How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft or MSbill.info
Note: If you’re a business or commercial customer, visit Office 365 for Business billing help or How to understand your bill for Microsoft Azure.
When you see unexpected charges from MSbill.info or bill.ms.net in a monthly statement from your bank, credit card, or any other payment provider, we want to help you resolve your question as quickly as possible. Before seeking further info or help, take these steps to compare the unexpected charges to your Microsoft order history.
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Sign in to your Microsoft account order history. If you have more than one Microsoft account, sign in to each one to check your order history.
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Compare your account with the charge in question. It’s possible the unexpected charge was for a subscription or a mistaken purchase by someone in your family.
If you believe someone has acquired your payment info, contact your payment provider to prevent more charges, then change your payment option info in your Microsoft account. Under Payment options, you can also choose to add or remove debit or credit cards, a bank account, or PayPal. You can also redeem Bitcoin and gift codes or cards.
Common causes for unexpected charges and what you can do
Choose from the following to narrow down the source of your unexpected charges.
Someone you know, such as a family member, bought something with your card
If you add your payment info to another person's Microsoft account, or allow others to share a device with your account, they may have bought something without saying so at the time.
To help avoid unexpected charges from family members or others:
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Prevent accidental or unauthorized purchases from Microsoft Store by requiring a password for any purchase.
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Require kids to ask a parent before buying stuff in Microsoft Store.
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Learn how to Keep track of your child's Microsoft Store purchases.
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Don't invite others to use your card to buy something on their account. Instead, give them a gift card to add to their account.
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Don't share your account password.
Someone made an in-app purchase from an app, game, or Office
It can be difficult to track in-app purchases, especially if you share devices or payment options with a family member.
To see why a charge from Microsoft is appearing on your statement:
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Sign in to your Order history. If you have more than one Microsoft account, sign in to each one to check your order history.
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Compare your order history to your statement to find any in-app purchases.
For more info including requiring a password for purchases, see Prevent unauthorized purchases from Microsoft Store, or Require kids to ask a parent before buying stuff in Microsoft Store.
A subscription such as Xbox Live, Microsoft 365, OneDrive, or Skype had recurring billing enabled
You may have a Microsoft subscription set for recurring billing, or recently started a free trial subscription that rolled into a paid subscription.
To check if you have a subscription with recurring billing:
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Sign in to Services & subscriptions. If you have more than one Microsoft account, sign in to each one to check your subscriptions.
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Look for any subscriptions with recurring billing.
See how to Cancel or turn off recurring billing on a Microsoft subscription.
If the subscription is from a third party, contact them directly for more info.
Multiple purchases were grouped into a single charge
Sometimes, when you make multiple purchases at Microsoft Store over a few days, they'll be billed as one charge.
To check:
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Sign in to your Order history. If you have more than one Microsoft account, sign in to each one to check your order history.
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Compare all purchases you recently made to the charge on your account.
Your order was split into multiple shipments and billings, or shipping was delayed
Orders with multiple items are sometimes split into different shipments and billed per shipment, especially when items are pre-orders, on backorder, or come from separate locations. If an item is out of stock, shipping delays can cause a billing delay.
To check:
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Sign in to your Order history. If you have more than one Microsoft account, sign in to each one to check your order history.
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Compare your order history to your statement to find out how your order might have been split into different charges. Also check if the shipping dates are different for each item.
There might be a delay between the date your card is billed and when you see the charge on your statement. Contact your bank or provider for more info.
You have a pre-order
In most cases, we don't charge pre-orders for physical items until they ship. However, your payment provider may place an authorization hold for a small amount or up to the amount of your purchase. These are usually reversed before the item ships. Contact your payment provider for more info.
For pre-orders, be sure that the payment option has enough funds for the purchase and won't expire before the expected release date. For more info, visit Change the payment method or credit card linked to your Microsoft account.
You used a credit card for the first time with us
If you bought something from us with a new credit card, a small authorization hold is often placed to verify billing info. These charges will be reversed. Contact your payment provider for more info.
A previously declined charge was charged again
If a charge was declined due to insufficient funds, an expired card, or changes to your billing info, Microsoft will bill the account again after a few days.
If you have problems updating a payment option, get more info on how to Change the payment method or credit card linked to your Microsoft account, or How to change your Microsoft subscription payment method and options.
Refunds and cancellations
If you are seeking a refund for a Microsoft product, please see Returning items you bought from Microsoft for exchange or refund.
If you would like to cancel an order from Microsoft Store, see Cancel an order or pre-order from Microsoft Store.
Get more help
For other billing questions or issues, visit the Microsoft Store help page.
Notes:
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Before contacting Microsoft about a charge you don't recognize, please check your order history and the info in this article. In most cases the charge falls under one of the areas below.
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If you’re a business or commercial customer, visit Office 365 for Business billing help or How to understand your bill for Microsoft Azure.
Confirm the charge is from Microsoft
Charges from Microsoft for consumer purchases will appear on your billing statement with these descriptions:
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MICROSOFT*XBOX
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MICROSOFT*XBOX LIVE GOLD
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MICROSOFT*XBOX GAME PASS
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MICROSOFT*EA ACCESS
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MICROSOFT*STORE
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MICROSOFT*OFFICE
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MICROSOFT*OFFICE 365
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MICROSOFT*ACCOUNT
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MICROSOFT*ONEDRIVE
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MICROSOFT*OUTLOOK
If the entry on your billing statement isn’t in one of the above formats, it was not from Microsoft and may be an unauthorized charge. Contact your bank for more information.
Check your Order history
Sign into your Order history to compare your billing statement with your purchases.
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Your billing statement may include in-app purchases, pre-ordered items, or subscriptions with recurring billing.
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Multiple purchases may be grouped into one charge, even when purchased on different days.
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An order may have been split into multiple shipments or multiple billings.
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A recently cancelled order may still show a pending charge and will disappear after cancellation is processed.
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Charges may appear on your statement several days after the purchases were made.
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Charges can be split between two different payment options, such as credit and gift cards, which results in showing a different amount than the purchase price.
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A second charge for the same item may be a payment authorization hold, and not an actual charge. The hold will disappear after your purchase clears.
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A charge that was previously declined due to insufficient funds, an expired card, or changes to your billing info may be billed by Microsoft later.
Check with your family and friends
Someone you know with access to your account, your payment info or a shared device may have bought something without notifying you.
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If you share your device with others, learn how to prevent accidental or unauthorized purchases from Microsoft Store.
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If you have children with their own devices, learn how to require parental approval before they can purchase items, and how to keep track of your child's Microsoft Store purchases.
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If a charge was made without your permission, but not an act of fraud, see Returning items you bought from Microsoft for exchange or refund.
Check the status of your subscriptions
The charges may be for a Microsoft subscription with recurring billing, such as Xbox, Office or OneDrive that you or a family member owns, or for a recent free trial subscription that rolled into a paid subscription.
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To check if you have a subscription with recurring billing, sign in to Services & subscriptions with your Microsoft account, and look for recurring billing information under each subscription.
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If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, sign in to each one to check for subscriptions and billing info.
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For information about third -party subscriptions, contact them directly.
Check all your Microsoft accounts
Your payment method may be associated with a Microsoft account that’s being used on a different device or by another Microsoft service.
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Check the Order history for each Microsoft account that may be using your payment method.
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See how to require a password to prevent unauthorized purchases from Microsoft Store, or require your kids to ask before buying items.
Secure your Microsoft account
Anyone who has access to your Microsoft account and password can buy items using the payment method on your account. Here are some tips to make sure your account is secured:
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Don't allow others to add your credit or debit card to their personal account. Instead, you can give them a gift card to redeem, to prevent access to your payment method in the future.
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Don't share your account password with others, including family and friends.
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Add additional security options to your account, such as two-step verification. Sign in to your Security page to set up this option and learn about other ways to protect your account.
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If you believe that you have unauthorized charges, change your Microsoft account password and contact your bank or card issuer to report potential unauthorized use of your bank, credit or debit card.
Get more help
If you check the information in this article and still don't recognize a charge, contact Microsoft Support.
These articles can help with payment methods and other payment related questions:
