Amex Reason Code C28: Cancelled Recurring Billing

What Amex reason code C28 means

C28 is the American Express code for recurring charges after cancellation. The Card Member agrees they signed up. The claim is that they ended the arrangement and you kept billing. It applies to subscriptions, memberships, autoship programs and any agreement where you charge the card on a schedule without a fresh checkout each time.

Amex normally sends an inquiry first. That’s your best window: answer with your records and the case can close without a chargeback.

Common causes

• Cancellation requests sent to a channel you don’t monitor, or misfiled by support
• Cancel flows that are hard to find or require a phone call
• Free trials that convert to paid plans without a clear reminder
• Rebills that went out after a customer cancelled but before the cancellation processed
• Customers who “cancel” by deleting the app or ignoring emails, then dispute
• A household member’s subscription that the Card Member doesn’t recognize (sometimes filed as F24 instead)

Evidence that wins a C28 dispute

1. Recurring terms accepted at signup: checkout screenshot showing price, frequency and the cancellation method, plus the timestamp of acceptance.
2. Cancellation records: proof that no cancellation was received before the disputed charge, including searches of email, chat, and phone logs.
3. Your published cancellation process: the help-center page or account setting, as it appeared at the time.
4. Usage after the claimed cancellation: logins, shipments delivered and accepted, content consumed.
5. Pre-billing notices: renewal or upcoming-charge emails, with delivery records.
6. Billing history: prior undisputed recurring charges on the same card.

If the Card Member says they cancelled on a date, address that date directly: “No request was received on or after March 3; the Card Member logged in on March 9 and March 14.”

How to prevent C28 disputes

• Offer self-serve cancellation in the account, and confirm every cancellation by email with a reference number.
• Send a reminder before trial conversions and before annual renewals.
• Put the company name customers recognize in the billing descriptor.
• Process cancellations immediately, and refund any rebill that went out after a cancel request.
• Watch for repeat disputers, especially on autoship offers. See subscription chargebacks.

Should you fight or accept?

Fight when there’s no cancellation on record, the terms were clear, and the Card Member kept using the service or receiving shipments.

Accept when you find the cancellation request, when your cancel flow was broken, or when the charge went out after a cancellation you acknowledged. Refund those quickly; they’re rarely winnable and they hurt your relationship with Amex.