An “HKI reader” charge on your bank or card statement is a billing descriptor for iReader, a mobile e-book and serialized-fiction app published internationally by HK IReader Technology Limited, which is why the shorthand “HKI reader” shows up on statements.1Apple App Store. iReader – Story, Novel and E-Book The charge almost always comes from one of two things: an in-app purchase of the app’s virtual currency (“iCoins”), or an auto-renewing subscription, often one that started as a free trial and converted to paid.2iReader. iReader Terms of Service
Why the Charge Appeared
The app is free to install, but reading usually isn’t. iReader sells iCoin bundles starting at $0.99, and it sells subscription bundles at $9.99 per week or $19.99 per month.3Apple App Store. iReader – Story, Novel and E-Book
If a subscription included a free trial, iReader’s terms authorize an automatic charge the moment the trial ends unless you cancelled first. For any active subscription, the system deducts the next fee one day before the current period expires, and the user is responsible for keeping the payment method funded.2iReader. iReader Terms of Service App store reviewers have reported finding subscription charges they say they didn’t knowingly authorize, and difficulty confirming through the app whether a subscription even exists.4Google Play. iReader – Novels App Reviews
Before doing anything else, check your app store purchase history. On an iPhone, open the Wallet app and tap the transaction to see the date, time, and item. Apple sometimes groups several in-app purchases into a single line, so one unfamiliar amount may combine smaller ones.5Apple Support. Identify Apple Services Charges Also check whether anyone on your family sharing plan could have bought it.
How to Cancel the Subscription
Cancellation has to happen through the platform that billed you, not inside the iReader app. iReader’s terms require cancelling at least one day before the current period ends to stop the next charge.2iReader. iReader Terms of Service Once you cancel, access runs through the end of the paid period, and no partial refund is issued for the unused time.
- On an Apple device, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, select iReader, and cancel. You can also manage it from your Apple Account online.6Apple Support. Apple Billing and Subscriptions
- On Google Play, open the app, go to Settings, then Subscriptions, select iReader, and cancel.2iReader. iReader Terms of Service
- Through PayPal, open Settings, then Payments, then Automatic Payments or Subscriptions, find iReader, and cancel. Stopping the PayPal payment does not necessarily cancel the subscription itself, so contact iReader directly to confirm.7PayPal. How to Cancel Recurring Subscriptions
How to Get Your Money Back
For a charge billed through Apple, sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com, pick the iReader transaction, choose “Request a refund,” and submit a reason. Apple usually responds within 24 to 48 hours. Requesting a refund does not cancel the subscription, so do both.8Apple Support. Request a Refund for Apps or Content
For a charge billed through Google Play, you can report an unauthorized transaction within 120 days. If the charge isn’t actually in your Google account, Google tells users to contact their bank’s fraud department instead.9Google. Report Unauthorized Transactions Google also notes that reaching out to the developer directly is often faster, since app developers set their own refund policies.10Google Play Help. Request a Refund for Google Play Purchases iReader’s support address is support@ireader.com.11iReader. iReader Privacy Policy
If the merchant refuses, file a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. Most card networks allow chargebacks within 90 to 120 days of the transaction. Save your emails with iReader and any screenshots of the subscription or cancellation attempt. Banks generally want to see that you tried to resolve the issue with the merchant first.
The Rules That Apply to Auto-Renewing Subscriptions
Federal and state law give you more leverage than the app’s own policy suggests. The FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” rule, finalized in October 2024 and in full effect May 2025, requires any seller of a recurring subscription to make cancellation at least as easy as sign-up, to disclose all material terms clearly before collecting billing information, and to obtain the consumer’s unambiguous affirmative consent before charging.12Federal Trade Commission. FTC Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule It covers free-trial conversions and continuity plans across any medium.13Federal Register. Rule Concerning Recurring Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Programs
California’s Automatic Renewal Law, strengthened by AB 2863 effective July 1, 2025, adds annual reminder notices that state what you’re paying, how often, and how to cancel. Free trials longer than 31 days require a notice 3 to 21 days before the trial ends. If you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online through a prominent link or button with no obstructing steps, and any “save offer” prompt in the cancellation flow must appear alongside a clear click-to-cancel button.14Office of the Attorney General, California. Consumer Alert on California’s Automatic Renewal Law If iReader’s sign-up or cancellation flow didn’t give you what these rules require, mention that specifically in your refund request and in any chargeback dispute.