How to Cancel Pending Charges

Ever looked at your bank app and noticed a pending charge you didn’t recognize? Maybe you ordered something online and it double-charged, or a subscription you thought you canceled still tried to bill you. Pending charges can be stressful, especially when you’re not sure if the money is actually gone from your account or not. The good news: pending charges are usually reversible if you act quickly. Canceling them can help you avoid accidental overdrafts and save extra cash.

This guide will walk you through canceling on desktop, iOS, and Android, so you can get it done without any extra drama.

How to Cancel Pending Charges on Desktop

Most banks and card issuers let you manage pending transactions right from their website login. Here’s how it generally goes:

1. Log in to your online banking account – Open your card issuer’s website (Chase, Wells Fargo, Capital One, etc.) and sign in.

2. Go to “Transactions” or “Account Activity” – Pending charges are usually at the top, listed separately from posted transactions.

3. Click on the pending charge you want to dispute – There should be an option to get details, like merchant info.

4. Look for “Cancel,” “Dispute,” or “Report a Problem” – The exact button depends on your bank, but almost every site lets you flag a pending charge.

5. Confirm the action – You’ll usually get an email or message confirming your cancellation request.

💡 Small note: some banks don’t truly cancel a pending charge but flag it for review. In that case, the merchant’s hold just “falls off” in a few days. I once panicked over a $60 “ghost” charge from a coffee app—it vanished by itself after three days.

How to Cancel Pending Charges on iOS

If you’re on your iPhone, most people manage bank activity through their bank’s native app. But let’s cover two angles: bank app vs Apple-related charges.

Canceling via your bank’s app:

1. Open your banking app (Chase, Citi, etc.)

2. Log in and tap on “Activity” or “Recent Transactions.”

3. Tap the pending charge you don’t recognize.

4. Look for a “Cancel Payment” or “Dispute” option.

5. Submit and confirm.

If it’s an Apple/App Store pending charge:

Apple doesn’t let you directly cancel charges once they’re pending, but you can stop future charges:

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap your Apple ID at the top.

3. Tap Subscriptions.

4. Scroll to find the app/service with the charge.

5. Hit “Cancel Subscription.”

This way, you won’t keep getting surprise renewals.

How to Cancel Pending Charges on Android

On Android, it’s similar—most people use either their bank’s app or Google Play for digital subscriptions.

Canceling via your banking app:

1. Open your bank’s Android app and sign in.

2. Go to Transactions and tap the pending item.

3. See if there’s an option to Dispute/Cancel.

4. Confirm the request and save any reference number.

Canceling Google Play pending charges:

If the charge is tied to a subscription you got through Google Play:

1. Open the Google Play Store app.

2. Tap your Profile Icon in the top right.

3. Select Payments & Subscriptions.

4. Tap Subscriptions.

5. Find the app/service and hit “Cancel Subscription.”

Note: once you cancel, the pending charge usually drops off automatically, though it may take a couple of days. I’ve had a trial app charge show as “pending $1” for verification—it disappeared by itself when I canceled right away.

A Smarter Way: Let SubSweeper Track This for You

Manually checking for pending charges can be a headache, especially if you juggle multiple cards or subscriptions. That’s where SubSweeper makes life easier. It’s a free tool that automatically scans your subscriptions and alerts you to upcoming or suspicious charges before they post. Instead of refreshing your bank app every morning, you just get a simple notification like: “Heads up, Disney+ will charge you tomorrow—do you still want this?”

I’ve used it to catch sneaky auto-renewals, and it genuinely saved me from wasting money on apps I hadn’t touched in months. If you’re serious about cutting down on unnecessary expenses, SubSweeper is kind of like a personal assistant for your wallet.

✅ Quick recap: Pending charges aren’t final. On desktop, iOS, or Android, you can cancel or dispute them through your bank or by canceling subscriptions via Apple or Google Play. Give it a couple of days for the charge to disappear if it’s just a temporary hold. And if you don’t want to hunt them down one by one in the future—let SubSweeper do the watching for you.