In this guide
Do you qualify?
- Proton states you may cancel within 30 days of the initial purchase and receive a full refund. Inside the window it is a full refund rather than a prorated one.
- Proton states refunds can only be requested once per user. A refund on any earlier Proton purchase spends it.
- The window runs from the initial purchase, so a renewal or a later term is not a fresh 30 days.
- Proton states that cash and bank transfer payments are non-refundable.
- Proton states that only purchases made through its official channels qualify, and that third party or reseller purchases follow the reseller's policy.
- Proton states that after 30 days services are non-refundable, with any further refund at its discretion, and that accounts terminated for terms violations forfeit payments and credits.
ASK WHOEVER TOOK THE MONEY
How to request a Proton refund.
Ask Proton inside the 30 days
This is the route for a subscription bought directly from Proton.
- Check the date of the initial purchase against the 30 days.
- Check whether you have ever had a Proton refund before, because Proton states refunds can only be requested once per user.
- Contact Proton support through its help site with the purchase date and the payment reference.
- Cancel the subscription separately in Settings, All settings, Subscription, so it does not renew while the request is handled.
- Before the plan actually ends, get your storage under the free limit, since a refund ends the plan.
A refund ends the paid plan, which can push an account over the free storage limit into Proton's restricted state. Deal with storage first.
Take credit instead, when changing plans
Outside the refund window, moving to a cheaper plan is the mechanism Proton actually offers, and it returns value rather than money.
- Open Settings, All settings, then Subscription.
- Choose the smaller plan, checking its storage limit against your current usage.
- Confirm the change.
- Check the credit balance shown in your account afterwards.
Proton states unused time is converted into prorated account credits that are applied automatically to future payments. This is not money back: it only has value if you keep paying Proton.
A store or reseller charge
Proton's own policy does not govern money it never collected.
- Identify who charged you from the receipt.
- For an App Store charge, ask Apple through its report a problem site.
- For a Google Play charge, use Google's refund request page: Google decides directly only within 48 hours of the charge.
- For a reseller purchase, Proton states the reseller's own policy applies, so the request goes to them.
- Cancel in the same place, because a refund does not stop a renewal.
What happens next?
- A refund ends the paid plan. If your storage is above the free limit, expect the restricted state Proton documents, including not receiving new email from outside Proton.
- Get under the free storage limit before the plan actually ends, because uploading and receiving stop once the account is limited.
- Proton states account credits from a plan change apply automatically to future payments, so credit reduces a later bill rather than returning to your card.
- Cancelling and refunding are separate. Confirm the subscription shows as not renewing in the Subscription page.
WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO
If you are refused.
I asked within 30 days and was still refused
The most likely reason is Proton's once per user rule: it states refunds can only be requested once per user, so an earlier refund on any Proton purchase closes the door on this one. Other published reasons are a cash or bank transfer payment, which Proton states is non-refundable, and a purchase made through a reseller or an app store, which follows that party's policy.
I was given credit and I wanted my money
Those are different mechanisms rather than a substitution. Proton's prorated account credit is what a plan change produces, and it applies to future payments with Proton. The cash refund only exists inside the 30 days from the initial purchase. If you are leaving Proton entirely, say so and ask specifically about the refund window rather than accepting credit.
My plan changed without my asking and I was charged
Take it as a billing dispute rather than a refund request under the guarantee: say the charge was for a plan you did not authorise, give the date and amount, and ask for it to be reversed. Check the Subscription page for what plan the account currently shows, and cancel the renewal so it does not repeat while the dispute runs.
The charge is more than 30 days old
Proton states services are non-refundable after 30 days, with any further refund at its discretion. The action that helps is cancelling so the next term does not charge, and downgrading to a plan whose storage limit fits your usage so the account does not end up restricted.
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
What is Proton's refund window?
Proton states 30 days from the initial purchase, for a full refund. It also states refunds can only be requested once per user, so the guarantee is available once rather than on each purchase.
Does Proton refund unused time on a plan?
Not as money outside the 30 days. Proton states that unused time on a plan change becomes prorated account credit applied automatically to future payments, which has value only if you keep paying Proton.
Can Proton refund an App Store charge?
No. Apple collected it and decides under its own policy, so ask Apple. The same applies to Google Play, where Google decides directly only within 48 hours of the charge.
Will a refund delete my Proton data?
Not immediately, but it ends the paid plan, and Proton states that an account over the free storage limit becomes restricted and that data risks deletion after one year of unresolved excess. Get under the limit before the plan ends.
Provider resources
- Proton terms and conditions
- Proton: manage your subscription
- Proton: free plan limits and downgrading
- Apple: request a refund for apps or content
- Google Play: request a refund
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Proton. Refund eligibility is decided by the company that billed you, and terms vary by plan, billing provider and country.