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Frequently asked questions about stopping a direct debit

When can I stop a direct debit?

In principle, you may always stop a direct debit. A company may then no longer automatically debit your account. Remember that you are still obliged to pay if you are still bound by a subscription or contract.

Why can't I reverse an amount?

You cannot reverse an amount if it has been more than 8 weeks since the automatic withdrawal from your account. Money can be reversed up to 8 weeks after the debit

What about cancellation and direct debit?

If you cancel a subscription and want to terminate a direct debit at the same time, you must indicate this in the cancellation letter. Furthermore, make sure that your personal details (name, address and date of birth), the account number from which the money is debited and any policy or contract number are included in the letter.

What can I do if I have withdrawn an authorisation and a direct debit has taken place anyway?

If an unjustified direct debit has taken place, you can ask your bank to refund the amount. The money will then be returned to your bank account. The amount can be reversed up to 8 weeks after the debit in question.

Can I reverse a payment if I have used the wrong account number?

No, reversal is only possible if it concerns a direct debit or one-off direct debit. If you have used an incorrect account number, you must request the money back from the recipient yourself.

Paying by direct debit

People who want to keep their finances easy and orderly often choose to pay by direct debit. By doing so, you give a company permission to debit the amount due from your account. While this will make your finances a lot easier and clearer, paying by direct debit is not always wise. Do you have a subscription to the gym, but never actually go? Then money will be debited from your account every month. This is not the case if you pay by direct debit.

How it works

Want to avoid forgetting to pay for a subscription? Then you can choose to pay by direct debit. Before a company can automatically withdraw money from your account, you must first authorise this. You can do this by signing a paper authorisation form or by means of a digital authorisation. After you issue the authorisation, an insurance company, newspaper or magazine, lottery or charity will be allowed to debit the amount you owe them from your account.

Cancel and block direct debit

Do you want to get out of a subscription? Then you have to cancel the subscription yourself. If you have issued a direct debit authorisation for the subscription, you should block it. The easiest way to do this is to include a passage about blocking a direct debit in your cancellation letter.

If you want to block a direct debit via a cancellation letter, don't forget that a company also needs certain data from you. Therefore, always include your name, address, date of birth, account number and any policy or contract number in a cancellation letter. This will not only allow a company to process your termination properly and quickly, but also block a direct debit.

Incorrect direct debit

If you have issued a direct debit authorisation, a company is allowed to debit money from your account. Of course, they may only debit the amount you owe them. Is a different amount being debited? Or does a company debit money even though you did not issue an authorisation for this? Then this is an unjustified direct debit. You can report this to your bank. They will then request the authorisation from the company that debited money from your account. If the company cannot show a valid direct debit authorisation, you will get your money back. A wrongful direct debit can be reversed up to 13 months after the debit.

Possibilities to stop direct debit

Anyone who no longer wants a company to debit money from their account automatically must stop a direct debit themselves. But how do you actually do this? Here we list two options for stopping a direct debit.

Contact company
A first way to stop a direct debit is to contact the company that debits the amount. For example, you can tell them that you want to cancel your subscription. Do you still want to remain a subscriber, but do not want the money to be debited automatically in the future? Then choose another payment method.

Block via your bank

It is also possible to block a direct debit via your bank. As long as you do not stop the subscription, you are still obliged to pay. You will receive a notification each time that the direct debit has failed. The company will also send you a payment reminder to pay the amount.

Revoking/reversing a direct debit

Within 8 weeks after a direct debit, you can reverse the debited amount yourself. This is also known as a reversal. Nowadays, you can reverse a direct debit in your bank's online environment. You do not need to give a reason for reversing the payment.

Note: reversing is only recommended if the direct debit is unjustified. In that case, you are not obliged to pay. This is the case if a company has rightly debited your account. Do you decide to reverse the direct debit anyway? Then make sure you pay in another way. If you don't, you may have to deal with a collection agency or bailiff.