UNAUTHORISED RECURRRING BILLING OF MS WORD, OFFICE, ETC. AS OF 2ND JULY 2026

Question

I had a a subscription of MS Office, Word, etc. since October 2025. I cancelled it 3 months ago as I didn't need it any longer. I was given an extra 3 months use for free. I got an email this morning informing me that recurring billing started today 2nd July 2026 ( R159.00).

WHY and WHO authorised this, when I had CANCELLED it 3 MONTHS AGO!???? You can't just go ahead and do this WITHOUT me requesting it or renewing my subscription - this amounts to FRAUD. I have already CANCELLED this ridiculously presumptuous action. I DID NOT AUTHORISE or CONSENT to it. This is HIGHLY IRREGULAR.

The email also informed me that I would get a refund if I cancelled within 30 days. I have cancelled already, so where is the feedback from MS regarding a successful cancellation AND a confirmation of a REFUND?

I demand to see this in writing.

Answer 1

Hi, Yasmin Omar

I understand why this feels unacceptable. If you cancelled the subscription and were then charged again on 2 July 2026, the important thing now is to confirm which Microsoft account/subscription caused the charge and get written confirmation of cancellation and refund eligibility. The most recent recurring billing charge may be refundable if cancelled within 30 days after payment.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Sign in at Microsoft Services and subscriptions using the same account that originally bought Office. Open the subscription and check whether it says Cancelled, Expires on, or Turn on recurring billing. If it says Turn on recurring billing, recurring billing is already off and it should not renew again.

Then go to your Microsoft order history/payment page and look for the R159 charge. If you see an option to investigate or request help, use that and save screenshots. If the refund is not shown automatically after cancellation, contact Microsoft Support and ask them to confirm in writing that the subscription was cancelled and whether the refund has been processed. If the charge cannot be found under any of your accounts, it is recommended that you contact your bank/card provider and dispute it as unauthorized.

Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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