What this variant means
Microsoft owns LinkedIn — some processors use the Microsoft billing token.
A LinkedIn Premium subscription — the paid tier of the Microsoft-owned professional network. PRE is the processor token and the digits are a subscription ID, so every renewal carries a different number. Premium Career is $29.99/month; Business, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter tiers cost more. Free-trial conversions are the top reason people see this charge unexpectedly.
Decoding LINKEDIN PRE*
A charge appearing on your bank or credit card statement under descriptors such as LINKEDIN PRE*030912474, LINKEDIN*PREMIUM, or MICROSOFT*LINKEDIN represents a recurring subscription billing transaction for LinkedIn Premium. LinkedIn Corporation, operating as a subsidiary of Microsoft, provides professional networking, job seeker tools, and recruiter services through tiered monthly or annual billing plans. Career subscriptions typically cost around $29.99 per month, while business, sales navigator, and recruiter tiers range from $59.99 to over $170 per month depending on the professional features selected by the account holder.
These charges appear on financial statements because of active subscription renewals or automatic conversions after a free one-month trial period. LinkedIn requires a valid credit card up front when users activate trial memberships for job hunting or sales prospecting. If the trial is not manually cancelled before the trial window expires, the payment processor charges the card automatically every billing cycle. Because the numerical suffix attached to the billing descriptor changes with each monthly invoice, transactions often appear unfamiliar or difficult to match at first glance.
To verify or cancel this subscription, sign in to your LinkedIn account, navigate to Settings and Privacy, and select Subscriptions and Payments to review active plans and billing history. You can cancel your subscription directly from this dashboard to prevent future renewal charges, or contact LinkedIn support through their official help portal if you suspect an accidental duplicate billing event or wish to request a refund.
- Check Subscriptions & Payments LinkedIn → profile picture → Settings & Privacy → Subscriptions & Payments lists every active plan and its card.
- Match the renewal date Renewals land on the same date each month or year — compare with the statement date.
- Search email for receipts LinkedIn sends a confirmation email for every billing cycle — the inbox that holds it owns the subscription.
Why does my LinkedIn charge show a different number each month?
The digits after LINKEDIN PRE* are a per-billing subscription ID, not your account number. Each cycle generates a new one.
Is LINKEDIN PRE* a fraud charge?
Almost never — it's LinkedIn Premium's standard billing line. If nobody with card access has a Premium plan, contact LinkedIn help and your issuer.
The trial-conversion gotcha
LinkedIn pushes free 1-month Premium trials, especially during job hunts — and requires a card up front. If the trial isn't cancelled, it converts to a paid plan automatically. This is the single most common source of an unexpected LINKEDIN PRE* charge: a trial started months ago during a search you've long finished.
Cancellation doesn't always stop the next bill either — confirm the plan shows 'cancelled' at the end of the current billing period, because access (and billing) continues until then.
- Free 1-month trials require a card and auto-convert to paid plans.
- Sales Navigator and Recruiter trials are often company-paid, then revert to personal billing.
- Annual plans bill a large lump once a year — easy to forget by month seven.
- Cancel from Subscriptions & Payments Settings & Privacy → Subscriptions & Payments → Manage Premium → Cancel subscription.
- Remove saved payment methods Delete the card from LinkedIn's payment settings so a second account can't use it.
- Check for multiple accounts Duplicate charges often mean two LinkedIn accounts (e.g., personal + work email) both on Premium.
I never subscribed but got charged for LinkedIn. What happened?
Most likely a trial you (or a family member) started converted to paid, or an employer-purchased plan renewed on your card. Both show in Subscriptions & Payments.
Other LinkedIn descriptors
Banks also display LINKEDIN*PREMIUM, LINKEDIN CORPORATION, LI PREMIUM, or LNKD*PREMIUM. Because Microsoft owns LinkedIn, some processors show MICROSOFT*LINKEDIN, and iOS subscriptions bill as APPLE.COM/BILL instead. LinkedIn ads and job postings bill separately, not under the PRE token.
Why does my statement say Microsoft for a LinkedIn charge?
Microsoft has owned LinkedIn since 2016 — some payment processors display the parent company's billing token instead of LinkedIn's.
Verified sources
Descriptor variants and plan pricing verified against the Brex charge-finder database, bank-statement reference guides, and charge-identification pages; cancellation path confirmed via LinkedIn's official help center.
Frequently asked questions
Is MICROSOFT*LINKEDIN the same as LINKEDIN PRE*030912474?
Yes — Microsoft owns LinkedIn — some processors use the Microsoft billing token. It posts for the same merchant, so the steps above apply to it too.
The original descriptor
This line is a variant of LINKEDIN PRE*030912474 — read the full entry for confirmation steps, support contacts, and everything else that applies here.
Independent reference — not affiliated with LinkedIn Corporation. Billing names and policies change; verify with the merchant or your bank before acting.
Verified sources
Every claim on this page is checked against official sources — open them to confirm before you call your bank.
- Brex charge finder: LinkedIn Premium https://www.brex.com
- CFPB: Dispute Rights https://www.consumerfinance.gov
Reviewed Aug 4, 2026 · high · About UnknownCharges