A company you subscribed to closes, the website goes dark, support stops answering — and yet the monthly charge keeps posting to your card. This is one of the few cases where cancelling at the source is impossible, because there is no source left to cancel with. When the merchant has genuinely shut down, the only reliable way to stop the recurring payment runs through your bank or card network. This page explains how to confirm the company is really gone, how to identify the actual biller, and how to stop the charge and dispute what has already been taken.
Search for the company and check whether the website, app, or support is truly offline, or whether it was renamed, acquired, or just hard to reach. If any working contact or account portal still exists, try to cancel there first — that is faster and lower-risk than a bank dispute.
Look at exactly how the charge appears on your statement. APPLE.COM/BILL means the plan lives in your Apple account; a Google Play line means Google Play; a PayPal line means PayPal automatic payments; a processor's name (rather than the brand) means a payment company is collecting it. If the charge runs through one of these, you may be able to cancel it there even though the company is gone.
If the descriptor points to an app store or PayPal, open that platform's subscriptions or automatic-payments settings and cancel the entry directly. The platform keeps managing the recurring authorization regardless of whether the original company still operates, so this often stops the charge cleanly.
If the charge goes straight to your card and there is no platform to cancel through, contact your bank or card issuer. You can ask them to stop or block the recurring payment from that merchant. Explain that the company has shut down and you cannot reach anyone to cancel.
For charges that already posted from a company that no longer provides the service, ask your bank or card issuer about disputing them as a billing error or as charges for goods or services not received. Keep evidence that the company closed — screenshots of a dead site, bounced emails, or news of the closure.
Closing the card stops everything on it. Asking the bank to block one merchant is usually enough. Replacing or closing the whole card number is a heavier step that stops every recurring charge and auto-payment tied to it — useful as a last resort, but only after you have noted the other subscriptions you still want, so a needed one does not silently fail. Confirm exactly what the block covers with your issuer.
A charge from a company you forgot even existed is exactly the kind that slips past for months. SubScan adds up every recurring charge, flags the ones you no longer recognize, and shows your true monthly and yearly total with renewal dates — so a defunct service cannot keep quietly billing you. Everything runs on your device: no bank login, no account, no upload.
Find every recurring charge →When a merchant has shut down, your card's protections are usually the practical path. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act you generally have about 60 days from the statement date to dispute a billing error on a credit card, and Regulation E covers unauthorized debit-card transactions on a different timeline; charges for a service a closed company can no longer provide may qualify. A proposed FTC "click-to-cancel" rule that would have tightened cancellation requirements was struck down by a US appeals court in July 2025 and is not currently in effect, but rules such as ROSCA and various state auto-renewal laws still apply to recurring billing. If a company filed for bankruptcy, there may be a formal claims process, and large or complex losses may be worth raising with a qualified professional. This page is informational and does not cancel, block, or dispute anything for you.
A recurring charge is a standing authorization on your card that keeps running on schedule until something stops it — the company closing does not cancel it automatically. The charge may also run through an app store, reseller, or payment processor that is still operating, or the brand may have been sold to a new owner now billing under the old name. Check your statement descriptor to see who is really collecting the money.
First, see whether the charge runs through an app store or PayPal — if so, cancel the entry in that platform's subscription or automatic-payment settings, which works even when the original company is gone. If it goes straight to your card, contact your bank or card issuer and ask them to stop or block the recurring payment from that merchant.
Possibly. Ask your bank or card issuer about disputing charges that posted from a company that no longer provides the service, as a billing error or as goods or services not received. Keep evidence that the company closed, such as screenshots of a dead site or news of the shutdown. A refund or successful dispute is at the bank's or merchant's discretion and is not guaranteed, and card disputes have time limits.
That is a heavy last resort. Asking your bank to block the single merchant is usually enough. Replacing or closing the whole card number stops every recurring charge and auto-payment tied to it, so first note the subscriptions you still want, or a needed one may silently fail. Confirm exactly what the block or replacement covers with your issuer.
List every recurring charge from your last two or three statements and match each to a service you still use. Anything you no longer recognize — including from companies that have closed — is worth stopping. SubScan does this on-device, surfacing every recurring charge and its renewal date, with no bank login required.
For informational purposes only — not financial or legal advice. SubScan does not cancel, block, refund, or dispute charges on your behalf. Whether a charge can be stopped, reversed, or refunded is at the discretion of the platform, bank, card issuer, or merchant and is not guaranteed. Consumer-protection rules such as the Fair Credit Billing Act, Regulation E, ROSCA, and state auto-renewal laws apply in the United States and details can vary by state and over time; confirm the current process and your rights with your own bank, card issuer, or a qualified professional. Brand and service names are used for identification only.