Hacker News Reader

Comment by h4kunamata | Hacker News Reader

Easy fix, wait for the next billing, contact the bank explaining what happened, and block that and future debits.

At least in Australia, this shouldn't be a problem.

By comparison, Goldman, the bank operating Apple Card in the U.S., has previously refused to perform that block future debits process for me; they simply didn’t have the capability. I ended up closing my account with them to stop the charges, which worked perfectly. I envy Australia’s apparent regulation to compel merchants to do so.

As an additional data point, in the UK I can just login to my banking app and remove the authorisation for a particular vendor (or, for people who don't use online banking, I could phone up to do the same thing).

I think it’s the bank that blocks the merchant here in Aus.

I'd imagine if you have a card payment reverted to Google and they ban you in return, you're in a world of pain (that you are in the right probably doesn't matter).

The OP is already banned? Whats the issue in cancelling a charge you cannot use?

Google has a degree of seperation value stored on every account. Once the algorithm determines its been wronged it increases the radius so expect your household members and work colleagues accounts to be at risk when you try this.

For three generations, unless you watch re-education videos.

Do you work for Google? I’m not sure what the problem is you’re describing.

bullshit - canceling the authorization will have no affect on your account at all, the subscription will just end.

In Google's eyes cancelling the authorisation is robbing them because they charge in advance and they might even cop a rejected payment fee.

I agree there may be no other option, I'm just warning to be ready and prepare for the possible loss of "connected" (in Google eyes) accounts.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45157001

Definitely not bullshit. I have a friend who was banned simply for returning a Pixel phone after accidentally ordering 2. Some automated mechanism flagged it as potential fraud and nothing worked to reverse the ban. Going to the bank to block payments, remove authorization, or God forbid, do a chargeback for the money they already took after banning you is playing Russian roulette with your Google account.

It's also the only way to stop Google from stealing your money short of going to a lawyer.

The account is already banned.

The Youtube account is banned. Google can escalate things and widen the net to ban anything and everything you have in the Google ecosystem, like a Gmail account. You can see here [0] that OP still has access to the Gmail account.

[0] https://pocketables.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-4-1...

It’s not clear that that is the Gmail account to be fair.

Still, you’re not going to let Google continue charging you for nothing and still keep your email with them.

Anyone who has anything like this happen to them is moving off Google products.

This is not an easy fix. Charge backs will lead to life-time permanent bans. Which means you're now forced to buy an iPhone in order to pass store attestation for essential applications like banking apps, government ID, age verification, etc.

Assuming the chargeback is made in good faith, why do the laws allowing for chargebacks in the first place permit this?

Same for uk. Can cancel direct debits from the bank website.

Things like this would probably not be via direct debit though

Yeah. Recurring card purchases are hard to stop. They can keep going even after the card has been cancelled or expired. The direct debit guarantee is so nice in comparison.

> Easy fix, wait for the next billing, contact the bank explaining what happened, and block that and future debits

You'd also want to mail a letter to Google documenting that you're cancelling your subscription. Cancelling a payment method alone doesn't void a contract.

I doubt Google would do this. But there are plenty of trashy litigation-finance shops that buy up these abandoned contracts for pennies on the dollar and then try to collect. Even if you never give them any money, it would trash your credit for a while.

I some countries, however, this may penalize you, credit score wise or whatever.

This option, in my opinion, should truly be the last resource, after exhausting (and documenting) every other route.

Very important: public routes, like Twitter Support, even better (make sure every step is traceable if the only option left is, indeed, blocking debts on your credit card).

You haven't signed any agreement or opened any lines of credit - I would be amazed if there was any jurisdiction in the entire world where this would affect your credit.

Heuristically, that sounds naive. Actuaries do not typically think "oh, that's enough data". If Experian could track whether you iron your shirts, it too would show up in your credit score.

I mean possibly. I interact in the space and there is almost no information in a cancelled subscription. There is more information in how much you spent on takeaway.

I contacted TM Bank and they would't let me do this.

Subscriptions are not a contract of payment. Your bank pre-authorizes these payments, simply ask them to remove pre-authorization. If they can't do that, then the bank is spending your money without your consent.

Might be an idea to switch to a bank or credit union that have better customer service?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com