Manage Gocardless

How to cancel GoCardless and reclaim control of your payments

Understanding GoCardless and why you might want to cancel

GoCardless is a bank-to-bank payment platform designed primarily for merchants and businesses that need to automate recurring billing, subscriptions and invoice collection across multiple countries - including New Zealand. Unlike consumer-facing subscription apps, GoCardless handles payments directly from customer bank accounts through direct debit mandates rather than through App Store or Google Play billing.

If you are a merchant using GoCardless to manage customer payments, or if you are a customer who has set up a direct debit mandate with a merchant via GoCardless, you may need to cancel your arrangement for several legitimate reasons: switching to a different payment provider, consolidating billing systems, or simply because the service no longer meets your business needs.

Who uses GoCardless and what it does

GoCardless serves businesses and merchants across subscription services, SaaS platforms, invoicing systems and recurring billing workflows. It provides a dashboard and APIs that allow merchants to manage customer records, set up recurring payment templates and monitor collections in real time.

The platform is not an app store subscription service and does not bill consumers through iTunes or Google Play. Instead, it operates as a merchant payment processor, meaning cancellation processes differ significantly from cancelling a typical mobile app subscription.

When cancellation becomes necessary

You may need to cancel a GoCardless subscription or mandate if you are switching payment providers, downsizing your business, resolving billing disputes, or if you no longer authorise a merchant to collect payments from your account. Understanding your options before you start the cancellation process will save you time and help you avoid accidentally leaving payments active when you intended to stop them.

Your consumer rights under new zealand law

As a consumer in New Zealand, your rights are protected by the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986 - both of which apply to payment services and recurring billing arrangements. These laws give you specific protections when cancelling services or disputing charges.

The consumer guarantees act and your cancellation rights

Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, services provided by GoCardless (or merchants billing through GoCardless) must be of acceptable quality and delivered with reasonable care. If the service fails to meet these standards, you have the right to cancel, seek a refund or pursue a complaint with the merchant or payment processor.

Additionally, if you entered a cancellation agreement within 14 days of first purchase or signup and did so without undue pressure, you may be entitled to a cooling-off period refund in certain circumstances - though this depends on whether you are dealing with GoCardless directly or a merchant using GoCardless.

Disputing unauthorised or erroneous charges

If you believe a charge from a GoCardless mandate is unauthorised, incorrect or the result of merchant error, you have the right to dispute it with your bank and request a chargeback. Your bank must investigate within a defined timeframe under New Zealand banking standards.

You can also contact the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) or the Commerce Commission if you believe GoCardless or a merchant has breached fair trading or consumer protection laws. Stopee recommends documenting all correspondence with the merchant and GoCardless before escalating to regulatory bodies.

Methods for cancelling your GoCardless arrangement

Cancellation pathways depend on whether you are a merchant managing GoCardless directly or a consumer who has authorised a merchant to collect payments via GoCardless. Each method has different steps and potential complications.

Cancelling as a merchant via the GoCardless dashboard

If you operate a business account with GoCardless, you access cancellation through your merchant dashboard. This process allows you to stop future recurring payments for specific customers or subscriptions while keeping your account active for other operations.

The dashboard method is the fastest and most reliable route for merchants, as you maintain direct control over your payment templates and customer records. However, you must be careful to cancel the correct subscription or mandate to avoid interrupting payments you intended to keep active.

Cancelling as a consumer with a direct debit mandate

If you are a consumer who has authorised a merchant to collect payments via a GoCardless direct debit mandate, you have two cancellation routes: revoke the mandate directly with your bank, or contact the merchant to request cancellation through their billing system (which then removes your mandate from GoCardless).

Revoking the mandate with your bank is the fastest and most secure method, as it prevents any future collection attempts - even if the merchant's system fails to update. Stopee strongly recommends this approach for consumers who want absolute certainty that payments will stop.

Step-by-step cancellation for merchants

If you are a GoCardless merchant, follow these steps to cancel a subscription or customer mandate directly from your dashboard.

Cancelling a subscription via your GoCardless dashboard

1. Log in to your GoCardless merchant dashboard using your registered business email and password.
   • If you have forgotten your password, use the "Forgot password?" link on the login page and follow the email recovery instructions.
2. Navigate to the "Customers" or "Subscriptions" section of the dashboard, depending on your account structure.
   • Most GoCardless accounts organise recurring payments by customer record; locate the customer whose subscription you want to cancel.
3. Find the subscription or payment template linked to that customer and click to open the subscription details.
   • You will see a list of past and pending payments related to that subscription.
4. Look for a "Cancel subscription" button or menu option, typically located near the subscription summary or in an actions menu.
   • Warning: Cancelling a subscription stops future recurring payments but does not automatically refund past charges.
5. Click "Cancel subscription" and confirm the action when prompted.
   • You may be asked to provide a reason for cancellation; this is optional but helps GoCardless improve their service.
6. Check for any pending payments that were created as part of the subscription but not yet submitted.
   • Pro tip: Pending payments must be cancelled separately if you want to stop them from processing; cancelling the subscription template alone does not cancel individual pending payments that have already been created.
7. Confirm that the subscription status has changed to "Cancelled" in your dashboard.
   • Your dashboard should display a confirmation message and timestamp for the cancellation.

Handling pending payments during cancellation

When you cancel a subscription in GoCardless, any payments already created and pending submission may still process unless you cancel them individually. This is a common trap that Stopee has identified in merchant cancellations across multiple platforms.

Return to the "Payments" section of your dashboard, locate any pending payments linked to the cancelled subscription, and click to open each one. Select "Cancel payment" or a similar option, confirm the action and verify that the payment status has changed to "Cancelled". Repeat this for every pending payment associated with the subscription you just cancelled.

Cancelling as a consumer: revoking your direct debit mandate

If you are a consumer and a merchant has been collecting payments from your account via GoCardless, you do not need to go through the merchant's system to stop payments. You can revoke your direct debit mandate directly with your bank, which guarantees that no further payments can be collected.

Revoking your mandate with your new zealand bank

1. Contact your bank by phone, online banking platform or in person at a branch.
   • Most New Zealand banks (ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, Westpac) allow you to manage direct debit mandates through online banking without calling.
2. Request to revoke or cancel the direct debit authorisation for the merchant collecting payments via GoCardless.
   • Tell your bank the name of the merchant and the GoCardless reference number if you have it; you can find this on your bank statement.
3. Your bank will confirm the mandate cancellation and may ask when you want the revocation to take effect.
   • Request an immediate effective date to ensure no further collections are attempted.
4. Ask your bank to provide written confirmation of the mandate revocation.
   • Keep this confirmation for your records in case disputes arise later.
5. Notify the merchant (separately) that you have revoked the direct debit mandate.
   • The merchant may not be aware immediately, so a courtesy email helps avoid confusion and prevents them from attempting to troubleshoot payment failures.
6. Monitor your bank account for 30 days after the revocation to confirm that no further GoCardless collections appear.
   • Pro tip: Set a reminder on your calendar to check your statement one month later; this ensures you catch any late or delayed collection attempts before they become a pattern.

Contacting the merchant to request cancellation

Alternatively, you can contact the merchant directly and request that they cancel your subscription or remove your payment mandate from their GoCardless account. Most merchants process these requests within 2-5 business days.

Send a clear, written request (email is best) asking the merchant to cancel your subscription, stop collecting payments and confirm once the cancellation is complete. Ask them to provide a confirmation email with the cancellation date and reference number. This creates a paper trail that protects you if disputes arise later.

What happens after you cancel

Cancellation outcomes differ depending on whether you are a merchant or consumer, and understanding what to expect helps you spot problems early.

For merchants: access and data retention

After you cancel a subscription, future recurring collection attempts stop immediately. However, your GoCardless dashboard retains the customer record and subscription history for reporting, audit and tax purposes.

You can still view past transactions, customer details and payment history indefinitely - even for cancelled subscriptions. If you need to remove customer data entirely for privacy or compliance reasons, contact GoCardless support to discuss data deletion options.

Your merchant account remains active, and you can create new subscriptions and collect payments from other customers without any impact from the cancellation you just completed.

For consumers: mandate status and account protection

After you revoke a direct debit mandate with your bank, your bank applies an immediate block to the merchant's GoCardless account preventing any further collections from your account. This block persists even if the merchant tries to re-initiate the mandate later.

The merchant's system may show the mandate as "inactive" or "revoked" within 1-3 business days. If the merchant attempts to collect after the revocation, your bank will automatically reject the payment and may notify you of the failed collection attempt.

Refunds and chargebacks after cancellation

Cancelling future payments does not automatically recover money you have already paid. If you are seeking a refund for charges you believe are incorrect, unauthorised or subject to a merchant error, you have distinct options depending on your circumstances.

Requesting a refund from the merchant

Contact the merchant directly and request a refund for charges you dispute. Provide your invoice number, the transaction date, the amount charged and a clear explanation of why you believe the charge is incorrect or should be reversed.

Most merchants process refunds within 5-10 business days and credit the amount back to your original payment method (your bank account in this case). Ask for written confirmation of the refund, including the date it was issued and the refund reference number.

Disputing charges through your bank

If the merchant refuses to refund an incorrect or unauthorised charge, contact your bank and request a chargeback. Your bank will investigate the dispute, contact GoCardless and the merchant on your behalf and make a determination within 10-20 business days.

Provide your bank with evidence: copies of emails requesting the refund, your statement showing the disputed charge, and any communication with the merchant. Most New Zealand banks side with consumers in disputes involving unauthorised or clearly erroneous charges.

GoCardless refund policy and restrictions

GoCardless itself does not issue refunds directly to consumers; refunds are initiated by merchants through the GoCardless dashboard. However, GoCardless enforces a restriction on merchant-issued refunds: refunds within 7 days of a charge are restricted to prevent merchants from refunding payments that fail due to insufficient funds.

This means if you request a refund within 7 days of a charge, the merchant may not be able to process it immediately without contacting GoCardless support. If you need an urgent refund within this 7-day window, ask the merchant to contact GoCardless support and request an exception.

Pricing and plan details for GoCardless

GoCardless pricing is variable and depends on your country, transaction volume, payment method and the specific plan features you need. New Zealand users typically face transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2% per transaction, plus monthly account fees that vary by plan tier.

Typical GoCardless fee structure

Pro tip: GoCardless pricing is negotiable for merchants processing high volumes or long-term commitments. If your business collects more than NZD $10,000 per month, contact GoCardless directly to request a custom quote - you may qualify for discounted rates.

Common mistakes when cancelling GoCardless

Cancellation mistakes are frustrating because they often delay the outcome you want and create unnecessary back-and-forth with merchants or banks. Learning what not to do protects your time and your account.

Assuming subscription cancellation stops all pending payments

The most widespread mistake merchants make is cancelling a subscription and assuming all associated payments have stopped. In reality, GoCardless allows individual payments to be created ahead of schedule and remain "pending" even after the subscription template is cancelled.

Always check the "Payments" section of your dashboard after cancelling a subscription and manually cancel any pending payments that were created before you initiated the subscription cancellation. Skipping this step often results in surprise charges 1-3 days after you thought cancellation was complete.

Forgetting to revoke the direct debit mandate as a consumer

Consumers often contact a merchant and request cancellation, then assume the job is done. However, if the merchant's system fails to update or the merchant delays processing the request, your direct debit mandate may remain active in GoCardless and allow unexpected collection attempts.

Always pair merchant cancellation requests with a direct mandate revocation at your bank. This dual approach ensures you are protected even if the merchant's cancellation takes time or fails.

Not documenting cancellation confirmation

Failing to keep records of your cancellation request is a serious oversight. If a dispute arises later - for example, if the merchant attempts a collection after you cancelled - you will struggle to prove you took action without documented evidence.

Save emails, screenshots of dashboard confirmations, and bank statements showing the mandate revocation. Stopee recommends keeping these records for at least 12 months after cancellation, as payment disputes can surface months later if a merchant attempts a delayed collection.

What to do before you cancel: a checklist

Rushing into cancellation without preparation often creates complications. Use this checklist to ensure you are ready and have gathered everything you need.

• Confirm the exact subscription or mandate you want to cancel; check your dashboard or bank statement for the merchant name and GoCardless reference number.
• Review your recent payment history to identify any pending charges that may process after cancellation.
• If you are a merchant, check whether any customers still depend on active subscriptions; cancelling a subscription affecting multiple customers may disrupt revenue.
• If you are a consumer, note the merchant's contact email and phone number in case you need to follow up after cancellation.
• Document the date and time you plan to cancel; this timestamp becomes important if disputes arise later.
• For merchants: review your GoCardless contract or contact support to confirm there are no early termination fees or penalties for cancelling subscriptions.
• Gather login credentials for your GoCardless dashboard or your online banking platform; ensure you have current access before you start.
• Set a calendar reminder to monitor your account 7-14 days after cancellation to verify that no unexpected charges appear.

When you should keep your GoCardless arrangement

Cancellation is not always the right choice. Before you cancel, consider whether GoCardless is actually the problem or whether the issue lies with a specific merchant or payment amount.

Reasons to keep GoCardless active

If you are a merchant and GoCardless serves your recurring billing needs reliably, switching platforms often costs more in migration effort and downtime than the savings justify. Stopee has found that merchants who are satisfied with GoCardless' automated collection rates, dashboard usability and New Zealand banking integration typically regret switching to competitors.

For consumers, if you have authorised only a single merchant via GoCardless and that merchant's service is valuable to you, keeping the mandate active is simpler than revoking it - provided you trust the merchant and charges are correct. Revoke the mandate only if the merchant demonstrates a pattern of unauthorised charges, billing errors or poor customer service.

Escalation: when to contact GoCardless support or regulators

If you encounter difficulties cancelling through normal channels, or if GoCardless or a merchant refuses to honour your cancellation request, you have formal escalation options under New Zealand law.

Contacting GoCardless support directly

GoCardless provides merchant and consumer support through their help centre and direct support channels. If you are a merchant with cancellation problems, contact GoCardless support via email or live chat through your dashboard; response times typically range from 24 to 72 hours.

If you are a consumer disputing a charge or seeking help with mandate revocation, you can contact GoCardless directly, although most consumer disputes are resolved through the merchant or your bank. Stopee recommends trying the merchant and your bank first before escalating to GoCardless, as those channels tend to resolve issues faster.

Filing a complaint with the financial markets authority or commerce commission

If GoCardless or a merchant engages in unfair trading practices, ignores your cancellation request or prevents you from revoking a mandate, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Commerce Commission or Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

A breach of the Fair Trading Act 1986 includes misleading or deceptive conduct, aggressive collection tactics, or refusal to honour a valid cancellation or mandate revocation. Document all communication with GoCardless and the merchant, then submit your complaint online through the Commission's website. Stopee strongly recommends this step if informal resolution fails and you believe your consumer rights have been violated.

Reviews and alternatives to GoCardless

If you are considering cancellation because GoCardless no longer meets your needs, comparing alternatives helps you choose a better-fit platform before you cancel.

Common GoCardless alternatives in new zealand

Before you switch, trial the alternative platform with a small pilot or test transaction. Many alternatives offer a 30-day free trial; use this period to confirm the new platform is easier to use and cheaper before you cancel GoCardless completely.

Summary: taking control of your GoCardless account

Cancelling GoCardless is straightforward when you follow the correct process for your role - merchant or consumer - and anticipate common pitfalls like pending payments or incomplete mandate revocations.

Merchants cancel through the dashboard and must remember to cancel pending payments separately; consumers revoke mandates with their banks and should notify merchants as a courtesy. Both routes leave clear records that protect you if disputes arise later. Always keep confirmation emails, screenshots and bank statements documenting your cancellation.

New Zealand consumer law - the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act - provides you with strong protections if a merchant or GoCardless refuses to honour your cancellation request or processes unauthorised charges. If informal resolution fails, escalate to your bank, the Commerce Commission or the Financial Markets Authority.

Stopee has helped thousands of consumers and merchants navigate payment platform cancellations, and we know that clarity and documentation are your strongest tools. By following these steps, documenting every communication and monitoring your account closely after cancellation, you protect yourself and ensure the outcome you intended. Take control today - your bank account and peace of mind depend on it.

How to contact GoCardless in new zealand for formal correspondence

If you need to send formal correspondence to GoCardless - including cancellation notices, dispute letters or regulatory complaints - use the registered New Zealand office address below.

GoCardless new zealand registered office

For formal correspondence and official cancellation notices, address your letter to:

GoCardless Limited
[Registered office address in New Zealand - consult GoCardless website or company registration for current details]

Alternative overseas contact (Australia): If the New Zealand address is not accepted for formal correspondence, GoCardless maintains an Australian mailing address that may be used as a secondary contact point. Confirm the current address with GoCardless support before sending formal documents.

Send all formal correspondence via registered post with tracking enabled; retain the postage receipt and tracking number as proof of delivery. Allow 10-15 business days for a response to formal notices.

For faster communication, contact GoCardless through their official support channels (email, live chat, or phone) via their website. However, formal cancellation or dispute notices should always be sent in writing to the registered office to create an irrefutable paper trail.

Stopee is committed to empowering consumers and merchants with transparent, step-by-step guidance for cancelling subscriptions and managing payment services. Whether you are cancelling GoCardless, disputing charges or protecting your consumer rights, we provide the clarity and support you need to take back control.