Recurring charge on old email address

Question

I'm trying to cancel a recurring subscription charge on an old email address that is no longer active.

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Please be advised that unless the account owner is able to access the account, subscription cancellation is not possible, and Microsoft personnel cannot retrieve this information.

If you are no longer able to recover your account, you will need to reach out directly to your bank/financial institution and request to freeze all charges from Microsoft, cancelling the subscription on its renewal in the process.

Then you may also need to request a new payment method from your bank.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

To stop the recurring subscription charge, the subscription must be managed from the Microsoft account that owns it. If that account’s email address is “old” but still exists as a Microsoft account, sign in there and turn off recurring billing or cancel the subscription. If access to that account is not possible, the recurring charge must be stopped through the payment provider instead.

Use these options, depending on what is still accessible:

1. If sign-in to the old Microsoft account is still possible
   1. Go to the Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the old account.
   2. Find the Microsoft 365 (or other) subscription under Services & subscriptions.
   3. Select Manage.
   4. To stop future charges, either:
      • Select Turn off recurring billing and confirm, or
      • Select Cancel subscription and follow the prompts.
   5. The subscription will remain usable until the expiry date; charges will stop after that.
2. If the subscription was bought through a third party (Apple App Store, Google Play, retailer)
   • Management (including cancellation and turning off recurring billing) must be done with that third party.
   • Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services, select Manage next to the subscription, and follow the guidance shown there to contact the billing partner.
3. If the old Microsoft account cannot be accessed at all
   • Microsoft cannot cancel a subscription without verifying ownership of the account.
   • The practical way to stop the recurring charge is to cancel it directly with the bank or card issuer that is processing the payment. Ask them to block or stop recurring payments to Microsoft for that subscription.

If the subscription is already in an Expired state, no further recurring charges will occur.

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References:

• Turn recurring billing on or off for a Microsoft subscription
• Change your Microsoft subscription payment method and options
• Renew or cancel your Microsoft 365 for business subscription
• Request refund - Microsoft Q&A
• How to Cancel Microsoft 365 subscription if you do not have account info? Or get anyone to help? - Microsoft Q&A