Why did LinkedIn charge me?

If you recently saw an unexpected charge from LinkedIn on your credit card or bank statement, you may be wondering why LinkedIn charged you. There are a few potential reasons LinkedIn may have billed you:

You signed up for a paid LinkedIn subscription

LinkedIn offers several paid subscriptions for premium features, including LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, LinkedIn Recruiter, and LinkedIn Learning. If you signed up for one of these paid plans, LinkedIn will charge your payment method on a recurring basis per the subscription terms.

LinkedIn Premium plans start at $29.99 per month for the Essential plan. Sales Navigator pricing starts at $64.99 per month for an individual license. Recruiter licenses start at $119.95 per month, and LinkedIn Learning is available for $19.99 per month for individuals.

Check your account settings and “Purchase History” on LinkedIn to see if you have an active paid subscription. If you didn’t mean to sign up for a subscription, you can cancel it in your account settings.

You made a one-time purchase on LinkedIn

In addition to subscriptions, LinkedIn also allows you to make one-time purchases for certain products or services. For example, you can pay to take certain LinkedIn Learning courses individually without a full Learning subscription.

You may also see LinkedIn charges for things like:

• LinkedIn job postings – To post a job on LinkedIn, there is a fee starting at $199 per 30 days.
• Boosting posts – Boosting the reach of your posts costs $10 to $100+ per day depending on targeting options.
• InMail credits – Sending direct messages to people outside your network costs $10 to $15 per InMail.

Check your purchase history and account settings to see if you paid for any of these one-time purchases or services.

Your LinkedIn Premium free trial ended

When you first sign up for a paid subscription on LinkedIn, you typically get a free trial period to test it out, usually lasting 1-2 months. Once the free trial ends, LinkedIn will start charging your payment method on file for the paid plan.

For example, the LinkedIn Premium free trial is for 1 month. After the month is up, your account will be billed $29.99 for the Essential plan if you didn’t cancel beforehand.

Be sure to keep track of when your free trial ends if you want to avoid being charged. You can cancel a free trial early in your account settings at any time.

You forgot to cancel a previous LinkedIn subscription

If you previously signed up for a paid LinkedIn subscription like Premium or Sales Navigator but forgot to cancel it, LinkedIn may have continued charging your payment method on file.

Many people sign up to try out LinkedIn subscriptions with a free trial, but then forget to cancel the renewal before they start getting billed monthly or annually. LinkedIn subscriptions are set to auto-renew by default.

To avoid surprise charges, remember to actively cancel paid subscriptions if you no longer want to use them. You can cancel auto-renew for subscriptions in your account settings.

Your LinkedIn subscription renewed

If you have an active LinkedIn paid subscription, it will automatically renew at the end of your current billing cycle, and you will be charged the renewal fee.

For example, if you pay for LinkedIn Premium monthly, after your first month ends, your plan will renew and you’ll be automatically billed for the next month.

The renewal billing date should be noted in your account settings. You can cancel auto-renewal for your subscriptions at any time to avoid future charges.

You made an accidental purchase or multiple purchases

It’s possible you were charged by LinkedIn accidentally. For example, you could have tapped a link on mobile or clicked an ad unintentionally that triggered a subscription or purchase.

Accidental multiple purchases can also occur. You may have clicked a “Buy” button multiple times when paying for something, not realizing each click was submitting a separate purchase.

If you see multiple identical LinkedIn charges or purchases you don’t remember making, contact LinkedIn customer support to report the issue and request a refund.

Your payment info on file was outdated or incorrect

If the credit card or payment method you have on file with LinkedIn is outdated, expired, or incorrect, attempted LinkedIn subscription renewals or charges may still go through and cause problems.

Make sure your payment information is current in LinkedIn’s settings to avoid issues. If charges go through despite outdated payment info, contact your bank or card provider to report invalid charges.

You were hacked or scammed

While less common, it is possible your LinkedIn account was hacked or scammed, resulting in unauthorized purchases or subscription sign-ups.

Warning signs of hacking include profile details changing without your knowledge, messages being sent that you didn’t write, and new connections added that you don’t know.

If you suspect foul play, change your LinkedIn password immediately and check for any unfamiliar subscription, connections, messages or charges. Report unauthorized activity to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn made an error

It’s rare, but LinkedIn could have made a billing error resulting in an incorrect charge, such as charging you twice for the same purchase.

If you thoroughly audit your account and payment history but still cannot find an explanation for a charge, it may be a rare LinkedIn billing mistake.

Contact LinkedIn support in this case to report the error and have them review the charge. If it was indeed an error, they should refund you.

You used the wrong payment method

One simple possibility is that you used the wrong payment method and forgot you paid with a certain credit card or bank account. The charge may seem unfamiliar if you don’t recognize the last 4 digits on the card charged.

Check all your payment methods to confirm where the charge originated. If you used a old card you no longer use frequently, the charge may simply have gone to the wrong place.

What to do if LinkedIn charged you unexpectedly

If LinkedIn billed you and you’re unsure why, follow these steps:

1. Check your LinkedIn settings and purchase history for any active subscriptions, trials, services, or purchases. Make sure there are no surprises.
2. Review your account activity for anything suspicious like new connections or messages.
3. Contact LinkedIn customer support and inquire about the charge. Ask them to explain or refund it if invalid.
4. Dispute the charge with your bank or credit card provider if you believe it was fraudulent or incorrect.

To avoid surprises in the future, be vigilant about monitoring your LinkedIn purchases, trials, billing dates, and payment info on file. Cancel any unused subscriptions or trials early.

Why LinkedIn charges can be confusing

There are a few reasons why LinkedIn charges often catch people off guard or are confusing:

• LinkedIn subscriptions auto-renew by default. It’s easy to forget to cancel.
• Free trials convert to paid plans after the trial period ends.
• Multiple LinkedIn products have similar names like Premium and Sales Navigator.
• You may have multiple payment methods on file from past purchases.
• LinkedIn billing descriptors may be vague (ex. “LinkedIn Services”)

The platform makes it easy to inadvertently sign up for services or neglect to cancel trials in time. Understand how LinkedIn billing works to avoid surprises.

How to cancel LinkedIn subscriptions

If you want to cancel any active LinkedIn paid subscriptions before the next billing cycle, here are the steps:

1. Go to your LinkedIn account settings
2. Click on the “Products” tab
3. Locate the paid subscription you want to cancel and click “Cancel subscription”
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm cancellation
5. The subscription will remain active until the end of the current billing period

You can also turn off auto-renewal in your account settings for subscriptions so they don’t renew at the end of the current term.

How to get a LinkedIn refund

If you were incorrectly charged or changed your mind shortly after purchasing something, you may be able to get a refund from LinkedIn by:

1. Navigating to LinkedIn’s purchase support page
2. Selecting the transaction you want refunded
3. Clicking the Request Refund button
4. Explaining the reason you are requesting the refund

Note that LinkedIn typically only offers refunds within 48 hours of a transaction. You can also try contacting LinkedIn customer service to request a refund for an improper charge.

How to remove a payment method from LinkedIn

To remove a credit card or payment method from your LinkedIn account so it can’t be charged:

1. Go to account settings > Payment
2. Click “Manage” next to the payment method
3. Select “Remove this payment method”
4. Confirm removal

The payment method will be fully deleted from your account so LinkedIn cannot charge it for future purchases or subscription renewals.

How to change the payment method for LinkedIn

You can change the credit card or payment method LinkedIn charges for subscriptions and purchases in your account settings:

1. Go to account settings > Payment
2. Click “Manage” next to the current payment method
3. Click “Add new payment method”
4. Enter and confirm your new card or payment details
5. Click “Make primary” to make it the default payment option

This will update your payment information for the next LinkedIn auto-renewal or purchase billed to your account.

Common LinkedIn charges

Here are some of the most common LinkedIn products and charges you may see:

Keep an eye out for these common charges from LinkedIn products and services.

Conclusion

LinkedIn fees can appear confusing or unauthorized if you don’t closely monitor your account settings, payment information, subscriptions, and billing cycles.

By reviewing your LinkedIn purchase history frequently, cancelling unused paid plans when desired, and removing outdated payment methods, you can avoid surprise charges.

If you do see an unexplained charge, reach out to LinkedIn support right away to dispute incorrect or fraudulent transactions and request refunds when eligible.

With proactive account management and quick action when needed, you can keep your LinkedIn billing accurate and transparent.