PayPal Keeps Charging Me: What You Can Do to Stop It

You’re checking your PayPal account after yet another notification hits your inbox. There it is, a charge you don’t recognize. It’s not the first time either. Your mind races. "How did this happen again?" There’s no greater frustration than being billed repeatedly for something you either never signed up for or thought you had canceled. Whether it's a forgotten subscription or a processing error, recurring charges on PayPal can quickly become a nightmare. But there’s a way out. Stick with me, and I’ll walk you through exactly what you can do to stop these charges, get your money back, and ensure it never happens again.

The first thing you should know is that PayPal doesn’t just randomly charge you. There's always a reason behind it. It might be an automatic payment you authorized, a subscription service, or even a phishing scam. The tricky part? Many times, you don’t even realize you've given the green light for these charges.

So, how do you stop it?

Let’s break this down, starting from the last place you’d think to look. Deep in your PayPal account settings is a section called “Automatic Payments.” This section is a hidden gem because it's where all your ongoing charges live, sometimes long after you've forgotten about them. Here's where PayPal stores all your active billing agreements with merchants, and the problem could be lying there.

1. Check your automatic payments. Log into your PayPal account and head to your settings. Once there, locate the “Payments” tab. Inside, you’ll find a link to Manage Automatic Payments. This is your roadmap. Scroll through the list and inspect every merchant. You’ll probably be shocked to see names you don’t even recognize. That’s because many companies automatically set up recurring charges without explicitly telling you upfront.

2. Cancel what you don’t need. Once you’ve spotted the culprit, cancel the automatic payment. PayPal makes this relatively easy: just click the payment and select “Cancel” under the merchant’s details. Now that the payment is canceled, you won’t be charged in the future.

   However, there’s more to it. Even after you cancel, PayPal won’t refund past charges automatically. For that, you’ll need to contact the merchant directly.

3. Contact the merchant. After you cancel the payment on PayPal’s end, it’s time to reach out to the company that’s been billing you. You may find they are unresponsive, in which case it’s time to escalate the issue.

How do you get your money back?

Now that you’ve stopped the recurring payments, let’s address the elephant in the room: How do you recover the money you’ve already been charged?

Here’s the deal. PayPal has a solid buyer protection program. If you feel the charges were unauthorized or unjustified, you can file a dispute. To do this, go to your PayPal account, find the “Resolution Center,” and file a claim. You’ll need to provide evidence, so be ready to explain why the charge was unauthorized or why you should be refunded.

There are typically two scenarios here:

• Unauthorized payments: If you didn’t authorize the payment, PayPal will investigate. In many cases, if they determine you didn’t give permission for the charge, they’ll refund you the full amount.
• Faulty service or product: If the charge was for a service or product that wasn’t delivered as promised, you can also claim a refund. PayPal may require proof, such as communication with the merchant or evidence that the service was canceled.

But here’s the catch: PayPal’s dispute process has time limits. Typically, you must file within 180 days of the charge. If you’re well past that window, recovering the money can be challenging, though not impossible.

Why does this keep happening?

To understand why you keep getting charged, you need to recognize a few things about how digital payments work. When you sign up for a service—whether it’s a monthly subscription to Netflix, a trial of some obscure software, or even a one-time purchase—you might not always realize that you’re agreeing to future charges.

Companies often use sneaky tactics. Many times, the recurring nature of a payment is buried in the fine print. You sign up for a free trial, but after a week or two, it converts into a paid subscription without any further notice.

That’s why it’s essential to review your payment agreements periodically. Even the most diligent of us can fall prey to these tactics. In fact, a study by the Better Business Bureau found that 27% of people have paid for subscriptions they didn’t know they had.

Here’s a useful tip: Check your email regularly for subscription notices. Many companies will send reminders before charging your account, but they often get lost in the flood of promotional emails. Setting up a separate folder for subscription-related emails can help you stay on top of things.

What if it’s a scam?

While most recurring charges come from legitimate merchants, there’s always a chance that your account has been compromised. If you notice a charge from a merchant you’ve never heard of, or if it seems completely unrelated to any service you use, it might be a phishing attack or a fraudulent charge.

In this case, time is of the essence. Immediately change your PayPal password and enable two-factor authentication if you haven’t already. This adds an extra layer of security to your account and prevents hackers from getting in again. You should also report the charge to PayPal as fraudulent.

But how did this happen in the first place? It’s possible that your PayPal details were exposed in a data breach or that you fell victim to a phishing email. Always verify emails that claim to be from PayPal—hover over the sender's address to make sure it’s legitimate. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they target users, often mimicking official PayPal emails to a T.

Final thoughts: Protect yourself going forward

The key to avoiding future problems is being proactive. Here are some final steps you can take to protect yourself:

• Review your automatic payments monthly. Make it a habit to check the “Automatic Payments” section in your PayPal settings. It’s easy to forget what services you’ve signed up for, and regularly reviewing this section can help you catch any unexpected charges before they snowball.

• Use PayPal’s notification settings. PayPal allows you to customize your notification settings. Set up alerts for every transaction that happens on your account, so you’ll never be caught off guard by an unexpected charge again.

• Stay vigilant about phishing scams. Fraudulent emails and messages designed to steal your PayPal credentials are on the rise. Always double-check the sender’s email address and never click on suspicious links.

Stopping PayPal from charging you unexpectedly doesn’t have to be a painful process. By staying alert and taking the right precautions, you can regain control of your finances and ensure that you're only paying for the things you actually want.