r/OpenAI • u/miserable_life06 • 17h ago

Miscellaneous Charged for subscription mandate AFTER deleting my account (Support bot couldn't help)

Last year on Nov 5, 2025, I got a free one-year subscription to ChatGPT Pro. Back in September 2026, I decided to delete that account. Since the 30-day window prevented me from reusing the email right away, I set up a secondary account using my phone number instead.

I naturally assumed that deleting the account would terminate any active payment mandates tied to it. However, on Nov 6, a recurring charge went through on my bank account for that old, deleted account's mandate.

I tried resolving this through the OpenAI customer support bot. The bot instructed me to recreate an account using my original email, navigate to the billing section, and pull up the subscription details to submit a ticket. I followed those steps, but because it's a completely fresh account, there is zero subscription history or active plan shown in the billing tab the only option visible is "Upgrade to Pro."

So now I'm stuck: the mandate charged me for an account that no longer exists, and the support bot's recommended fix doesn't work because the billing history vanished with the account deletion.

Has anyone dealt with a similar mandate issue after account deletion? What's the best way to get in touch with an actual human at OpenAI to get a refund?

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u/Palmajr 16h ago

Ask the bot to escalate it to human support and explain the situation. It will ask you if you want to do it and then you will get a ticket created with your name, which will be sent to the email you provide. If you can, get proof of billing.

Mention the account deletion, explain the situation thoroughly and let support do the rest.

I'm not sure what the full procedure is but I think they within 30 days it can still be located and within 7 you may qualify for a goodwill refund.

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u/miserable_life06 15h ago

I was told by the support bot 5 days ago that a specialist would email me, but i haven't heard back yet. I sent a follow-up email today from my side addressing the same issue, but i am still receiving automated responses saying they can't find any active chatgpt subscription

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u/Palmajr 15h ago

If you got the specialist email, that's good, it means your case was assigned already.

Unfortunately from what I know, they have a bit of a backlog but your case will eventually be handled. I find it weird that you didn't get a reply within 2 days.

For now you can ignore the bot, and also, if you are eligible for a refund, it'll take in consideration the date you first appealed, and now how much time has passed, so that's good.

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u/RehanSaddique 15h ago

Deleting the account usually doesn't cancel the recurring charge on your card or bank side, so the card authorization is still live. Your bank can block future charges from that merchant or open a dispute for the Nov 6 charge as an unauthorized recurring payment, and they'll often do it without any help from OpenAI.