How to cancel recurring charges?

Ugh, recurring charges. Don’t even get me STARTED. I once had this subscription to a meal kit service – sounded amazing, right? Wrong. The food was…well, let’s just say I ended up eating a lot of takeout anyway. And then I completely forgot about it. For months. Suddenly, BAM, a huge charge on my card. That’s when I learned the hard way how to cancel these things.

So, how do you actually cancel these sneaky little recurring payments? It’s not always as straightforward as you might think. I’ve been through this enough times to know.

If you’re using online banking, here’s generally what you do. It’s a little different depending on your bank, of course – mine is super clunky. But it’s usually something like this:

1. First, you gotta find your credit card – I mean, duh. Sounds simple, but sometimes I feel like I’m playing a Where’s Waldo with my finances.

2. Then you’re usually looking for something called “Account services” or “Manage Accounts” or – and this is my personal nemesis – something vaguely related that’s buried like buried treasure. Seriously, it’s always a treasure hunt!

3. This is where it gets interesting. You should see an option like “Stop recurring payments” or maybe “Manage subscriptions.” Maybe even “Cancel subscriptions.” Fingers crossed, right?

4. Next comes verification – they’re making sure it’s actually you trying to stop the payments, not some random person who got their hands on your card details. This usually involves checking your card number, and maybe confirming the merchant. It’s annoying, I know. But hey, better safe than sorry, you know?

5. Finally, you hit confirm – and that’s it! You’re done. You did it! You successfully stopped that insidious charge. Go you! Now go treat yourself to something you actually want. Because you saved some money. (And maybe order some actual takeout, because, let’s be real, I still order takeout sometimes).

But honestly? Sometimes, it’s easier to just call your bank. They might even have a dedicated department for this stuff! I know it seems old-fashioned, but sometimes a phone call is faster than navigating those endless online menus. Just sayin’.