purchases, including subscription charges billed through Google Play.
- Go to play.google.com and sign in with the Google Account that was charged. If the order is not there, you may have bought it on a different Google Account.
- Click your profile picture at the top right, then Payments & subscriptions, then Budget & order history.
- For the order you want to return, click Report a problem.
- Select the option that describes your situation, complete the form and note that you would like a refund.
- Click Submit. Google usually decides within one day, and it can take up to four.
Google may share some information from a refund request with the developer. Sending several requests for the same charge does not speed up the decision.
After 48 hours: ask the developer
Most apps on Google Play are made by third-party developers rather than Google. After 48 hours, Google directs refund requests to them, and each developer refunds under its own policy and applicable law. Google says contacting the developer directly is often the quickest route in any case.
- On play.google.com, open the app's page and scroll to the App support section for the developer's contact details.
- Send the transaction ID from your Play order history, the purchase date, the amount paid and the reason you want a refund.
- Google says to expect a reply within three business days for a problem with a purchase.
A charge you did not make
A Google Play charge that neither you nor anyone you know made follows a separate process with a much longer window. A purchase a friend or family member made by accident on your account is not in this group: Google says to request an ordinary refund for that.
- Report the unauthorized charge to Google within 120 days of the transaction, using the link in Google Play's refund policies.
- If someone you know made the purchase with your account, use Report a problem in your order history instead.
- Protect the account. Google says it usually cannot refund when account or payment details were given to someone else, or when the account is not protected with authentication.
What happens next?
- Google usually decides within one day, and it can take up to four. You can check the status in your Google Pay account.
- An approved refund returns to the payment method used for the purchase. Cards and PayPal take 3 to 5 business days and sometimes up to 10. Google Play balance takes 1 business day and occasionally up to 3. Online banking takes 1 to 10 business days. Prepaid carrier billing takes 1 to 30 business days, and postpaid carrier billing usually shows within 2 monthly statements.
- A status of Refunded means the credit is on its way to your payment method. Cancelled means the order was never charged, so no credit will appear.
- Google says that when a refund is issued, you lose access to the item.
- Do not count on a refund to cancel the subscription. Check Google Play subscriptions afterwards, and cancel it if a renewal date still shows.
WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO
If you are refused.
Report a problem does not get me a refund
If more than 48 hours have passed since the purchase, Google's policy sends the request to the app's developer instead. Use the contact details in the App support section of the app's Play page, and include the transaction ID from your order history.
The purchase is not in my order history
You are most likely signed in to a different Google Account. Check the address the Google Play receipt was sent to and sign in with that one. If there is no Google Play receipt, the charge was not billed through Play, and the refund request belongs to whoever sent the receipt.
Google refused the refund
Google does not publish an appeal process for a declined refund. What is left is the app's developer, who can refund under its own policy, and, for a charge nobody you know made, Google's unauthorized-charge report within 120 days of the transaction.
The refund was approved but the money is not there
Check the timeline for the payment method you used before assuming it failed. Postpaid carrier billing is the slowest: it usually takes up to two monthly statements, so the credit may land on the bill after next. If a card is no longer active, Google says the refund goes to the bank that issued it.
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
Can I get a Google Play subscription refund after 48 hours?
Ask the developer. After 48 hours, Google directs refund requests to the app's developer, who decides under its own policy and applicable law.
Can I cancel an app purchase, or only a subscription?
Only a subscription can be cancelled. It renews until you stop it, so cancelling ends the next charge. A one-time purchase, such as a paid app or an in-app item, never renews, so there is nothing to cancel: the only way to undo it is a refund request. Google allows a paid app or game to be returned for a refund only once.
Do I get money back for the rest of my subscription if I cancel?
Usually not. Google's rule is that you keep the subscription for the time already paid for, and it supports partial refunds for subscriptions only in Israel, France, Germany and New York. If you cancel a yearly plan in July, you keep access until it would have renewed, and you are not charged again.
How long does a Google Play refund take?
The decision usually takes a day and can take four. After that, the money's arrival depends on the payment method: 3 to 5 business days for cards, about a day for Google Play balance, and up to two monthly statements for postpaid carrier billing.
Does a refund cancel my subscription?
Do not assume it does. Google's refund pages do not say a refund stops the renewal, so open Google Play subscriptions after the refund and cancel if the subscription still shows a renewal date.
Provider resources
- Google Play: refund policies for apps, games and subscriptions
- Google Play: refund policies
- Google Play: request a refund
- Google Play: check the status of a refund request
- Google Play: refund timelines by payment method
- Google Play: partial refunds for subscriptions
- Google Play: EEA and UK refund policies
- Google Play: contact an app's developer
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Play Store and does not request refunds on your behalf. Refund eligibility is decided by the company that billed you, or by the app's developer where an app store passes the request on, and terms vary by plan, billing provider and country.