Free account charged $10 (¥71.47) unexpectedly - Need help understanding this billing

[YCLabs]

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Hi everyone,

I'm experiencing an unexpected billing issue with my free GitHub account and hope someone can help me understand what happened.

Issue Details:

• My credit card was charged $10.00 USD (¥71.47 CNY) by GitHub, Inc. on September 29, 2025
• Transaction processed on October 1, 2025
• I have been using a free GitHub account and never intentionally signed up for any paid services
• No prior billing notifications or warnings received

What I've Already Checked:

• ✅ Visited https://github.com/settings/billing - shows no active paid subscriptions
• ✅ Confirmed I'm on GitHub Free plan
• ✅ No GitHub Pro, Copilot, or Codespaces subscriptions that I'm aware of
• ✅ Haven't exceeded any usage limits to my knowledge

Questions:

1. What could cause a $10 charge on a free account?
2. Is this possibly related to GitHub Pro auto-enrollment or Copilot trial conversion?
3. How can I identify exactly what service this charge is for?
4. What's the best way to get a refund if this was charged in error?

Additional Context:
As a free account user, I have limited access to GitHub Support for billing issues. I'm hoping the community can help me understand common causes for unexpected $10 charges or point me in the right direction.

Has anyone else experienced similar unexpected charges? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Screenshots:

Thanks in advance for any help! 🙏

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Note: I've checked similar discussions but haven't found a solution that matches my specific situation.

[Bdemirbelul]

The most common cause is automatic conversion from a GitHub Copilot trial to a paid subscription if it wasn’t canceled before the trial ended.

[shinybrightstar]

Hi @YCLabs,

Thanks for reaching out. You can find solutions to most billing issues in our 💳 GitHub Community Discussions Billing & Subscription Guide.

If you need more help, the best place to get answers is by opening a ticket on our Support page.

Best of luck!