Need to know
- Banks are required to cancel ongoing direct debits at the customer's request, but recurring charges to credit cards are another matter
- Longtime CHOICE member Andrea Osborne tried for months to cancel her TotalAV subscription, but the company found ways to keep charging her
- Andrea's attempts to have ANZ Bank stop the recurring charges were similarly frustrating. In the end she had to quit the bank to stop the charges
Having a business repeatedly charge your credit card without your consent can feel personal. It gets worse when the credit card issuer apparently can't do anything about it.
In these cases, banks often say you need to contact the merchant yourself to stop the charges, but what happens when that doesn't work?
Under Australia's Banking Code of Practice, banks are required to cancel ongoing direct debits at the customer's request. But recurring charges to credit cards are another matter.
The battle to regain control of your credit card may involve dealing with upbeat but unhelpful bots on your bank's website, having to explain the situation repeatedly to both bots and humans, and being subjected to an exhausting run-around by the business in question.
Longtime CHOICE member Andrea Osborne recently underwent all of the above. Along the way she became over-acquainted with an ANZ Bank virtual assistant named Lottie as she tried to prevent the UK-based antivirus software company TotalAV from continuing to charge her credit card.
I contacted ANZ and tried to get them to reverse this charge but I was told that unless I could prove that I had cancelled my subscription, there was nothing they could do
ANZ Bank customer Andrea Osborne
It started with a modest $20, which Andrea had authorised, but two months later another $40 transaction came out of the blue.
"I phoned the company and I was told that my subscription had been an introductory offer, which only lasted for 60 days, and that the funds deducted were to take it up to a full year's subscription," Andrea says.
It was the first she'd heard of any introductory offer.
Then, 12 months after she first signed up, there was another $102 TotalAV charge that Andrea had not expected. To her knowledge, she had never given the company permission to take money out of her account without asking. The business then processed two more $102 charges over the next 12 months.
"I complained to Total AV and was told that they had not only renewed my subscription but also upgraded my security – once again, without my knowledge or consent. I contacted ANZ and tried to get them to reverse this charge but I was told that unless I could prove that I had cancelled my subscription, there was nothing they could do."
Twelve months later, TotalAV helped itself to another $184. The threefold increase over three years was extreme, but this time the business was ready to wheel and deal. They dropped the offer down to $29 and Andrea accepted.
CHOICE member Andrea Osborne cut ties with ANZ to stop recurring charges on her credit card.
Subscription trap springs shut
Then the problems started with her laptop.
"My computer technician found that Total AV's internet security was using so much memory that it prevented the normal functionality of my computer. He had to uninstall it to fix the problem."
It was time to pull the plug.
But the company seemed desperate not to let Andrea go. TotalAV customer service threw obstacles in her way, such as making her go through a verification process to make sure it was really Andrea before they could start the cancellation process. It seems TotalAV had concerns about what must be a rare type of fraud – people maliciously cancelling other people's antivirus accounts without their permission.
A customer service representative who may or may not have been a bot seemed particularly distraught, telling Andrea: "I'm really surprised to hear you are looking to cancel your service with us … I would love to be able to get a resolution together for you."
I tried to cancel my subscription. This proved virtually impossible
For Andrea, the resolution was to get TotalAV to stop charging her credit card.
"I tried to cancel my subscription. This proved virtually impossible. The help and support option only allowed me to try to cancel. But then when I tried to proceed, they just kept offering more and more discounts."
Card cancellation not enough
ANZ told Andrea that the only way the bank could prevent further withdrawals was to cancel her credit card and issue a new one. She was also told the bank couldn't execute a chargeback since she had actually received the unwanted TotalAV subscription.
A new credit card was issued in March 2025, but in April TotalAV charged her new card twice, totalling around $63.
ANZ explained that Visa had apparently automatically updated TotalAV with her new credit card details, a standard procedure by the credit card giant for participating businesses. The bank suggested she cancel her credit card again. But Andrea had had enough.
Whatever happened to my money being under my control? And how has my decision about who it goes to been obliterated?
CHOICE member and dissatisfied ANZ customer, Andrea
"I decided to divorce ANZ from my life by closing my account, but I am so disgusted that when my money is under their supervision, they decide who to give it to without my consent," says Andrea. "Whatever happened to my money being under my control? And how has my decision about who it goes to been obliterated?"
We contacted TotalAV for comment on the channels we could find but there was no response.
ANZ says 'contact the merchant'
An ANZ spokesperson tells CHOICE that the first step for customers is to contact the merchant to stop recurring charges, something that Andrea had done several times.
"If they are unsuccessful in resolving the issue, customers can contact our disputes team to assess their eligibility for a chargeback and ensure all available avenues for resolution are considered."
ANZ also suggested that customers could opt out of the Visa Account Updater (VAU) service, which automatically shares updated card details. The opt-out prevents merchants from receiving new card information after a card is replaced. Andrea knew nothing about this.
CBA keeps processing charges
In another case, frustrated Commonwealth Bank customers Ross Pollack and his wife Peggy recently contacted CHOICE to share their own ordeal trying to stop recurring credit card payments.
Peggy needed to close her 91-year-old father's credit card account. Her power of attorney was on record with the bank, but there was a wrinkle. Microsoft and Avast charges were still being processed every year, though Peggy had tried to stop both of them.
"She was told that unless she could shut those two debits down at her end, Commonwealth Bank will continue to pay them," Ross says.
The couple finally managed to get Microsoft to discontinue the charges but were still dealing with Avast at the time of publication.
The bank has entered into a contract with the account holder and not any third-party supplier such as Microsoft or Avast
CBA customer Ross Pollack
A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson directed us to guidance on the bank's website on how to stop recurring payments on credit cards. The page instructs customers to contact the merchant and warns that "any contractual arrangement between you and the merchant may remain in place".
The bank also instructs customers to contact them to request a stop on a recurring charge.
The Pollacks took both of these steps to no avail. For Ross, a bank's refusal to stop credit card charges at the customer's request is a matter of misplaced loyalty. In his view, principles of contract law come into play.
"The bank has entered into a contract with the account holder and not any third-party supplier such as Microsoft or Avast. The account holder is the one who has a contract with the supplier. It shouldn't be up to the bank to continue to honour a payment to the supplier after the account holder has requested that it be stopped."
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