A “Smallpdf Zurich” charge on your credit or debit card statement is almost always a legitimate subscription payment to Smallpdf AG, a Swiss PDF software company based in Zürich. It typically runs about $12 a month or $108 a year, and it usually starts when a seven-day free trial converts to a paid plan. If you didn’t mean to subscribe, you can cancel inside your Smallpdf account, ask support for a refund, and, if that fails, dispute the charge with your bank under federal law.
What the Charge Actually Is
Smallpdf is an online tool for compressing, converting, editing, and signing PDF files. It has a free tier and a paid Pro plan. The company behind it, Smallpdf AG, is a Swiss corporation registered in Zürich since 2013.1Moneyhouse. Smallpdf AG Payment processors include the merchant’s registered city in the billing descriptor, which is why “Zurich” (or “Zurich CH”) sits next to the Smallpdf name on your statement. Nothing about the location itself is a red flag.
If you used a web-based PDF tool recently to shrink a file, convert a Word document, or sign something, there’s a good chance you landed on Smallpdf’s site even if the brand name didn’t stick.
Why You’re Being Billed
The usual explanation is a free trial that quietly converted. Smallpdf offers a seven-day trial of its Pro plan, and if you don’t cancel inside that window, it rolls into a paid subscription automatically.2Smallpdf. Smallpdf Pricing and Plans A lot of people enter payment details to use one feature once, then forget the trial exists.
Individual Pro pricing is roughly $12 per month or $108 per year, depending on the cycle you picked at signup. Team plans cost more per seat. Once the trial converts, the plan renews at the start of each billing period until you cancel. There’s no pause, no reminder, no grace period.
One extra wrinkle: because the billing originates in Switzerland, your card issuer may add a foreign transaction fee of roughly 1% to 3% on top of each charge. Some cards waive these fees; it’s worth checking if you plan to keep the subscription.
How to Cancel the Subscription
If you signed up through the website, log in at smallpdf.com, open your Account page, and find the Plan section under billing and subscription settings. The cancel option is there, and you don’t need to contact support to use it.3Smallpdf. Smallpdf Help Cancel during the trial and your account simply drops to the free plan at the end of the seven days, with no charge.2Smallpdf. Smallpdf Pricing and Plans
If You Subscribed Through an App
Subscriptions bought through a mobile app are billed by Apple or Google, not Smallpdf. Canceling on the Smallpdf website won’t stop them.
On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Find Smallpdf and tap Cancel Subscription.4Apple Support. See Your Purchases and Subscriptions in the App Store on iPhone
On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, go to Payments & Subscriptions, then Subscriptions. Find Smallpdf and tap Cancel Subscription. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.5Google Play Help. Cancel, Pause, or Change a Subscription on Google Play If Smallpdf isn’t in the list, you’re probably signed into the wrong account.
How to Ask Smallpdf for a Refund
Smallpdf doesn’t publish a blanket money-back guarantee. Refunds are handled case by case. Email support@smallpdf.com or use the help portal at smallpdf.com/support.3Smallpdf. Smallpdf Help Have this ready before you write:
- The email address on the account
- The transaction ID or invoice number from the confirmation email or your bank record
- The exact charge date and amount from your statement
- The last four digits of the card that was charged
Replies usually come within one to two business days. Approved refunds generally hit your statement three to five business days after that.
Disputing the Charge With Your Bank
If Smallpdf won’t refund you, or you’re sure the charge is unauthorized, you can dispute it with your card issuer. Your rights depend on whether the charge was on a credit card or a debit card.
Credit Card
Credit card disputes are governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act. You have 60 days from the date the charge appeared on your statement to send written notice to your issuer.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1666 Correction of Billing Errors Call first to flag it, then follow up in writing to lock in your rights. The issuer has 30 days to acknowledge the dispute and up to 90 days to resolve it, and it cannot try to collect the disputed amount or report it as late while the investigation is open.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill
Debit Card
Debit card disputes fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E. You still have 60 days from the statement date to report the error.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors Your bank then has 10 business days to investigate. It can extend that to 45 days only if it provisionally credits your account while it keeps looking. For an international transaction like a charge from Switzerland, the window stretches to 90 days.9eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors
The practical gap: with a credit card, the money hasn’t left your account, so you have more leverage while the bank sorts it out. With a debit card, the funds are already gone and you’re waiting on provisional credit. Either way, the 60-day clock runs from the statement date, not from when you noticed the charge, so don’t sit on it.
How to Keep This From Happening Again
A few habits head off the next surprise subscription:
- Set a calendar reminder a day or two before any free trial ends.
- Use a virtual card number for online signups when your bank offers them, so a converted trial fails to charge instead of going through.
- Scan your statements each month. Catching a charge in the first billing cycle gives you the best shot at a full refund and keeps you well inside the 60-day dispute window.