Stopping a future payment on your debit or credit card

This advice applies to England

If you agree that someone can take a payment from your credit or debit card at a future date, known as a continuous payment authority, you can cancel the payment before it is taken. This applies to:

  • one-off payments, for example to pay back a payday loan
  • regular payments, such as payments for a gym membership or magazine subscription.

The rules about cancelling future card payments do not apply to card purchases for goods or services, such as in a shop or paying a hotel bill.

This page tells you about when you can stop a card payment, how to stop card payments and what to do if the card provider doesn't put things right.

Top tips

You'll still have to pay for the goods or service

If you stop payments which relate to another agreement, such as a loan or to pay for a club or gym membership or a magazine subscription, you'll need to make another arrangement to pay the money you agreed.

Stopping a card payment

The law says you can withdraw your consent and stop a future payment under a continuous payment authority at any time up to the end of business on the day before the payment is due.

To withdraw consent, simply tell whoever issued your card (the bank, building society or credit card company) that you don't want the payment to be made. You can tell the card issuer by phone, email or letter.

Your card issuer has no right to insist that you ask the company taking the payment first. They have to stop the payments if you ask them to.

If you ask to stop a payment, the card issuer should investigate each case on its own merit. They should not apply a blanket policy of refusing to refund payments taken when the client gave their account number out.

You should point out to the card issuer that they should follow the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance on unauthorised payments from your account.

Cancelling the payment by phone

If you phone, it's a good idea to follow up the call in writing so you have proof of your instruction to cancel. But the company should take your phone call as the instruction and stop the arrangement straight away, not wait for you to confirm in writing.

If the person you speak to says you can't stop the payments, ask to speak to someone more senior. If they still won't stop the payments, ask them to put a record of the call on your account so you can refer to it later if you need to. Make sure you keep a note of the date, time and who you spoke to as well, in case you need to make a complaint.

If the card provider won't stop the payments

If the card provider goes ahead and allows a payment to be taken when you ask them not to, you're entitled to your money back. They'll also have to cancel any interest and charges added to your account because they let the payment go through.

Getting your money back

If your bank, building society or credit card company doesn't refund your money for a payment they shouldn't have allowed, write and ask for your money back under the company's complaints procedure.

If you're still not satisfied, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

You can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service helpline on 0300 123 9 123 or visit the website at: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Get help with bills and budgeting

If you're trying to cut your spending, or are having problems with your outgoings, you could get help with bills. You could also use our budgeting tool to see exactly where your money goes each month.

Page last reviewed: 20 February 2020