Manage Scholarshipowl

How to cancel ScholarshipOwl and claim your money back in the philippines

What ScholarshipOwl is and why you might want to cancel

ScholarshipOwl is an online scholarship matching and application platform designed to speed up your scholarship search through automation. The service is operated by Scholarship Services, Inc., a Delaware-based company, and it targets students who want to streamline their hunt for financial aid.

The core offer sounds simple: create a profile, get matched with scholarships, and use their tools to apply faster. But here is the reality for students in the Philippines: the actual value depends entirely on whether you need workflow automation or just a scholarship database. If you only want to search scholarships for free, competitors like Bold.org and Niche Scholarships offer the same core access at zero cost.

The cancellation frustration starts because ScholarshipOwl does not publish a dedicated self-serve cancel button on your account dashboard. Instead, the company directs you to contact customer support via email or phone, which creates unnecessary delays and confusion, especially for users dealing with currency conversions and cross-border billing.

Pricing and what you actually pay in the philippines

ScholarshipOwl publishes prices in U.S. dollars only, which means your actual charge in Philippine pesos depends on your bank's exchange rate and any cross-border fees your card issuer adds. The standard plan costs USD 20.00 per month after a 7-day free trial expires.

The company also offers a VIP tier with a personal account manager, monthly essay review, and premium content access, but exact Philippine pricing for this tier is not clearly advertised on their website.

Important: ScholarshipOwl does not offer refunds after cancellation, so your safest approach is to cancel before your next billing date arrives, not after the charge hits your account.

Why students in the philippines cancel ScholarshipOwl

The most common cancellation reasons Stopee hears from users are unexpected charges after a free trial, lack of relevant scholarships for non-US residents, poor customer service response times, and confusion over what they are actually paying for. Many students believe they are purchasing access to exclusive scholarships, but in reality, the paid tier mainly buys you automation tools and support, not hidden scholarship opportunities.

If you live in the Philippines, another pain point is that ScholarshipOwl focuses heavily on US-based scholarships and US college admissions. If you are looking for scholarships outside the United States or within the Philippines, you will find better results from local scholarship databases or platforms operated by Philippine universities and foundations.

Your rights as a consumer in the philippines

The Consumer Act of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 7394) protects you when you buy services online, including subscription platforms like ScholarshipOwl. This law gives you specific rights that ScholarshipOwl must respect, even though the company is based in the United States.

What the consumer act of the philippines says about subscriptions

Under Republic Act No. 7394, you have the right to accurate information about any service before you pay. This means ScholarshipOwl must clearly disclose the price, trial duration, auto-renewal terms, and cancellation method in language you understand. If the company fails to disclose these terms clearly, you have grounds to dispute charges and demand a refund.

The law also protects you against unfair or deceptive practices. If ScholarshipOwl makes cancellation intentionally difficult to discourage you from leaving, or if the company continues to charge you after you have requested cancellation, that violates your consumer rights under Philippine law.

How to escalate if ScholarshipOwl refuses to cancel or refund

If ScholarshipOwl does not respond to your cancellation request within 5 business days, or if the company continues to charge you after you have canceled, file a complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Consumer Complaint Center. The DTI has the authority to investigate unfair billing practices and force refunds.

You can also file a chargeback dispute directly with your credit card issuer or bank. If you paid with GCash or Maya, those platforms have their own dispute resolution processes that will typically side with you if ScholarshipOwl cannot prove you authorized a charge after cancellation.

Keep all screenshots, emails, and transaction records. Stopee always emphasizes that documentation is your strongest tool when escalating to the DTI or your bank.

How to cancel ScholarshipOwl step by step

ScholarshipOwl requires you to contact customer support directly to cancel because there is no self-serve cancel option in your account settings. This is a deliberate friction point, but you can work around it by following these steps carefully.

Preparation before you contact support

Before you send your cancellation request, gather proof of your account and billing information. This protects you if ScholarshipOwl disputes your cancellation claim later or if you need to escalate to your bank or the DTI.

1. Log into your ScholarshipOwl account and navigate to your billing or account settings page.
2. Take a screenshot showing your account email, current plan type, and next billing date.
3. Take a second screenshot of your most recent charge from your bank statement, credit card, GCash, or Maya history.
4. Write down your ScholarshipOwl account email and the exact date and amount of your next scheduled charge.
5. Note the current date and time. You will include this in your cancellation email.
6. If you are still in the free trial period, verify the exact trial end date from your account dashboard.

Pro tip: Create a folder on your phone or computer labeled "ScholarshipOwl Cancellation" and save all screenshots there. This file becomes your proof if you need to dispute charges later with your bank or file a complaint with the DTI.

Contact ScholarshipOwl to request cancellation

ScholarshipOwl directs cancellation requests to its customer support team. You have three contact options, and Stopee recommends using email because it creates a written record of your cancellation request.

1. Send an email to ScholarshipOwl support.
   • Visit the ScholarshipOwl help center at help.scholarshipowl.com or their main website and look for the "Contact Us" link.
   • Locate the support email address (usually support at scholarshipowl dot com or help at scholarshipowl dot com).
   • Write an email with the subject line: "Cancellation Request - Account [your email address]".
   • In the body, include your account email, the date of your cancellation request, and the phrase: "I request immediate cancellation of my ScholarshipOwl account and membership effective today. Please confirm cancellation and provide a cancellation reference number."
   • Attach screenshots of your account dashboard and most recent billing charge.
   • Send the email and save a copy for your records.
2. Call ScholarshipOwl customer support.
   • Find the phone number on the ScholarshipOwl website or in your account dashboard.
   • Call during business hours and request to speak with a customer service representative.
   • Clearly state: "I want to cancel my account and membership effective immediately."
   • Ask for a cancellation confirmation number and the name of the representative you spoke with.
   • Write down the date, time, and representative name immediately after the call.
3. Use the help center contact form (if available).
   • Visit help.scholarshipowl.com and look for a "Contact Support" button or form.
   • Select "Billing" or "Account Cancellation" as the issue type.
   • Write your cancellation request in the message field and attach your screenshots.
   • Submit the form and note the ticket or reference number provided.

Warning: Do not rely on calling alone if you can reach support. Email is always safer because it creates a timestamp and written proof that ScholarshipOwl received your request. If you call, send a follow-up email confirming what you discussed on the phone and who you spoke with.

What to expect after you submit your cancellation request

ScholarshipOwl typically responds to cancellation requests within 1 to 3 business days. You should receive an email confirming that your account has been deactivated and that your membership will not renew.

The company may ask you why you are canceling or offer you a discount to stay. Do not engage with these offers unless you genuinely want to keep the service. Stick to your request: "I want to cancel my membership. Please confirm the cancellation date and provide a reference number."

Save the cancellation confirmation email. This is your proof that ScholarshipOwl accepted your request. If the company charges you again after this date, you will use this email to dispute the charge with your bank or file a complaint with the DTI.

Refund policy and what to do if you are charged after cancellation

ScholarshipOwl's terms state that no refunds are issued after cancellation, which is why timing matters. However, this policy does not override your consumer rights under Philippine law if the company charges you after you have successfully canceled.

If you are charged after canceling

If ScholarshipOwl charges your account 3 or more days after you submitted a valid cancellation request, you have been wrongfully billed. Follow these steps immediately:

1. Log into your bank account, credit card, GCash, or Maya app and identify the unwanted charge.
2. Take a screenshot of the charge showing the date, amount, and ScholarshipOwl as the merchant.
3. Gather your cancellation confirmation email from ScholarshipOwl (proof that you canceled before the charge).
4. If your card issuer has a mobile app, open it and look for "Dispute a Transaction" or "Report Unauthorized Charge" in the menu.
5. File a chargeback dispute by explaining: "I canceled my ScholarshipOwl membership on [date] via email, and the company confirmed cancellation on [date]. This charge on [billing date] was applied after my cancellation was confirmed and should be reversed."
6. Attach your cancellation email and the charge screenshot as evidence.
7. Submit the dispute and note the dispute reference number your bank provides.

Pro tip: Most Philippine banks and GCash/Maya resolve chargeback disputes in your favor if you provide a cancellation confirmation email. The burden falls on ScholarshipOwl to prove you authorized the charge after cancellation, which they cannot do.

If ScholarshipOwl does not respond to your cancellation request

If you do not receive a response to your cancellation email within 5 business days, escalate to the Department of Trade and Industry. File a complaint at dtipso.gov.ph or visit your nearest DTI office with your screenshots and emails. The DTI can force ScholarshipOwl to cancel your account and refund wrongful charges through their dispute resolution process.

Common mistakes when canceling ScholarshipOwl

Canceling a subscription feels like it should be simple, but small errors can trap you in continued billing. Here are the traps Stopee sees most often.

Mistake 1: assuming your account deletion is the same as cancellation

Some users delete their ScholarshipOwl password or remove the app from their phone and assume their membership is canceled. It is not. Deleting the app or resetting your password does nothing to your subscription. Your account remains active and will continue to auto-renew on your billing date.

Always contact support directly and wait for a cancellation confirmation email. That is the only proof that cancels your membership.

Mistake 2: canceling after your billing date instead of before

If you wait until after your next billing date to cancel, you have already been charged for another month. ScholarshipOwl will not refund that charge because their policy explicitly excludes post-cancellation refunds. Mark your calendar for 3 to 5 days before your next billing date and submit your cancellation request then, not after.

Mistake 3: not saving proof of your cancellation request

It is tempting to cancel over the phone and move on, but oral confirmation means nothing if ScholarshipOwl continues to charge you later. The company may claim they never received your request or that you did not explicitly ask to cancel. Email is always safer because it timestamps your request and leaves a paper trail.

Mistake 4: closing your credit card or removing your payment method before confirming cancellation

If you remove your credit card before ScholarshipOwl confirms your cancellation, the company may mark your account as "failed payment" instead of "canceled." This can cause billing attempts to continue or keep your account in a suspended state. Wait for the cancellation confirmation email before you change your payment information.

Mistake 5: ignoring the free trial window

ScholarshipOwl offers a 7-day free trial that auto-converts to a paid USD 20.00 monthly plan. If you decide within that 7-day window that the service is not for you, cancel before day 7 ends. Canceling on day 8 means you will be charged the monthly fee, and ScholarshipOwl will not refund it.

After cancellation: what happens to your account and data

Canceling your ScholarshipOwl membership feels like relief, but understanding what happens next protects your data and prevents future problems.

What gets deleted and what stays

Once ScholarshipOwl confirms your cancellation, your account access is revoked and you cannot log in anymore. However, the company may retain your personal data (email, name, phone number) for legal and tax purposes, even after cancellation. This is standard industry practice and is permitted under ScholarshipOwl's privacy policy.

Any scholarship applications you submitted through the platform remain in the hands of those individual scholarship sponsors. ScholarshipOwl does not retract your applications, so you will continue to receive emails directly from scholarships you applied for.

Keeping your scholarship application records

Before you cancel, export or take screenshots of your scholarship application history, including scholarships you applied for, deadlines, and any correspondence. Once your account is deleted, you cannot access this record from ScholarshipOwl, so keep your own copy for your records.

Checking your next billing date

After cancellation, log back into your bank or credit card account and confirm that no new charge from ScholarshipOwl appears on your next expected billing date. If a charge does appear after you have received a cancellation confirmation, immediately file a chargeback dispute or contact the DTI. Stopee has helped thousands of consumers recover wrongful charges after subscription cancellation by acting within 30 days of the unwanted charge.

Cancellation checklist for ScholarshipOwl users

Use this checklist to ensure you cancel correctly and protect yourself from continued billing.

How ScholarshipOwl compares to free alternatives

Before you signed up for ScholarshipOwl, you probably did not know that scholarship searching offers free options that are nearly as good. Here is how ScholarshipOwl stacks up against what you can get for zero cost.

If you live in the Philippines and are looking for scholarships to study locally or abroad, Bold.org and Niche Scholarships offer the same search experience as ScholarshipOwl at no cost. You lose the personal account manager (in the VIP tier), but you gain a free product with no billing surprises.

Contact information for ScholarshipOwl and the DTI

If you need to escalate your cancellation issue or dispute a charge, use these official contact details.

ScholarshipOwl official contact information

ScholarshipOwl is operated by Scholarship Services, Inc. The company's official mailing address as listed in its privacy policy and terms of use is:

Scholarship Services, Inc.
831 N Tatnall Street
Suite M #224
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
United States

For billing disputes and cancellation requests, contact customer support at the email address provided on the ScholarshipOwl website or help center. Stopee strongly recommends sending your cancellation request to the support email rather than mailing a physical letter, because email provides instant proof of submission and a timestamp that protects you.

Escalation contacts in the philippines

If ScholarshipOwl refuses to cancel your account or refund wrongful charges after cancellation, file a complaint with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry:

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Consumer Complaint Center
Website: www.dtipso.gov.ph
You can also visit your nearest DTI office with proof of your charges and cancellation requests.

For credit card chargebacks or payment disputes, contact your bank or credit card issuer directly through their customer service line or mobile app. If you paid with GCash or Maya, contact those platforms' support teams to dispute the transaction.

Stopee has helped thousands of consumers cancel unwanted subscriptions and recover wrongful charges by providing clear, step-by-step guidance and reminding them of their consumer rights. If you are still struggling to cancel ScholarshipOwl or if the company continues to charge you after cancellation, Stopee at stopee.com offers free resources and consumer advocacy support to help you reclaim control of your subscriptions and your money.