Can a customer dispute a subscription charge they forgot to cancel?

13.2 requires that permission was withdrawn before the charge. A cancellation made after the transaction is not valid for 13.2.

What must the bank provide?

The issuer must certify the date permission was withdrawn and how the merchant was contacted.

Visa · Chargeback reason codes

Visa 13.2 chargeback: Cancelled Recurring Transaction, and how to win it

Checked October 31, 2026

Visa reason code 13.2, Cancelled Recurring Transaction, means the cardholder says a recurring charge was billed after they withdrew permission or after their account was closed. The bank has 120 days from the processing date to file and must certify the cancellation date and how you were contacted. Win it by showing no cancellation arrived before the charge, or the customer kept using the service; the dispute covers only the unused portion.

Category: Consumer dispute
Time limit for the bank to file: 120 days from the transaction processing date
Time limit to respond: Your processor's deadline (on Stripe usually 7–21 days); under Visa rules the acquirer files a Dispute Response within 30 days of the dispute processing date
Typical evidence: Dated record of no cancellation, cancellation terms, proof of use after the claimed cancellation
Can it be prevented?: Yes: easy cancellation, written confirmation, stop billing at once
Who usually wins: Depends on dates: billed after a valid cancellation, the cardholder

What PlatformDTC does

For a "cancelled subscription" dispute, PlatformDTC's response states that no cancellation was recorded before the renewal, gives the subscription reference, and quotes the cancellation policy the customer saw at checkout. Before a first renewal it emails the customer the charge date, and it stops the subscription the moment any dispute opens. With "Answer a chargeback automatically" switched on, it sends the response to the bank for you before the deadline.

What it means

The cardholder says they cancelled the subscription or told you the account was closed, and you charged them anyway. It covers only the unused portion of the charge.

It does not cover cardholder-initiated or unscheduled card-on-file charges, installments outside Europe, fraud claims, or a cancellation made after the transaction.

Why customers file it

The cancellation was not processed in time, the cancel flow was hard to find, or the customer forgot about the renewal and sees an unexpected charge.

Evidence that wins

Under Visa rules every response can also show that you already refunded and the bank ignored it, that the dispute is invalid, or that the cardholder withdrew it.

Records showing no cancellation was received before the charge
The cancellation terms and how they were shown at checkout
Proof the cardholder used the service after the claimed cancellation and before the dispute
Proof the cancellation was set for a later date and service continued until then

How to prevent it

Make cancelling easy and confirm it in writing with the effective date
Stop billing immediately on cancellation
Send a reminder before a free trial or intro price turns into a paid renewal

For developers

On Stripe the dispute object arrives with reason "subscription_canceled" and the card network's own code in payment_method_details.card.network_reason_code; listen for charge.dispute.created and read evidence_details.due_by for the deadline.

Consumer Dispute (category 13) disputes have a Dispute Response stage: the acquirer answers within 30 days, then the issuer may pre-arbitrate within 30 days of that response.

Frequently asked questions

Can a customer dispute a subscription charge they forgot to cancel?: 13.2 requires that permission was withdrawn before the charge. A cancellation made after the transaction is not valid for 13.2.
What must the bank provide?: The issuer must certify the date permission was withdrawn and how the merchant was contacted.