Cancellation Gocardless: Easy Method

What is Gocardless

GoCardless is an online payments provider that specializes in collecting recurring and one-off bank-to-bank payments (e.g., Pre‑Authorized Debits) via a dashboard and API. It is used by merchants to set up mandates, subscriptions and payment templates and to reconcile payouts through their account.

The platform handles payment initiation and settlement between bank accounts; merchants retain control of refunds, subscription management and account settings through the GoCardless dashboard or API.

How to cancel Gocardless

• Cancel a single customer subscription (dashboard): open the customer record, locate the subscription, click the three dots and choose "cancel subscription". Note: any payment that has already been created but is still pending submission must be cancelled separately while it remains pending. Support: Cancelling a customer’s subscription
• Cancel a subscription template (dashboard): canceling a template stops new assignments to that template and affects assigned customers, but if cancellation occurs within three working days of the next charge date any upcoming payments must still be cancelled individually. Support: Cancelling a subscription template
• Cancel a customer or a specific mandate: cancelling a customer record disables all mandates and subscriptions; cancelling a single mandate stops payments under that mandate but leaves other mandates active. Support: Cancelling a customer
• App store subscriptions: if you subscribed via Apple App Store or Google Play you must cancel through Apple/Google subscription management - GoCardless cannot cancel or manage app-store subscriptions. App store refund/cancellation guidance
• For formal notices or disputes, consider sending a registered (tracked) letter to GoCardless’ UK address and request confirmation of receipt - keep proof of posting and delivery.

What happens when you cancel

When a subscription or mandate is cancelled the scheduled future collections under that subscription or mandate will stop. Cancelling a customer record disables all associated mandates and subscriptions for that customer. Cancelling a subscription template affects all customers assigned to it.

Cancellation does not automatically remove or reverse payments already created; payments that were created before cancellation (including those pending submission or processing) must be cancelled separately while they remain in a pending state. If you cancel a template or subscription within three working days of a scheduled charge date, upcoming payments may still be processed unless you cancel those payments individually.

Will I get a refund?

Refunds are issued by the merchant using the GoCardless dashboard if the merchant has the refund feature enabled and there is a sufficient confirmed balance. GoCardless implements a 7‑day safety restriction on refunds (to avoid refunding unsettled funds); this restriction can usually be lifted by request to GoCardless support in appropriate cases.

Bounced refunds (for example where the customer’s bank account is closed) are typically credited back to the merchant balance and reconciled in the payout details. If a customer believes a PAD debit was unauthorized, they may request an indemnity claim (recourse) through their own bank - GoCardless cannot initiate customer‑led indemnity claims on their behalf. There is no GoCardless-specific statutory 14‑day automatic refund right in Canada; refunds follow merchant policy, banking rules and PAD scheme regulations.

Gocardless plans and pricing

Prices quoted exclude GST/HST where applicable.

Your consumer rights in Canada

Under Canada’s Pre‑Authorized Debit (PAD) framework consumers have a right to submit a recourse/indemnity claim via their bank if a debit was unauthorized or not in accordance with the PAD agreement. These protections and timeframes are administered by financial institutions and the PAD scheme rather than by GoCardless itself.

Customers cannot ask GoCardless directly to perform a bank indemnity; instead they must contact their bank to file the claim. Refunds for unauthorized collections are handled through the payer’s bank and the PAD process, not as a unilateral customer refund through GoCardless.

Customer experiences

Public reviews are mixed. Some merchants praise GoCardless for an easy-to-use dashboard, effective recurring payments, reasonable pricing and clear reporting. For example, Capterra lists an average rating around 4.0/5 in Canada and users on platforms such as Xero report cases of quick resolution.

Conversely, significant negative feedback exists - particularly on Trustpilot and some app‑store reviews - citing slow or rigid customer support, unexpected account deactivations, withheld funds and difficulty obtaining escalations. These complaints focus on support responsiveness and account-handling transparency.

Documentation checklist

• Merchant account login and dashboard screenshots showing the subscription/mandate to cancel
• Customer details: name, email, mandate ID and subscription/template ID
• Payment references and dates (for any refunds or cancelled payments)
• Bank statements or screenshots if filing an indemnity claim with your bank
• Copies of any communication with GoCardless (support tickets, emails) and proof of posted registered letters (tracking/delivery receipt)

Common mistakes

One frequent mistake is assuming cancelling a subscription or template automatically cancels payments already created - payments created prior to cancellation can still be submitted unless they are cancelled separately while pending. Example: cancelling a template two days before a scheduled charge does not prevent payments already created for that charge from being processed.

Another error is treating app‑store subscriptions as controllable via GoCardless - if a customer subscribed through Apple or Google, you must use those platforms to cancel or request refunds. Merchants also sometimes request refunds before funds have fully settled; GoCardless’ 7‑day safety restriction exists to prevent refunding unsettled funds unless lifted by support.

Comparative recap

After cancelling

After you cancel, confirm the cancellation status in your GoCardless dashboard and check payout and payment records to verify whether any payments remain scheduled or pending. If you need a merchant refund, contact the merchant account holder (the business using GoCardless) and ask them to issue a refund via the dashboard; merchants can find guidance here: Refund a payment and Refunds & reconciliation.

If you believe a debit was unauthorized, contact your bank to file a PAD indemnity/recourse claim; see GoCardless’ payer guidance on payment protection: Payment protection (PAD) and general payments info: Payments (payer support).

For issues with subscriptions bought via apps see Apple/Google instructions: App store cancellation/refund guidance.

Address

GoCardless Ltd
Sutton Yard, 65 Goswell Road
London EC1V 7EN
United Kingdom

If you plan to send formal correspondence, consider using a registered (tracked) letter to this address and retain proof of posting and delivery; request confirmation of receipt to support any escalation.