How to Cancel Grammarly and Get Your $144 Back
Cancelling is 4 clicks on a desktop. Getting the annual auto-renewal refunded is the actual fight, because Grammarly's TOS says no refunds and means it. Here is the math, the wording that works, and the chargeback option if it does not.
The money at stake
Grammarly Premium (now called Pro) lists on the pricing page as "$12/month". The annual plan charges $144 in a single upfront payment, then auto-renews at the same amount on the same calendar day next year. TOS Section 8.10 is then very direct: "all payments made by you under these Terms are non-refundable and payment obligations are non-cancelable, and we do not provide refunds or credits for any partially used Subscription periods."
No Adobe-style ETF (small mercy), but also no prorated refund, no grace period, and no obligation to give you anything back. The $144 is either gone or you negotiate it back.
The refund math, all of it
Grammarly has no ETF formula. The refund question is binary: do you get the most recent charge reversed, or not? That makes the math less about a calculator and more about timing and leverage.
What you are actually fighting for
- •Annual plan: $144 charged upfront. Cancel in month 1, you owe $144. Cancel in month 11, you still owe $144. The "remaining months" never get refunded.
- •Quarterly plan: $60 charged every 3 months ($20/month effective). Cancel mid-quarter, the $60 is non-refundable per the same clause.
- •Monthly plan: $30/month, charged month by month. Lowest stakes. Cancel any time before the renewal date and you simply stop being charged. There is no refund to chase.
- •Business (Teams): ~$15/seat/month billed annually, minimum 3 seats. Same no-refund language applies. Only the account admin can cancel.
The window that actually matters
There is no official refund window. There is a practical one. Reading across JustAnswer expert responses and complaintsboard.com complaint resolutions, the discretionary refunds that actually go through share a profile: contact within 24 to 72 hours of the charge, a clear statement that the renewal was not intended, and no heavy product use since the charge. After about a week, the success rate drops sharply.
One myth worth killing now: several guides reference a "10-day refund window." That is a misreading. TOS Section 8.8 gives you 10 days to cancel and request a refund if Grammarly modifies its Terms of Service and notifies you of the change. It is a TOS-modification clause, not a general 10-day money-back guarantee. Do not lead a refund request with that phrasing. Support will correct you and the conversation will go downhill from there.
Three routes to get the money back
Run them in order. Each one closes off the easier ones once triggered.
The standard request (cite the state law)
The official refund channel is a support ticket at support.grammarly.com under "Billing and Subscription," then "I'd like to request a refund." Email-only queue, no phone or chat, response in 24 to 72 hours. The agent has discretion. Your job is to make granting the refund the path of least resistance.
The wording matters. A generic "I want a refund please" gets a generic TOS Section 8.10 reply. The version that works names a specific state auto-renewal law, attaches a screenshot of the charge, and is calm. Most US states now have negative-option statutes that require clear, conspicuous disclosure of auto-renewal terms before the charge. California Business and Professions Code 17602 is the most-cited and most-feared by national SaaS billing teams, because California residency is hard for them to verify and the penalties are real.
Copy, paste, adapt:
Subject: Refund request, unauthorised auto-renewal of annual plan Hi Grammarly support, On [DATE OF CHARGE] my card was charged $144 for an annual Grammarly Pro renewal that I did not intend to authorise. I have not actively used the service since the renewal date. I am requesting a full refund of this charge under the discretionary refund process and under [STATE] auto-renewal disclosure law (in California, Business and Professions Code 17602 requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of auto-renewal terms and an easy cancellation mechanism before each renewal). Account email: [YOUR EMAIL] Charge date: [DATE] Amount: $144.00 Transaction ID (from card statement): [ID IF AVAILABLE] I have cancelled the subscription as of today. Please confirm the refund and a timeline for it to reach my card. Thank you, [YOUR NAME]
Two things this wording does on purpose. First, it states a specific legal frame without threatening to sue. Second, it asks for a timeline, which forces the reply to commit to a date. If the reply quotes TOS Section 8.10 back at you with no engagement on the state-law point, that is your cue for Route 2.
The escalation (BBB and state AG, in that order)
When the standard ticket gets the TOS reply, escalate outside the support queue. Two parallel paths reach different teams inside Grammarly.
File a BBB complaint at the Grammarly Inc. BBB profile (San Francisco, 1116-386175). Routes to a different inbox with authority to refund, ~20% resolution rate. Include the ticket number, the Section 8.10 reply, and the Route 1 state-law reference.
File a state AG consumer complaint if you live in a state with an auto-renewal statute (California, New York, Colorado, Illinois). The AG forwards it to Grammarly's legal contact, who tends to ask billing to refund so the complaint closes. Keep tone factual.
Either path takes 2 to 6 weeks. If timing is tight, jump to Route 3.
The chargeback (last resort, fastest, ends the account)
Read this before you call your bank
Filing a chargeback against Grammarly will immediately deactivate your Pro subscription, per their TOS and per consistent reports from BBB resolution data. The account often gets flagged in a way that makes resubscribing later difficult. This is the right move when Routes 1 and 2 have failed, or when the timeline matters more than future access. It is the wrong move if you used the service heavily during the billing period you are disputing.
A chargeback is a dispute filed through your credit card issuer, not through Grammarly. You call the number on the back of your card or open the dispute in your bank's app. You will be asked the reason; the language to use is some version of "Service was billed without authorisation" or "Recurring charge after cancellation," depending on whether you cancelled before the renewal. Visa, Mastercard, and Amex all have explicit dispute categories for this.
Before you file, gather the evidence. Screenshot everything. The exact list:
- •The card statement line showing the Grammarly charge and date
- •The cancellation confirmation email, if you have one
- •Any support ticket replies, especially anything quoting TOS Section 8.10
- •A screenshot of the Grammarly pricing page showing the "$12/month" framing for the annual plan, if your dispute is that the $144 charge was not clearly disclosed
- •A note of when you last actually used Grammarly (your account activity log shows this)
The bank issues a provisional credit within 1 to 10 business days while it investigates. Grammarly is given a chance to respond. If they cannot show clear authorisation for the renewal, the provisional credit becomes permanent. Total timeline is usually 30 to 90 days. You will lose access to Pro on day one regardless of how the dispute lands.
Things that will tank your refund odds
Do not accept "service credit" without asking for cash. Reply that you need the refund returned to the original card.
Do not lead with the "10-day window" line. It is wrong, support knows it is wrong, and citing it identifies you as someone who read a third-party guide instead of the TOS. Lead with the state law.
The cancel itself, in 5 steps
This is the easy part. Mobile app users: there is no cancel button in the iOS or Android app. You need a desktop or tablet browser. If you bought through the App Store or Google Play, see the platform note below.
Sign in at account.grammarly.com on a desktop or tablet browser.
Click Account in the left sidebar, then Subscription.
Scroll to the bottom and click Cancel Subscription.
In the pop-up, click Continue, pick any reason (the survey is a soft gate, not a discount offer), then click Cancel Subscription again to confirm.
Save the confirmation email. Per TOS Section 8.8, access continues through the end of the current billing cycle, then the account converts to free.
If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play
Grammarly's website cancel button will be greyed out or absent. Apple subscribers: iOS Settings → [Your name] → Subscriptions → Grammarly → Cancel Subscription. Google Play subscribers: Google Play app → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Grammarly. Apple and Google control these refunds, not Grammarly support. For Apple, the refund path is reportaproblem.apple.com.
Making sure the refund actually shows up
"Refund issued" is the start of a clock: 5 to 10 business days for credit cards, 7 to 14 for debit. If nothing has appeared by day 10, reply on the same support thread with the promised date and a screenshot showing no refund. If that fails, Route 3 becomes the answer.
Hygiene tip: Grammarly only lets you replace the saved card. Swap to an expired card so the next renewal fails at validation.
The laws that actually back you up
The FTC's 2024 Negative Option Rule was vacated by the 8th Circuit in July 2025, so there is no federal "easy cancel" mandate right now. ROSCA still applies but is a thinner shield. State statutes give you most of the leverage.
- California BPC 17602. The big one. Requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of auto-renewal terms and easy online cancellation. Naming this statute in your refund request is the single most effective phrase in the playbook.
- New York GBL 527-a, Colorado 6-1-732, Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act. Similar disclosure and pre-renewal-notice requirements. Swap in your state's statute for the CA reference.
- EU/UK consumers. 14-day right of withdrawal for digital services applies if you have not started using the service. Grammarly's TOS Section 8.11 acknowledges EU statutory rights.
Questions people actually ask
Can I get a refund on a Grammarly annual renewal I did not mean to authorise?
Sometimes, yes. TOS Section 8.10 says no, but support has discretion. The profile that works: contact within 24 to 72 hours of the charge, state clearly that the renewal was not intended, cite your state's auto-renewal law, and do not heavily use the service in the meantime. After about a week the odds drop sharply.
Is there really a 10-day refund window for Grammarly?
No. That number comes from a TOS-modification clause: if Grammarly changes its Terms and notifies you, you have 10 days to cancel and request a refund tied to that change. It is not a general 10-day purchase guarantee, even though several third-party guides describe it that way. Read Section 8.8 yourself.
Can I file a chargeback for the Grammarly charge?
Yes, if Routes 1 and 2 have failed and you have a legitimate claim. Filing will deactivate your Pro account immediately per Grammarly's TOS, and may close the account permanently. Banks side with cardholders who can show a dated cancellation confirmation and a denied refund request. Use it as a last resort.
I cancelled but Grammarly still charged me. Now what?
Find the cancellation confirmation email. Reply to support.grammarly.com with the email, a screenshot of the charge, and the dates side by side. If support stalls or denies, this is exactly the scenario a chargeback was built for.
Will cancelling end access immediately?
No. Per TOS Section 8.8, you keep Pro access through the end of the billing cycle you already paid for. At cycle end the account converts to free Grammarly.
If the annual-plan surprise is a pattern
This same renewal trick is running on the rest of your subscriptions.
Grammarly is not the only one displaying an annual price as a monthly number and charging in one lump. Subcut spots upcoming renewals before they hit, so the decision happens at your kitchen table, not at 11pm inside a refund flow that says no.
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