In-game spending, refunds and family settings
How to trace a charge you do not recognise, who to ask about a refund, and how to make sure future purchases need your approval.
Quick answer
Three steps
- Identify: match the charge on your statement to a receipt in your email or the store's purchase history.
- Ask: contact the store or publisher that took the payment, using its official refund or support page.
- Prevent: remove saved cards, or require a password for every purchase, and set up family controls if children use the computer.
Working out what a charge is
Card statements often show a short company or payment-processor name rather than the game title. To match a charge:
- Search your email for receipts on the same date and for the same amount. Stores and publishers normally send one for each purchase.
- Check purchase history in each launcher or store installed on the computer, and in any accounts linked to the same card.
- Check the amount in AUD against the price shown in your account history. Overseas transaction fees from your bank can make the statement amount slightly different.
- Ask other members of the household. Many unexpected charges turn out to be purchases made on a shared computer where a card was saved.
If you still cannot identify a charge, or you believe your card details were used by someone outside your household, contact your bank straight away. Banks can explain the charge, stop the card, and tell you about disputing a transaction.
Asking for a refund
Start with whoever took the payment: the store or launcher that issued the receipt. Their refund pages explain their own policy and how to apply. Be specific: what was bought, when, by whom, and why you are asking.
Separately from a store's own policy, the Australian Consumer Law provides consumer guarantees for goods and services, which can include digital products. The ACCC explains these guarantees and what to do if a business will not help. As general guidance, a store's policy can offer more than the guarantees, but a business cannot use its policy to take away the guarantees themselves. The ACCC is the place to check how they apply to your situation.
Purchases made by a child. Explain this plainly when you contact the store. Many stores have a process for unauthorised purchases by a family member, though outcomes vary and are at the store's discretion beyond what the law requires. Setting up the controls below afterwards helps your case if it ever happens again.
Where purchase controls can be set
Controls can be applied at several levels. Using more than one gives the most reliable result.
| Level | What it can do | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Separate child accounts, app limits, screen-time limits, purchase approval | Windows: Microsoft family settings. macOS: Screen Time in System Settings |
| Store or launcher | Require a password or PIN for each purchase; family accounts with spending approval | The launcher's account or family settings |
| The game | Some games have their own purchase confirmations or spending limits | The game's settings or account page |
| Payment method | Removing saved cards; using a prepaid card or gift card with a fixed balance | The account's payment settings; your bank |
| Bank | Card controls, transaction alerts, blocks on certain merchant types where offered | Your bank's app or customer service |
Setting up a child account on a shared PC
- Create a separate account on the computer for each child, rather than letting them use an adult's account.
- Turn on the operating system's family controls for that account, and set purchases to require a parent's approval.
- In each launcher, sign out of the adult account on the child's user profile, and remove saved cards from any account the child can reach.
- Check a game's classification before installing it. The Australian Classification Board website has a search tool for classified titles, and explains what each classification category means.
- Talk through what in-game purchases are and agree a budget, if any. The eSafety Commissioner publishes guidance for parents and carers on online gaming, including purchases and contact with strangers.
Randomised purchases
Many games sell items with random contents, often called loot boxes, or let players spend currency on random draws. Australian classification rules for games with these features were updated in recent years, and the Classification Board website explains the current rules. We do not summarise them here because the official pages are the authoritative and current source.
This site does not present any game with randomised paid items as suitable for children. Adults who play such games may find it useful to decide on a monthly limit in advance and use a prepaid card or gift card so the limit is enforced.
Subscriptions and recurring charges
Some games and stores sell memberships, passes or subscriptions that renew automatically. A charge that appears on the same date each month or year is often one of these.
- Look in the store or launcher's account settings for a section on subscriptions or memberships. It normally shows the renewal date and lets you cancel.
- Check the game's own account page as well, because some subscriptions are managed by the publisher rather than the store.
- Cancelling usually stops the next renewal but does not refund the current period. The store's terms explain its approach.
- If you cannot find where a recurring charge is managed, your bank can tell you which business is taking it and can explain your options.
Limits for adult players
Purchase controls are not only for children. Adults who want to keep their own spending predictable can use the same tools: remove the saved card from the store, turn on a password prompt for every purchase, and switch on transaction alerts in the banking app so each charge is visible as it happens. Some people find it easier to decide a monthly amount in advance and load it onto a gift card or prepaid card, so that the limit is enforced by the balance rather than by willpower in the moment.
Keeping records
If you ever need to dispute a charge, records make the process quicker. Keep purchase receipts in a dedicated email folder, note the date you contacted a store and what they said, and save screenshots of any error that stopped a purchase from working. When you contact a store or the ACCC, a short timeline of what happened, with dates in order, is far easier to act on than a long description.
Common questions
Can I get my money back for a purchase I regret?
A change of mind is not covered by the consumer guarantees as a general rule, though a store's own policy may allow refunds in some circumstances. Check the store's refund page, and the ACCC's guidance on consumer guarantees for situations where a product is faulty or not as described.
Should I dispute the charge with my bank straight away?
For charges you recognise but want refunded, contact the store first; a bank dispute can sometimes lead a store to lock the account involved. For charges you do not recognise at all, contact your bank promptly.
Is a gift card safer than a credit card?
A gift card limits spending to its balance, which helps with budgeting. Be aware that buying gift cards at someone's request is a common scam method; Scamwatch explains how these scams work.
Household spending checklist
- Each family member has their own computer account.
- Purchases on child accounts need an adult's approval.
- No card is saved on any account a child can reach.
- Transaction alerts are switched on in your banking app.
- Classification checked before installing a new game.