How to dispute an unknown recurring payment
Disputing a repeating payment has two halves: stopping any further money leaving, and getting back what has already gone. Which route applies depends on whether it is a recurring card payment or a Direct Debit, so identify that first.
Work out the payment type
Your statement usually shows it. A Direct Debit is normally labelled DD and is collected by the company from your bank account under the Direct Debit Guarantee. A recurring card payment, sometimes called a continuous payment authority, is taken from your card and looks like an ordinary card transaction that happens to repeat.
A standing order is different again: you set it up yourself, and you can cancel it directly in your banking app.
Stopping a recurring card payment
The FCA says you can ask either the business taking the payment or your card issuer to stop a recurring card payment, and the card issuer cannot insist you contact the business first. To stop the next payment, make the request by the end of the business day before it is due.
If you cancelled in time and further payments are still taken, the FCA treats those payments as unauthorised, and the card issuer must refund them along with any related charges.
Direct Debits and the Guarantee
Direct Debits are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee, which entitles you to a full and immediate refund from your bank if an error is made in the payment. You can also cancel a Direct Debit with your bank at any time, though you should tell the company too.
If the payment was never yours
Tell your bank promptly and say clearly that the transactions were not authorised by you. Banks have specific obligations around unauthorised payments, and delay can affect the outcome. Ask them to review the whole series, not just the most recent charge, and ask what they need from you in writing.
If a card payment relates to goods or services you did not receive, chargeback may also be available through the card scheme, and purchases over £100 on a credit card may have additional protection. Rules and time limits apply, so check with your provider rather than assuming.
- Dates and amounts of every payment in the series.
- The exact merchant descriptor from your statement.
- Anything showing you cancelled, if you had a subscription.
- The reference numbers the bank gives you.
If the bank says no
Ask for the decision and the reason in writing, then use the bank's formal complaints process. If you are still unhappy after their final response, the Financial Ombudsman Service handles complaints about UK financial firms free of charge. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
What I'd do next
- Identify whether it is a Direct Debit, card payment or standing order.
- Ask for it to be stopped, in time for the next collection.
- List every payment in the series with dates and amounts.
- Tell the bank clearly if it was unauthorised.
- Complain formally, then escalate, if the answer is unsatisfactory.
Official sources
- FCA — Recurring card payments
- Direct Debit — The Direct Debit Guarantee
- Financial Ombudsman Service — How to complain
Last reviewed: September 2026
Keep the evidence in one place
Feoh can hold the dates, amounts and reference numbers for a disputed payment, so you are not rebuilding the timeline every time you speak to the bank.
Related guides
Feoh is an admin tool, not legal or financial advice.