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How to get a refund on Google Play

By LookedApp · Published

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Ask Google first if you bought something within the last 48 hours. After 48 hours, contact the app's developer instead. Google says it doesn't refund most Play purchases; within 48 hours you "may be able to" get one.

Within 48 hours

  1. Go to play.google.com and click your profile picture, top right.
  2. Open Payments & subscriptions, then Budget & order history.
  3. Find the order and click Report a problem.
  4. Choose the option that matches what happened, say you want a refund, and submit.

There's also a direct form at support.google.com/googleplay?p=refundAWF. If the purchase isn't listed there, use the steps above. If the order isn't on the website either, you may have bought it on another Google Account.

Some rules from Google's apps refund policy:

  • A refunded paid app is uninstalled.
  • You can refund a given app or game only once. Buy it again and it's not refundable.
  • A purchase of several items can only be refunded as a whole.

Multiple requests for the same purchase don't speed anything up. Allow 1 to 4 days for a decision; it's usually one.

When the money arrives

An approved refund goes back to the original payment method. For a credit or debit card that's 3 to 5 business days, sometimes up to 10. Play balance (gift card or credit) is 1 business day, occasionally up to 3. Mobile carrier billing takes 1 to 30 business days for prepaid and 1 to 2 monthly statements for postpaid. Other methods are listed on Google's timelines page.

After 48 hours

Contact the developer. Google lists three reasons to: a question about the app, an in-app purchase that wasn't delivered or isn't working, or a refund request after the 48 hours. Developers process refunds under their own policies and applicable law. Some details of a refund request may be shared with them.

Charges you didn't make

A charge you don't recognize on your card, made by nobody you know, counts as unauthorized. Report it within 120 days of the transaction. If a friend or family member bought something by accident on your account, that's a normal refund request instead.

When a refund usually isn't possible

  • You gave your account or payment details to someone else.
  • Your requests look like abuse of the refund policy.
  • The account isn't protected with authentication.
  • Donations to nonprofits, which are non-refundable.

Rules also differ by product (Books, Play Pass, gift cards), by payment method, and by region. The EEA and UK have their own rules for purchases made on or after March 28, 2018.

Cancelling a subscription is a different action from refunding it. See how to cancel an app subscription on iPhone or Android.

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