A legal explainer published today by Khaleej Times addresses a question many UAE residents run into: if a company keeps charging a subscriber after they cancel, can that money be recovered? The answer rests on Article 237 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 on Civil Transactions, which states that when a contract is rescinded, both parties must be restored to the position they were in before the contract existed.
Under this framework, once a subscriber cancels in line with the agreed procedure, the subscription should end on that cancellation date, subject only to any notice period or minimum-term clause built into the original agreement. If the cancellation was valid and there was no agreed automatic renewal, any charge applied after that date has no contractual basis, and the consumer is entitled to request a refund of that amount.
Notably, the explainer points out that UAE law does not fix a specific time limit on how long a provider might improperly continue billing after cancellation — what matters is simply whether the cancellation itself was carried out correctly. The recommended first step for an affected consumer is to contact the service provider directly with proof of cancellation. If the provider does not resolve the issue, the consumer can escalate by filing a formal dispute with their bank over the card transaction.
With digital subscription services — from streaming platforms to fitness apps — increasingly common across the UAE, this legal clarification offers residents a practical route when they notice an unexpected charge after cancelling a service, spelling out both the legal basis for a refund claim and the steps to pursue it.