You deleted the account.
You assumed everything tied to it was gone.
No profile.
No login.
No access.
So you didn’t expect to see another charge.
But the payment method was never removed.
This happens more often than people realize.
Account deletion and payment removal are often handled as two separate processes.
Why This Can Happen
Many services store payment information outside the user profile.
The account record can be deleted while billing data stays active.
Common reasons include:
- Subscriptions managed by a third-party billing system
- Payment data stored for compliance or chargeback handling
- Linked subscriptions that weren’t canceled before deletion
- Multiple services sharing the same billing account
From the system’s point of view, the account is gone.
But the payment authorization is still valid.
How to Tell If Your Payment Method Is Still Active
- Charges continue even though login is no longer possible
- Card statements show the same merchant after deletion
- Receipts arrive without any active account access
- You can’t find a way to remove the card because the account no longer exists
This is especially common with app store payments and recurring subscriptions.
What Actually Stops the Charges
Deleting the account alone is usually not enough.
You may need to:
- Cancel subscriptions from the app store or payment provider directly
- Remove the payment method from the billing platform, not the account
- Contact support to unlink stored payment data manually
- Check for any secondary or linked subscriptions
Once the payment authorization is removed, the charges stop.
Until then, deletion only removes access—not billing.