An AM Greetings charge on your card or bank statement is the billing descriptor for American Greetings, the Cleveland-based company that sells digital ecard subscriptions through AmericanGreetings.com. The charge is almost always an automatic renewal of a monthly or annual membership, often one that started as a seven-day free trial and was never canceled. To stop it, log into the American Greetings account tied to the payment method, open the Manage Membership page, turn off auto-renewal, and then call or email customer support to ask for a refund of the most recent charge.
What You’re Being Billed For
American Greetings runs a subscription ecard service. New users get a seven-day free trial, and if the trial isn’t canceled before it ends, the card on file is charged for the plan that was selected at sign-up.1American Greetings. Member Benefits Current pricing matches one of three amounts on your statement:
- Monthly plan: $7.99
- Annual plan: $35.99
- Two-year plan: $49.99
Every plan renews automatically at the end of its billing cycle and continues until the user turns off auto-renewal or cancels.2American Greetings. Terms of Service Someone who signed up years ago to send a single ecard can still be billed today.
Why the Charge Caught You Off Guard
Complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau show a consistent set of reasons people don’t see the charge coming.3Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Complaints
The free trial is the most common entry point. Users sign up to send one card and don’t realize the trial converts into a paid subscription. Many consumers also report they received no email warning before being billed; when challenged, company representatives have suggested the missing notices may have gone to spam, but American Greetings does not publicly commit to a specific pre-renewal reminder schedule.4Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Complaints – Page 4
A reissued card is not necessarily a stop. At least one complaint alleges American Greetings used Visa Account Updater, a service that forwards new card numbers to merchants when a card is replaced, so billing continued after the original card expired.3Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Complaints Some users also report that the cancellation control is placed on a different page than the FAQ or account settings and takes effort to find.5Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Customer Reviews
How to Stop Future Renewals
American Greetings’ FAQ tells members to go to the Manage Membership page inside their account and choose “Do not renew membership” to switch off automatic renewal.6American Greetings. Membership FAQs The subscription stays active through the end of the current paid period and then ends.2American Greetings. Terms of Service
If you don’t recognize the account, or can’t log in, the charge still gives you two pieces of information you can use: the billing amount, which identifies the plan, and the email address on the card’s billing records, which is usually the login. Try password recovery with the email tied to the payment method before calling.
How to Get a Refund
The written policy and real-world practice do not match. The terms of service state that subscriptions are “not returnable or refundable” after purchase, and the FAQ says “charges already incurred may be non-refundable under the terms of your membership.”6American Greetings. Membership FAQs2American Greetings. Terms of Service In practice, BBB records show American Greetings regularly issues what it calls “courtesy” refunds after consumers complain, ranging from a single annual fee of $29.99 to partial refunds covering several months of billing.3Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Complaints 2025 customer reviews also document full refunds issued after escalation, with confirmation numbers on record.5Better Business Bureau. American Greetings Corporation Customer Reviews
Contact customer support directly:
- Phone: 1-800-711-4474, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern
- Email: help@americangreetings.com6American Greetings. Membership FAQs
When you call, say you did not realize the subscription was still active, confirm that auto-renewal has been turned off, and ask for a refund of the most recent charge. If support refuses and you believe the charge was unauthorized, you can file a chargeback dispute with your bank or credit card issuer.
If You See a $0 or $1 Pending Charge
At sign-up, American Greetings may place a temporary preauthorization hold of $0.00 or $1.00 on the card to confirm it’s active. It isn’t a membership fee, and it reverses within a few days.6American Greetings. Membership FAQs Don’t dispute this one; wait for it to drop off.
State Laws That May Support a Dispute
If you were charged without any advance notice, your state’s auto-renewal law may be on your side regardless of what the company’s own terms say. A federal “click-to-cancel” rule finalized by the FTC in October 2024 was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on July 8, 2025, on procedural grounds, and as of early 2026 the FTC had issued a new advance notice of proposed rulemaking to restart the process.7Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule8Mayer Brown. FTC Postpones Enforcement of Click-to-Cancel Subscription Rule for 60 Days The federal rule is not in force, but several state laws impose their own notice and cancellation requirements:
- California: amended auto-renewal provisions effective July 1, 2025, requiring express affirmative consent, a prominently displayed click-to-cancel option, annual renewal reminders, and notice before a free trial converts to a paid subscription.2American Greetings. Terms of Service
- Virginia: requires clear disclosure of renewal terms, a conspicuous online cancellation option, and advance notice 30 to 60 days before renewal for contracts longer than 12 months. Without proper consent, goods or services provided under an auto-renewal are deemed an unconditional gift under state law.9Virginia Code Commission. Chapter 17.8 – Automatic Renewal Offers and Continuous Service Offers
- Minnesota: requires annual written reminders for all ongoing subscriptions and prohibits unsolicited retention offers during cancellation.10Kelley Drye. Auto-Renewal Laws 2025 Round Up
- Utah: requires renewal reminders 30 to 60 days before renewal for terms longer than 45 days and notice at least three days before a free trial ends.
If you live in one of these states and were charged without a reminder, mention the state law when you call customer support or when you file a chargeback. It is the single most effective piece of leverage a consumer in these jurisdictions has.