A charge marked “SP ELARE” on your bank or credit card statement is a Shopify-processed payment to Elare, an online store that sells dietary supplements, most prominently an aged garlic extract softgel. The “SP” prefix means Shopify handled the transaction; “ELARE” is the merchant name. If you don’t remember signing up for anything recurring, the charge almost always comes from Elare’s monthly auto-refill subscription, which is added at checkout and keeps billing every 30 days until you cancel.
Why the Charge Keeps Coming Back
Elare’s subscription policy says that when a customer adds the monthly refill option during checkout, the card is billed every 30 days at the checkout amount, including taxes and shipping, and the charges continue indefinitely until the customer cancels.1Elare. Subscription Monthly Refill Policy The company describes the refill as optional and removable before checkout is finished. Consumer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau describe shoppers who believed they were making a one-time purchase and were later billed again for a subscription they say was not clearly disclosed.2BBB. Scam Tracker Report 979385
The cancellation timing matters. Elare says a cancellation must be made at least 24 hours before the next billing date. Once a new refill order has been generated, the company treats it as “valid and final” and says it cannot be stopped because the order is already being prepared for shipping.1Elare. Subscription Monthly Refill Policy
How to Cancel With Elare
Elare gives two cancellation routes. You can click the cancellation link in your original order confirmation email, or email support@elare.store with your full name and order number.3Elare. Subscription Policy Send the email as soon as you spot the charge, and save a copy along with any reply.
Elare’s refund policy sets out two paths. Unopened products in original packaging can be returned within 30 days of receipt. For opened products, a “30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee” lets first-time customers request a refund within 30 days of delivery, one refund per household, without returning the item, so long as they email support with the order number.4Elare. Refund Policy Shipping fees are not refundable, and Elare says approved refunds are processed within 10 business days.
Some consumers have reported that emails to Elare went unanswered, or that orders shipped after they had been confirmed cancelled.2BBB. Scam Tracker Report 9793855BBB. Elare Business Profile If that happens to you, move to your card issuer.
Disputing the Charge With Your Card Issuer
The Fair Credit Billing Act lets credit card holders dispute billing errors, including unauthorized charges, by notifying the card issuer within 60 days of the date the statement containing the charge was sent.6FTC. Disputing Credit Card Charges The FTC recommends calling the number on the back of your card first, then following up with a written dispute letter sent to the billing-dispute address your issuer designates, not the payment address. Send it by certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of delivery.7FTC. What to Do if Youre Billed for Things You Never Got or You Get Unordered Products
Include your name, account number, the dollar amount and date of the charge, and a clear explanation of why the charge is wrong. While the investigation is open, you don’t have to pay the disputed amount, and the issuer can’t charge you interest on it or report it as late to the credit bureaus. The issuer has to acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, up to 90 days.7FTC. What to Do if Youre Billed for Things You Never Got or You Get Unordered Products
If you paid with a debit card, the protections are weaker. Federal law doesn’t guarantee the same dispute rights, though many banks offer similar processes voluntarily. Call your bank as soon as you can and ask what protections apply to your account.6FTC. Disputing Credit Card Charges
Blocking Future Charges at Your Bank
Canceling with Elare is only half the job. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends also contacting your bank or card issuer to revoke authorization for the merchant. Put the revocation in writing and ask about placing a stop payment order on transactions from that specific company. Banks sometimes charge a fee for this.8CFPB. How Do I Stop Automatic Payments From My Bank Account Keep dated records of every request. Once authorization has been revoked with both the merchant and the bank, any later charge is treated as an error under federal law and the bank should refund it.
One caveat: revoking a payment method doesn’t cancel the underlying service agreement. Cancel with Elare first, then block the charges at your bank as backup.
Where to Report the Company
If you believe Elare charged you without clear consent or made cancellation unreasonably hard, you can file complaints with agencies that track and act on these patterns:
- Federal Trade Commission, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC uses complaint patterns to build enforcement cases.9FTC. How to Stop Subscriptions You Never Ordered
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, if your bank or card issuer doesn’t resolve the dispute. File at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call (855) 411-2372.6FTC. Disputing Credit Card Charges
- Your state attorney general’s consumer protection division. A directory of every state’s complaint portal is maintained at naag.org.10NAAG. Consumer File a Complaint
The Legal Backdrop
Auto-renewing subscriptions are governed federally by the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), which requires sellers using negative-option billing to give clear disclosures, obtain express informed consent, and provide a simple cancellation mechanism.11Arnold Porter. FTC and State AGs Continue to Scrutinize Subscription Practices The FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” rule, finalized in October 2024, was vacated by the Eighth Circuit in July 2025 on procedural grounds, and the FTC began a new rulemaking in early 2026. ROSCA and roughly 30 state auto-renewal laws remain in force, and states including California have their own requirements that are as strict or stricter than the vacated federal rule. Those rules are the basis on which your complaint to the FTC or your state attorney general can be acted on.