How to get a Google Play refund

Google says it does not give refunds for most Google Play purchases, but it lists exceptions. The rules depend on what you bought, when and how you paid, and where you live.

Most apps on Google Play are made by outside developers, not Google. The developer can handle purchase problems and refunds under its own policies and the law, and Google says contacting the developer directly is often the quickest way to sort out a refund.

Google also says it usually cannot refund you if you gave your account or payment details to someone else, appear to be abusing its policies, or do not protect your account with authentication. Donations to nonprofits are not refundable.

Start with the Request a refund link on Google Play's refund help page. If your purchase does not show up there, request it from the Google Play website:

Google lists partial subscription refunds as a separate policy for Israel, France and Germany only, and has a separate refund page for people in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom.

Google says to go to the developer when it has been more than 48 hours since you bought something, when an in-app purchase or subscription was not delivered or does not work, when a refund was not available through Request a refund, or when you made a purchase by accident.

If a friend or family member accidentally bought something with your account, Google says to request a refund, not to report an unauthorized charge.

In a Google family group, the family manager is responsible for purchases made with the family payment method and gets an email receipt for each one. Either the family manager or the family member who made the purchase can ask for a refund, and the money goes back to the family payment method.

To prevent it happening again, turn on purchase verification in the Play Store app under Payments & subscriptions, then Purchase verification. Google always asks for verification on purchases in apps and games designed for ages 12 and under. For a child under 18 whose account is managed with Family Link, the parent can set purchase approvals.

Google Play purchases appear on your statement as GOOGLE* followed by the app developer's name, the app's name or the content type, such as GOOGLE*Books. If a charge does not start that way, Google says it did not come from Google Play, and you should contact your payment method's fraud department. Our guide to a charge that should not be there covers what to ask your bank.

If the charge is from Google Play and no one you know made it, report it to Google:

Google returns approved refunds to the payment method you used. How long it takes depends on how you paid:

If your refund status says Refunded, you should find a credit on your payment method. If it says Cancelled, the order was never charged, so there is no credit to look for. Our guide to tracking a refund shows how to follow the credit to your statement.

To stop a subscription from renewing, go to Subscriptions in Google Play, select it, tap Cancel subscription and follow the instructions. Uninstalling the app does not cancel it. You keep access until the end of the period you paid for, and Google may place an authorization hold on your payment method up to 48 hours before a renewal.

Your Google Play orders are listed in the Play Store under Payments & subscriptions, then Budget & history. For Apple purchases, see our iPhone cancellation guide. For other companies, the subscription cancellation guide covers where to cancel, and the Money Leak Finder gives a rough estimate of what forgotten charges cost you.