My sister’s “free” streaming profile renewed on my card for $119.99

On January 8, a $119.99 streaming charge appeared on my card. I thought the account had been canceled after the holidays, but I had only turned off my own profile notifications.

The annual plan was still active. My sister had been using the second profile since last spring, when I told her, “It’s already paid for, so just use it.” In her mind, the profile was free. In mine, the account was temporary.

The renewal notice had arrived twelve days earlier in a promotions folder. I missed it. My sister never saw it because the account and card were mine.

When I told her about the charge, she offered $60. I was oddly irritated by that offer even though it was generous. Half the price did not solve the part that bothered me: neither of us had decided to buy another year. I had quietly expected her to remember an expiration date she had never been given.

We checked the account page together. Cancellation would stop the next renewal, not divide the current one. The exact refund options depended on the service and our account history, so I did not treat a refund as guaranteed. I canceled the future renewal and accepted her $60 for this year because we would both keep using it.

Then I added the renewal date to our shared calendar, with the note: “Decide by Dec. 20; account owner is charged $119.99 on Jan. 8.”

Her profile still says “free TV” because she named it that months ago. Now the joke has a price and a date attached.