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Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: Drazen_/Getty Images February 28, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer and columnist at CreditCards.com and Bankrate, addressing debt and credit card-related legal and regulatory issues. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Experience: is an editor at CreditCards.com specializing in product news and recommendations. Prior to joining the financial services space, she worked as a copywriter and content writer for a software company in the automotive industry. Kaitlyn is passionate about personal finance, particularly how Gen Z and young millennials grapple with finance now that they are beginning to take on debt and make larger purchases. She hopes her writing demystifies the world of personal finance, making financial advice accessible and comprehensible to everyone. She believes that no one should be discouraged from taking ownership of their own finances due to a lack of financial literacy. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to: Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options. Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions. Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you. At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
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You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. There is an abundance of online scams, and multiple ways for consumers to find themselves entangled with unscrupulous businesses. One of the more prominent consumer complaints is about autorenewals. Sometimes, a business might tempt you with the offer of a “free trial” period and then start billing you after that trial period ends. It may even be that you signed up for a subscription and then ran into billing issues later. Reader Simone is experiencing the latter kind of issue with her Walmart Plus subscription. She writes: “Is it legal for a store to charge my credit card without consent? I was enrolled in a yearly subscription and received an email that my credit card information needed to be updated or the subscription will cancel if no action was taken. I was fine with the cancellation so decided to let it cancel, only to find out several days later a card I had stored on the website was used instead without my knowledge. It wasn’t my default card that I had set up.” Negative options and autorenewals
If you are a happy consumer, an automatic subscription renewal can be a convenience. However, that’s not always the case, and it often makes life easier for a business, rather than you, when it extends your subscription automatically. Considering the scope for abuse in such matters, the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA) addresses what’s called a “.” A negative option is a situation in which you are billed for something unless you specifically ask not to be billed. This is often the case with subscriptions (as well as free trial offers). The law requires businesses that use a negative option feature to clearly state your subscription will automatically renew, and you will continue to be billed after it expires, unless you take specific action. Businesses also cannot make it difficult for you to cancel your subscription, and they should provide a simple process to cancel. At the time you signed up, the business should have conspicuously disclosed these terms and gotten your informed consent to a subscription renewal. Charging stored credit card without consent
According to the (FTC), “Under the law, businesses must take steps to ensure that charges to customers’ credit cards, debit cards, phone bills, and other accounts are authorized. Those principles apply to mobile payments, too. It’s also illegal to bill people for negative options, automatic shipments, or continuity programs without their express consent.” The requires that consumers give their permission before a credit card is charged. There are also rules that govern how a . According to the law firm , “Consumers have complained about unexpected and hard to cancel recurring charges that appear on their financial statements. Additionally, several major companies have been hit with legal action over allegedly deceptive auto-renew charges. Recently, state legislatures have enacted laws protecting consumers and requiring companies using auto-renew to meet strict standards.” For instance, the FTC pursued a case against MyLife, a website that provides profiles of individuals with their personal information, stating the business did not provide clear and conspicuous information on the material terms of their subscription before getting consumers’ billing information. Recourse for autorenewal without consent
Considering that prevention is better than a cure, it would help if you looked into the terms of a subscription before signing up for it. If a box has been checked indicating you are consenting to autorenewal, you should uncheck it to indicate that you are not on board with autorenewal. And find out how you can cancel your subscription if you don’t want to continue it after it expires. If you are billed for autorenewal without your consent, even after taking such precautions, you should with your credit card company at the earliest convenience. If it investigates the matter and rules for you, you would be given back your money by crediting your account, in what’s called a chargeback. You could also against the company with the FTC. A number of states, including New York and California, have consumer protections addressing autorenewals. If your state has such laws, you could also make a complaint to your state attorney general. The bottom line
Simone, looks like your Walmart Plus subscription was renewed using a negative option feature since you did not specifically opt out of the renewal. Moreover, it seems the business used your stored credit card without your permission. You should file a dispute with your card issuer about the charge. You should also file a complaint with the FTC about the autorenewal, and your state attorney general if your state has consumer protections dealing with autorenewals. Hope you’re able to resolve this matter! Contact me at with your credit card-related questions. SHARE: Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer and columnist at CreditCards.com and Bankrate, addressing debt and credit card-related legal and regulatory issues. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Experience: is an editor at CreditCards.com specializing in product news and recommendations. Prior to joining the financial services space, she worked as a copywriter and content writer for a software company in the automotive industry. Kaitlyn is passionate about personal finance, particularly how Gen Z and young millennials grapple with finance now that they are beginning to take on debt and make larger purchases. She hopes her writing demystifies the world of personal finance, making financial advice accessible and comprehensible to everyone. She believes that no one should be discouraged from taking ownership of their own finances due to a lack of financial literacy. Related Articles