A charge labeled msbill.info on your bank or credit card statement is Microsoft’s billing descriptor. It means Microsoft processed a payment on a card tied to a Microsoft account, and the underlying purchase could be a Microsoft 365 subscription, an Xbox Game Pass renewal, a one-time Microsoft Store download, or something a family member bought using your saved payment method. The fastest way to identify it is to match the dollar amount to a known Microsoft price and then look up the order in your Microsoft account. If the charge isn’t yours, the order in which you handle it matters: Microsoft’s own refund process first, your bank second.
Match the Dollar Amount to a Microsoft Service
Microsoft’s subscription prices are predictable, so the amount on your statement usually tells you what you’re paying for. A charge around $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually corresponds to Microsoft 365 Personal. Around $12.99 monthly or $129.99 annually points to Microsoft 365 Family.1Microsoft. Compare Microsoft 365 Plans and Pricing A small $1.99 monthly line is typically Microsoft 365 Basic, which includes 100 GB of OneDrive storage.2Microsoft. Cloud Storage Plans and Pricing
Gaming is the other common source. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $22.99 per month, with lower Game Pass tiers landing between roughly $10 and $15.3Xbox Wire. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Update One-time purchases from the Microsoft Store (games, movie rentals, apps, in-game currency) generate the same msbill.info descriptor. If any of those amounts look familiar, you probably already know what the charge is.
Find the Exact Purchase in Your Microsoft Account
Sign in at account.microsoft.com/billing and open your order history. Every transaction Microsoft billed to your account is listed there with the date, amount, and order number.4Microsoft Support. View Your Microsoft Store Order History For Xbox charges specifically, you can also check purchase history through your console or the Xbox support site.5Xbox Support. Check Your Xbox Purchase History
If nothing matches, two possibilities are worth ruling out before you assume fraud. First, try signing in with any other email address you may have used with Microsoft over the years. A forgotten account created for an old Xbox, an old Hotmail address, or a work project may still be carrying an active subscription. Second, if you have a Microsoft family group, a child or other member’s purchases can hit your card without appearing in your personal order history. Check the family member’s account, not yours.
Cancel a Subscription You No Longer Want
If the charge is a recurring subscription and you want it to stop, go to account.microsoft.com/services, find the subscription, and turn off recurring billing or cancel it.6Microsoft Support. Cancel a Microsoft 365 Subscription Turning off recurring billing stops future charges while letting you keep using the service through the end of the current billing period.7Microsoft. Turn Recurring Billing On or Off for a Microsoft Subscription If there’s no cancel button but the page shows an expiration date, the subscription is already set to end and won’t renew.
Request a Refund From Microsoft First
Microsoft’s refund policy for digital goods is stricter than most people expect. Apps, games, add-on content, subscriptions, movies, TV shows, and books generally are not refundable unless a specific offer or applicable law says otherwise.8Microsoft Support. Get a Refund for Apps and Games Purchased From Microsoft Store Microsoft does process refund requests for accidental purchases, and a request filed soon after the transaction has a better chance of approval than one filed weeks later.
To submit the request, you need the order number and date from your order history. The form asks for a reason and the amount. Microsoft responds by email, and approved refunds return to the original payment method on your bank’s timeline.
When to Dispute the Charge With Your Bank
If the charge is genuinely unauthorized, or if Microsoft has refused a reasonable refund request, your card issuer is the next step. The rules and deadlines depend on the card type.
Credit Card: Fair Credit Billing Act
For a credit card charge, send written notice to your card issuer within 60 days of the statement date on which the disputed charge first appeared.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors Your notice should include your name, account number, the disputed amount, and why you believe it’s wrong. The issuer must investigate and resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no longer than 90 days.10Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. How Long Can a Creditor Take to Resolve My Credit Card Billing Dispute or Error
Debit Card: Regulation E
Debit card charges fall under Regulation E.11eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers Regulation E You have 60 days from the date your bank sends the statement to report an unauthorized charge. Missing that window can leave you liable for later unauthorized transfers.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1005.6 Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers
Once you report it, the bank has 10 business days to investigate. It can extend that review to 45 days, but only if it provisionally credits your account within the first 10 business days so you have use of the funds while the investigation continues.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1005.11 Procedures for Resolving Errors
Why the Order Matters
A bank chargeback filed before you’ve tried Microsoft’s own refund process can backfire. Microsoft treats bank-initiated chargebacks as potential fraud, and accounts flagged that way can be suspended. A suspension means losing access to your digital library, any remaining subscription time, and Xbox achievements tied to the account. If the charge is legitimate but unwanted, use Microsoft’s refund process. Save the bank dispute for charges that are truly unauthorized or that Microsoft has refused to address.
Secure the Account If Someone Else Got In
An unauthorized charge that isn’t from a family member usually means someone has your credentials. Microsoft recommends a specific order for recovery: run a full virus and malware scan first, using Windows Security, before you change your password. If malware is logging keystrokes, a new password will be captured the moment you type it.14Microsoft Support. How to Recover a Hacked or Compromised Microsoft Account
After the scan comes back clean, change your password to something you haven’t used elsewhere. Then review your recovery email, phone number, and any connected accounts, because an attacker may have changed those to let themselves back in later. Finally, turn on two-step verification at account.microsoft.com/security so future sign-ins require a code from the Microsoft Authenticator app in addition to your password.15Microsoft Support. How to Add Your Accounts to Microsoft Authenticator That one setting blocks most unauthorized access even when a password has already leaked.
Stop Accidental Purchases From Happening Again
If the charge turned out to be an accidental purchase from someone in your household, two settings prevent a repeat. In the Microsoft Store app on Windows, turn on the purchase sign-in requirement so a password is needed before any transaction completes; you have to enable it on each shared device.16Microsoft Support. Prevent Unauthorized Purchases From Microsoft Store In your family group settings at account.microsoft.com, require adult approval for child purchases and set spending limits. For Xbox households, that combination is the most effective way to keep surprise charges off the statement.