Recurring charges
What is this charge on my statement?
Statement descriptors are short, abbreviated, and often name the payment processor instead of the brand — which is why a charge you actually made can look like a stranger. Read a descriptor in two parts: the payment-rail prefix (how it was paid) and the merchant fragment (who was paid).
Have the line in front of you? Paste it into the free charge lookup — it reads the descriptor the same way and tells you how sure the answer is.
The two-part method
- Strip the payment-rail prefix — it tells you how, not who.
- Read the remaining fragment as the merchant, and search it exactly as written.
- If it’s a platform biller (Apple, Google, PayPal), check that platform’s subscriptions.
Payment-rail prefixes (ignore these)
These prefixes describe the payment method and carry no merchant meaning. Mentally remove them first.
| Often appears as | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| POS / DEBIT CARD PURCHASE / CHECKCARD | A card purchase. Ignore the prefix — the merchant is the text after it. |
| ACH DEBIT / WEB PMT / ONLINE PAYMENT | An automatic bank withdrawal. Common for utilities, insurance, and some subscriptions. |
| PAYPAL * / PP * | Paid through PayPal. The name after the asterisk is usually the seller, often shortened. |
| SQ * / TST * / SP | SQ * is Square and TST * is Toast (mostly restaurants); SP usually marks a store on Shopify. The name after the prefix is usually the business itself. |
Platform billers (a subscription may hide here)
When something is bought inside an app or a store, the platform bills you — so many different services, and one-off purchases too, collapse into one of these lines. The descriptor cannot tell you whether the charge will repeat; only the statement can, if the same line comes back at a steady interval. Treat these as a starting point and verify with the platform; the same prefix fronts many services.
| Often appears as | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| APPLE.COM/BILL · APL* | Billed by Apple: an iCloud+ or Apple Music renewal, an App Store subscription, or a one-off app or media purchase. Your Apple Account’s purchase history shows which. |
| GOOGLE *<name> | Billed by Google: YouTube Premium, Google One, or a Play Store app or purchase. The <name> fragment hints which. |
| MICROSOFT* / MSFT | Billed by Microsoft: Microsoft 365, Xbox, or a Microsoft Store purchase. |
| AMZN / Amazon Prime | Billed by Amazon: a marketplace order, a digital purchase, or a membership such as Prime. The line alone doesn’t say which. |
A prefix narrows the possibilities — it does not prove a specific merchant. If you think a charge could be fraud, contact your bank or card issuer right away. To keep identifying it, see a charge I don’t recognize.
Keep going
Bank websites and merchant flows change. If something here has drifted, email lowscoutsupport@gmail.com — we reply within 2 business days.