What should I do if I think a charge wasn’t authorized?

Contact your bank or card issuer promptly — reporting a possibly unauthorized charge is time-sensitive, and it comes first. You don’t need to use this lookup, or identify the charge, before you report it. An unfamiliar name on a statement is not automatically fraud, and it is not automatically safe either; this lookup can only suggest who may have billed you.

What does APPLE.COM/BILL mean on my statement?

It is Apple’s billing line. Apple uses it for App Store apps and in-app purchases, iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple One and apps that bill through Apple — subscriptions and one-off purchases alike, so the line alone can’t tell you which. Your Apple Account’s purchase history lists each charge, and Apple emails a receipt for every one.

What do SQ *, TST* and PAYPAL * mean before a name?

They name the company that processed the card payment: SQ * is Square, TST* is Toast (mostly restaurants), and PAYPAL * or PP* is PayPal. The text after the asterisk is usually the business’s own name, often shortened — search it together with any city on the line.

If I know who billed me, do I know whether it is a subscription?

No. A statement line points to who billed you — a lead, not proof — and never shows how often. The same company can bill a one-off purchase and a subscription under the same name. Whether a charge repeats only shows when the same charge appears again on your later statements.

What if the lookup can’t identify my charge?

It says so instead of guessing — a descriptor is a lead, not proof, and some lines are too short to read. If the charge may be unauthorized, contact your bank or card issuer promptly; don’t wait on this lookup or anything else. To keep looking into it, search your email for the exact amount, including the cents — many services email a receipt — and ask your bank or card issuer for the merchant’s details.

Is the charge I paste stored or sent anywhere?

No. The lookup runs in your browser. What you paste is not sent to LowScout, not saved, and not added to the page address. Paste only the words from the charge line — never a card or account number.

Free tool

Charge lookup

Paste the charge exactly as your statement shows it. You’ll see who likely billed you, how sure the answer is, and where to check next.

Think a charge may not have been authorized? Contact your bank or card issuer promptly — you don’t need to use this lookup first.

What this charge looks like

Example — paste your own charge

Strong match

Billed through Apple

Billed through: AppleStrong match
What it was for: A subscription or a one-off purchase — the line doesn’t say
Does it repeat?: A descriptor can’t show this — only later statements can

Apple’s billing line for the App Store, iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple One and apps that bill through Apple.

This one line is used for subscriptions and for one-off purchases alike. The descriptor alone can’t tell you which this was.

Where to check

Your Apple Account’s purchase history lists each charge, and its Subscriptions list shows what renews. Apple also emails a receipt for each charge.
Search your email for the exact amount, including the cents — many services email a receipt.

If it is an Apple subscription: how to cancel it →

A descriptor points to who billed you — a lead, not proof — and never shows how often. Whether this charge repeats only shows when the same charge appears again on later statements.

More examples:

How this works

A statement descriptor is the short line your bank prints for each charge. It often names the payment company rather than the business — Apple, Google, PayPal or Square — and adds reference numbers, a phone number or a city. This lookup reads the line the way LowScout reads a statement: it sets aside the payment words, matches what is left against LowScout’s reviewed lists of merchants and billing companies, and tells you how sure it is.

Every answer carries a confidence. Strong match means the text matched a reviewed list — a good sign of who billed you, not proof. Best guess means it is the name as printed, or wording that reads like a transfer or a fee — worth checking, not proven. Unknown means too little of the line is specific, so the lookup names no one. Some lines, like APPLE.COM/BILL, cover subscriptions and one-off purchases alike, and the answer says so instead of picking one. No descriptor on its own shows whether a charge repeats — only later statements do.

· Uses LowScout’s reviewed merchant list and a short list of billing companies — no live business directory.
· Reads one line at a time; it can’t see the amount, the date or your other charges.
· Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to LowScout.

Common questions about statement charges

What should I do if I think a charge wasn’t authorized?: Contact your bank or card issuer promptly — reporting a possibly unauthorized charge is time-sensitive, and it comes first. You don’t need to use this lookup, or identify the charge, before you report it. An unfamiliar name on a statement is not automatically fraud, and it is not automatically safe either; this lookup can only suggest who may have billed you.
What does APPLE.COM/BILL mean on my statement?: It is Apple’s billing line. Apple uses it for App Store apps and in-app purchases, iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple One and apps that bill through Apple — subscriptions and one-off purchases alike, so the line alone can’t tell you which. Your Apple Account’s purchase history lists each charge, and Apple emails a receipt for every one.
What do SQ *, TST* and PAYPAL * mean before a name?: They name the company that processed the card payment: SQ * is Square, TST* is Toast (mostly restaurants), and PAYPAL * or PP* is PayPal. The text after the asterisk is usually the business’s own name, often shortened — search it together with any city on the line.
If I know who billed me, do I know whether it is a subscription?: No. A statement line points to who billed you — a lead, not proof — and never shows how often. The same company can bill a one-off purchase and a subscription under the same name. Whether a charge repeats only shows when the same charge appears again on your later statements.
What if the lookup can’t identify my charge?: It says so instead of guessing — a descriptor is a lead, not proof, and some lines are too short to read. If the charge may be unauthorized, contact your bank or card issuer promptly; don’t wait on this lookup or anything else. To keep looking into it, search your email for the exact amount, including the cents — many services email a receipt — and ask your bank or card issuer for the merchant’s details.
Is the charge I paste stored or sent anywhere?: No. The lookup runs in your browser. What you paste is not sent to LowScout, not saved, and not added to the page address. Paste only the words from the charge line — never a card or account number.

Billing lines people often don’t recognize

App stores, marketplaces, delivery apps and payment companies put their own name on the statement for purchases made through them. The line points to who billed you — a lead, not proof — and not to what you bought, or whether it repeats.

Common billing lines and what they cover
Often appears as	What it covers
APPLE.COM/BILL · ITUNES.COM/BILL · APL*ITUNES	Apple’s billing line for the App Store, iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple One and apps that bill through Apple.
GOOGLE *<name> · GOOGLE PLAY	Google’s billing line for Google Play apps and games, YouTube and Google One, and apps that bill through Google Play.
AMZN MKTP US · AMAZON.COM* · AMZN DIGITAL · KINDLE SVCS	Amazon’s billing line for marketplace orders, digital purchases, Kindle, and memberships.
MICROSOFT<product> · MSFT <id>	Microsoft’s billing line for Microsoft 365, Xbox, and Microsoft Store purchases.
STEAMGAMES.COM · STEAM PURCHASE	Valve’s billing line for Steam game, add-on and wallet purchases.
PAYPAL <seller> · PP<seller>	Paid through PayPal. The text after the asterisk is usually the seller’s name, often shortened.
SQ *<business>	Paid through Square, a card processor used by many small businesses. The text after the asterisk is the business’s own name for itself.
TST* <restaurant>	Paid through Toast, a card processor used mostly by restaurants and cafés. The text after the asterisk is the restaurant’s name.
PADDLE.NET* <product> · FS <product> · 2CO.COM<product> · DRI*<product>	Paid through a company that takes payments on behalf of software and online sellers (such as Paddle, FastSpring, 2Checkout, Digital River, Cleverbridge, Stripe or Gumroad). The text after the asterisk is usually the product or seller.
SP * <store> · SP <store>	An “SP” prefix usually marks an online store that takes payments through Shopify. The text after it is usually the store’s name.
DOORDASH<restaurant> · DD DOORDASH <restaurant>	DoorDash’s billing line for delivery orders and for its DashPass membership. The text after it, when there is any, is usually the restaurant or store.
UBER TRIP · UBER EATS · UBER *ONE	Uber’s billing line for rides, Uber Eats orders and the Uber One membership.
LYFT *RIDE	Lyft’s billing line for rides, bikes and scooters, and its membership.
GRUBHUB*<restaurant>	Grubhub’s billing line for delivery orders and its Grubhub+ membership. The text after the asterisk is usually the restaurant.
INSTACART · INSTACART*SUBSCRIPTION	Instacart’s billing line for grocery orders and its Instacart+ membership.
ROKU FOR <channel> · ROKU INC	Roku’s billing line for channel subscriptions and purchases made through a Roku account. “ROKU FOR <name>” names the channel.
EBAY O*<order>	eBay’s billing line for purchases from its sellers.
ETSY.COM · ETSY, INC.	Etsy’s billing line for purchases from its shops.
WAL-MART #<store> · WM SUPERCENTER · WALMART.COM	Walmart’s billing line for store and online purchases, and for its Walmart+ membership.
COSTCO WHSE #<store> · COSTCO.COM · COSTCO GAS	Costco’s billing line for warehouse, gas and online purchases, and its membership.
KLARNA<store> · AFFIRM <store> · AFTERPAY	Paid to a buy-now-pay-later company (such as Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Sezzle or Zip). These lines are usually one installment of a purchase you split into payments; the text after the asterisk, when there is any, is usually the store.

Subscription audit checklistList what you pay for and sort each one. You get a summary of your own list — nothing is judged for you.Forgotten subscription finderGo through each kind of subscription and mark anything you might still be paying for. This is a memory checklist — it only knows what you tell it.Cancellation savings calculatorA what-if: if a recurring charge stops, how much would you no longer be paying?

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