Thor Schrock

When you buy the latest versions of Symantec's Norton products, you are asked to establish a Norton Account.

This account retains the credit card information you used when you purchased your Norton (assuming you purchased or renewed online).

As a "convenience" to you, Symantec will automatically renew your Norton subscription when it is expiring using the credit card on file.  It will appear on your statement as "Norton *Annual Renewal".

But what if you did not want to renew, choose to buy an updated off-the-shelf version, or even switched to another security software provide

When Did I Agree to Auto-Renew?

When you purchased or renewed your Norton software online there was a small text notification at the bottom of the shopping cart page with a checkbox that you were required to check to complkete your purchase.

As in most cases, the devil is in the details, so if you checked without reading, you agreed and that is why your card got dinged for the renewal.

How Do Opt-Opt of Norton Auto Renewal?

The easiest way to prevent an unwanted auto-renewal is to simply opt-out.  Symantec has made this inconvenient enough that many people may not do it, but it is not hard to do.

To opt-out, visit www.mynortonaccount.com and log in using the email address you used in your original purchase session and the password you were required to establish when you purchased.

Once logged in, click on the renewal center link at the top of the page and cancel the auto-renewals on the desired products.

What is the Easiest Way to Cancel a Billed Auto-Renewal?

Unfortunately, canceling is a lot more difficult than the automated renewal process.  Thankfully, it can be done with the right information.

Here's what you will need:

• The first 6 digits of your credit card number used for the renewal (if you have multiple cards on your bank account, you MUST have the one you used to buy initially)
• The last 4 digits from the same card
• The name on the card
• The expiration date
• The email address associated with your Norton Account (your log-in name)
• Your order number (in the event you are trying to cancel an accidental purchase)

There are 3 ways to cancel your Norton Auto-Renewal after it has been billed to your bank account.

1. Call the toll-free number on your Bank statement - 1-877-294-5265
2. Use Symantec's online chat to cancel
3. Fill out Symantec's cancellation form

Call me a pessimist, but I don't like to trust my refund to a fire and forget form.

I have tried the live chat option, but after a very long wait most of the associates did not know what they were doing and were unable to process my request.

After 5 hours of online chatting to get a $48.13 credit on my bank statement, I called the toll-free number.

The call made it to a live person in just a few minutes, and my refund was processed in 10 minutes.

Additionally, they removed the credit card information from my Norton Account all together so no other unintended renewals would happen in the future.