Being charged by Microsoft, account tied to my card is inaccessible.

Question

I have trouble trying to cancel my subscription to Microsoft 365/Office. I originally used their applications, mostly Visio, for school. And my access to Visio is tied to my Microsoft account that used my email address assigned to me by my school. I realized I was still being charged to this day and I wanted to access the Microsoft account to cancel the subscription. Unfortunately, the system said my school-assigned account doesn't have access to their services, and that I needed to contact the administrator. I contacted my college's IT Support, but in the end, they told me to contact Microsoft Support, which kept asking for the phone number tied to my account, I only know the email, and I do not know if I assigned my phone number to the school-based Microsoft account. Is there anyway I can still cancel my subscription?

Answer 1

Dear @Jason De Los Santos,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I am happy to assist you.

Microsoft Q&A is a public community forum, and moderators here can only provide general guidance and direction based on documented behavior and similar cases. We do not have access to user accounts, tenant environments, billing systems, or security verification tools. For privacy and security reasons, we are also unable to view, validate, or make changes to subscriptions, payments, or account ownership on your behalf.

Because your sign-in is an education account provided by your school, the account is typically managed by the school’s tenant (organization). This means your school controls key settings such as account status, sign-in methods (including security verification), and in some cases licensing and service access. If the school has disabled or changed the account, you may see messages indicating you no longer have access and that you must contact your administrator.

Even if they cannot resolve billing directly, they can often help you regain access (reset sign-in methods/update verification info) so you can manage services correctly. Since the account is under the school’s control, they are usually the correct first point of contact for account access issues.

If you are unable to access the account due to security verification requirements, Microsoft Support may normally assist with validating account ownership through alternative methods. However, since you do not know the phone number linked to the account and cannot complete the verification process, you may consider contacting your bank or card issuer to block recurring payments or stop transactions billed by Microsoft on that card. This can help prevent additional charges while you continue working with your school or Microsoft to resolve the account access issue. Please note that this option is generally considered a last resort when account recovery is not possible.

If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out. I am here to help. Thank you very much for your understanding and your cooperation.

Answer 2

To cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription, you will need to access the account associated with the subscription. Since your account is tied to a school-assigned email and you are having trouble accessing it, here are a few steps you can consider:

1. Contact Your School's IT Support Again: Explain your situation in detail and ask if they can assist you in recovering access to your account or if they can help cancel the subscription on your behalf.
2. Microsoft Support: If you cannot access your account and your school’s IT support cannot help, you may need to contact Microsoft Support directly. You can explain that you do not have the phone number tied to your account and provide them with the email address instead. They may have alternative verification methods.
3. Credit Card Issuer: If you are unable to cancel the subscription through Microsoft Support, you might consider reaching out to your credit card issuer to dispute the charges or to stop future payments. This is often a last resort but can prevent further charges while you resolve the issue.
4. Legal Process: If necessary, you can also explore the legal process to claim ownership of the account, especially if it is a matter of significant financial concern.

Unfortunately, without access to the account, canceling the subscription can be challenging due to Microsoft's security protocols.