❌Why am i still being charged after canceling the plan
You canceled your Big Digital Download plan but Shopify still charged you. This is not a mistake and it is not something we did on purpose. It is how Shopify app billing works for every app on the Shopify App Store. Here is exactly what happens and what to expect.
What Happens the Moment You Cancel
When you cancel your Big Digital Download plan, the following happens immediately:
Depending on the plan you downgraded to, features are scaled back (storage limits, bandwidth, license key capacity, and advanced delivery options). The app stops operating on the paid tier.
Your digital products, uploaded files, license keys, and email templates are preserved. Nothing is deleted.
You still have access to the app admin. You can view your configuration and upgrade again at any time.
So your paid features stop being active going forward. But Shopify may still bill you for the cycle that was already in progress before you canceled.
Why Shopify Charges Me After I Canceled
All Shopify app subscriptions are billed through Shopify's billing system, not by us directly. This matters because the billing rules are Shopify's, not ours. We cannot override them.
Shopify bills apps in 30-day recurring cycles. When you cancel mid-cycle, Shopify does not automatically issue a prorated refund for the unused days. The invoice for the current cycle is still processed.
Concrete example:
Your billing cycle started on April 1.
You canceled on April 15.
Shopify still bills you for the full April 1 - 30 period.
The cancellation takes effect for the next cycle (so there is no May charge).
This is how every Shopify app works. It is not specific to Big Digital Download. The charge you see after canceling is Shopify closing out the cycle that was already in progress when you canceled.
Is This a New Charge?
No. If you canceled mid-cycle and you see a charge, it is the billing cycle that was already in progress, not a new subscription. Once that final invoice is processed, you will not see another Big Digital Download charge.
If you keep seeing charges after that, reach out to us right away with your order number so we can verify what is happening.
Canceled Right After a New Cycle Started?
If you canceled within the first few days of a brand-new billing cycle, you may be eligible for a refund for the unused portion. Contact us through live chat or email and we will review your case.
When you reach out, keep the cancellation date and the billing cycle start date handy. It helps us review and resolve it faster.
How to Avoid This in the Future
Cancel right after a cycle charges, not right before. If you know you want to stop using the paid plan, canceling just after a charge means you get the full 30 days you already paid for. Canceling one day before renewal does not save you anything, because Shopify has not charged yet for the next cycle, so there is nothing to "stop".
Uninstalling has the same billing effect as canceling. If you uninstall the app to stop being charged, Shopify still processes the in-progress cycle. And uninstalling comes with severe data loss risks that canceling does not, including the permanent deletion of every uploaded file after 48 hours. See Can I Restore My Products and Files? for why uninstalling is almost always a worse choice.
Reach out before canceling if something is broken. A lot of cancellations come from a fixable issue, a failed email, a slow download, a customer who cannot access their file, that we never got the chance to look at. Open the live chat and tell us what is going wrong, we would much rather resolve it than lose you.
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