What Is a "Recurring Card Purchase" on My Bank Statement?

A recurring card purchase is an automatic, scheduled charge from a subscription or autopay service — your card was charged on the schedule you previously agreed to.

Plain-English explanation

Banks label automatic subscription payments as 'Recurring Card Purchase' alongside the merchant name. This applies to monthly subscriptions (streaming, software, gym), annual renewals, and any autopay agreement. If you've forgotten about a subscription, check your email for original sign-up confirmations.

Most common reasons this appears

• Monthly or annual subscription auto-renewal (streaming, software, etc.)
• Gym or fitness membership autopay
• Insurance premium autopay
• Utility or phone bill autopay via saved card

How to verify this charge

• Read the full descriptor — the merchant or service name appears after 'Recurring'.
• Search your email for that merchant name to find your sign-up confirmation.
• Contact the merchant or your bank to stop the recurring charge.

When to be concerned

• Merchant name you've never knowingly subscribed to.
• Recurring charge amount higher than the subscription rate you agreed to.
• Recurring charge from a service you cancelled months ago.

Part of: Bank fees & transaction issues →