Customer says they cancelled a subscription

Visa 13.2 is the subscription cancellation reason. The customer says they cancelled and were billed again. Three records decide it: the customer's original agreement to recurring billing, the way you let them cancel, and your cancellation log. Without any of them, refunding is usually the better move.

How it arrives

A 13.2 usually comes within a month or two of the disputed renewal. The notice, which carries the dispute reason (the code on your notice), names the renewal date and amount. Respond before the date on that notice. Your payment company sets it, and it comes before the card network's own limit. Subscription businesses see most of them.

What the issuer is looking for

The customer's bank asks three questions in order.

Did the customer agree at sign-up? A click-through record showing the agreed schedule and price is the centerpiece. Agreement buried in terms the buyer never had to open weakens it.

Was cancelling easy to find and use? Visa expects cancelling to be as easy as signing up. A one-click sign-up that can only be cancelled by phone in business hours fails this test in 2026.

Did the customer use that route before the renewal? An empty cancellation log and a reasonable route support you. If the buyer says they cancelled by email, phone, or chat and you have no record, the bank often sides with them.

Usage records add weight. Logins at and after the renewal date weaken a claim that the buyer cancelled before it.

Common scenarios

• Buyer thought they cancelled. Your records show no request, or one outside the route you published. The question is whether that route was clear and easy.
• Free trial that turned into a paid plan. The strongest position is a checkout step where the buyer acknowledged the switch, with date and amount stated. A mention buried in the terms is weak.
• Cancellation sent by email. If you run a documented cancellation page, the bank often sides with you. If email was the only route the buyer knew, the case is harder.
• Renewal at a higher price. A price change you told them about in advance protects you. An undisclosed one can be reversed.

Related codes

If the customer says the original sign-up was not theirs, the dispute belongs under Visa 10.4 (customer says they didn't make the purchase). If goods were returned and the refund is the issue, see Visa 13.6 (refund never arrived).

How we help

Weak cancellation flows show up here as lost revenue. We draft the response from the customer's agreement, your cancellation route, your cancellation log, and usage data. If you have received one, your first response is free. Try free.