Microsoft 365 features that help users manage their subscriptions, account settings, and billing information.
There are two separate issues to address: stopping the duplicate billing and then requesting a refund/credit for past charges.
- Stop the duplicate Game Pass charges
- Check both Microsoft accounts for active Game Pass subscriptions:
- Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the account that is actively used for purchases.
- Locate the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and confirm its status.
- Sign out, then sign in again with the other Microsoft account (the one under the parent email) and repeat the check.
- Cancel the unused subscription:
- On the account where Game Pass is not being used, select Manage next to the Game Pass subscription.
- Choose Cancel or Turn off recurring billing and follow the prompts.
- This will stop future duplicate charges. The steps are the same pattern as described for other Microsoft subscriptions in the refund article: go to Services & subscriptions, select Manage, then Cancel or Upgrade or Cancel, and follow the instructions.
If the unused subscription does not appear under either account, use the billing investigation tool:
- Go to the Manage your payments page and use Investigate to search for other accounts using the same card, as described in the billing investigation guidance.
- Investigate and document the duplicate charges
Before requesting a refund, gather clear evidence:
- Review Microsoft order history:
- Sign in to each Microsoft account and review the last several months of order history and Services & subscriptions.
- Confirm that two separate Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions have been billed to the same card over the same period.
- Compare with bank/credit card statements:
- Match each Microsoft/Xbox charge on the statements with the corresponding subscription in each account.
- Note the start date of the duplicate billing and the total period (about 2.5 years).
If any charges are not recognized or not visible in either account’s order history, use the Manage your payments → Investigate flow described in the billing-charge article to identify which account they belong to.
- Request a refund or credit
Microsoft’s refund policies are strict for digital subscriptions, but there are still steps that can be taken:
- Use the billing-charge troubleshooter first:
- Follow the steps in How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft. This tool helps classify the charges (recurring subscription, multiple accounts using the same card, previously declined charge retried, etc.) and can route to the right support path.
- Request a subscription refund:
- The general subscription refund guidance explains how to cancel subscriptions and when refunds may be available. For subscriptions, the process is:
- Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services.
- Select Manage for the subscription.
- Choose Cancel and follow the prompts.
- After cancellation of the unused subscription, use the same refund guidance page to check eligibility and submit a refund request for recent charges.
- For older, long-running duplicate charges:
- The documentation notes that digital goods and subscriptions are generally non-refundable unless the offer or applicable law allows it. For long periods (like 2.5 years), automatic full refunds are unlikely.
- However, because this is a complex, account-specific billing situation (two parallel subscriptions on the same card, one unused), escalation through Microsoft Support is required. Community forums and self-service tools cannot adjust historical billing.
- Contact Microsoft Support directly
For anything beyond standard self-service refunds (especially multi-year duplicate billing or a request to credit one account), direct support is required:
- Use the contact path described in the Q&A examples:
- Go to the Microsoft Support contact page.
- Choose the appropriate product category (e.g., Microsoft 365 & Office / Subscriptions & billing or Xbox subscriptions, depending on the entry point available).
- Select a billing/subscription topic (such as Manage my subscription).
- Choose Chat with a support agent or request a callback.
When contacting support, have ready:
- Both Microsoft account email addresses.
- The last 12–24 months of relevant transaction dates and amounts.
- Confirmation that one subscription has been unused and that both were billed to the same card.
Explain clearly that:
- Two separate Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions have been billed to the same card for ~2.5 years.
- Only one account has been used; the other has been entirely unused.
- The goal is to keep one active subscription but seek refund/credit consideration for the unused duplicate subscription.
Support can then:
- Verify the two subscriptions and their usage.
- Confirm cancellation of the unused one.
- Determine what portion of past charges, if any, can be refunded or credited under current policies and local law.
- If any charges appear unauthorized
If any of the duplicate charges are not recognized at all (for example, if a third account is using the card):
- Follow How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft to identify the account.
- If the card is being used by an unknown person, contact the bank/card issuer immediately to report unauthorized charges and consider replacing the card, as recommended in the Q&A guidance.
References:
- I've been charged twice
- Cancel an order or pre-order from Microsoft Store
- How to get a refund on a Microsoft subscription
- Get a refund for apps and games purchased from Microsoft Store
- How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft
- My credit card is being used by an unknown person to buy Xbox pass. How do I cancel the monthly payment? - Microsoft Q&A
- Can I speak to someone? -- Billing issues - Microsoft Q&A
- refund please - Microsoft Q&A
- Game Pass refund - Microsoft Q&A
- Request refund - Microsoft Q&A