Regular payments

A recurring payment is a payment that you set up with a business using your debit or credit card details. This may be known as a 'continuous payment authority' (CPA), a 'recurring transaction' or 'regular card payment'. 

The business will get your permission to take payments when you set up your agreement with them. To cancel a recurring payment, you need to contact either the business or your card provider.

A standing order is an instruction you give your bank to pay an amount to a person or organisation at regular intervals. You can change or cancel it at any time by contacting your bank.

To set up a direct debit, you give permission to a business or organisation to collect money from your account, usually for bills or subscriptions. The business will tell your bank, and the amount or payment date can vary. But the business must always notify you before making any changes to payments.

Direct debits are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee. If the bank, or an organisation you’re paying, makes a mistake your bank must refund the payment to you. 

As well as the above, we’ll consider:

• your bank’s electronic records to check if there has been an error 
• your account’s terms and conditions
• any discussions you had with your bank about the payments
• the money (or credit facility) available, in the account at the time
• the terms of the direct debit guarantee, if relevant
• what your bank has already done to put things right.

As well as the above, we’ll consider:

• whether you gave permission for the recurring payment
• how the recurring payment was set up and explained to you
• whether your card provider acted promptly when you asked to cancel the recurring payment
• any unauthorised payments made after cancellation
• the impact the issue had on you
• your card account’s terms and conditions
• what your card provider has already done to put things right.