The charge is YouTube Premium, not "Google Yt Primetime"
When you see "Google Yt Primetime" or similar variations on your bank or credit card statement, you are looking at a charge for YouTube Premium — Google's paid subscription service that removes ads from YouTube videos. The confusing name on your statement happens because payment processors and banks truncate or abbreviate the full description to fit in limited character spaces, so "YouTube Premium" becomes shortened to something like "Yt Primetime" or "GOOG YT PREM".
If you did not sign up for this service yourself, the charge may have come from a family member with access to your payment method, a free trial that converted to paid, or in rare cases, unauthorized use of your account. The first step is to check your YouTube account settings to see what subscription is active and who set it up.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube Premium costs between $11.99 and $13.99 per month depending on whether you use it on phones, tablets, or computers, and the price varies by country.
- The charge appears on statements under shortened names like "Yt Primetime," "GOOG YT PREM," or "Google YouTube" because banks truncate the full description.
- If you did not authorize the charge, check your YouTube account settings when ready to see if a free trial converted to paid or if someone else added the subscription.
- You can cancel YouTube Premium at any time through your account settings, and the cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle.
How much YouTube Premium costs and what it includes
YouTube Premium removes ads from all videos you watch, allows you to read videos to watch offline, and lets you play videos in the background while using other apps — features that are not available on the free version of YouTube. The monthly cost is $11.99 if you access YouTube only on phones and tablets, or $13.99 if you want to use it on computers as well. Some countries charge different amounts in their local currency.
The service also includes YouTube Music, which is a separate music streaming app that works similarly to Spotify or Apple Music. If you already pay for YouTube Music separately, your YouTube Premium subscription includes it at no extra cost, so you would not be charged twice.
Why the charge appears with a confusing name
Banks and credit card companies have character limits on how much text they can display in transaction descriptions. Google's full payment description — "Google YouTube Premium Monthly Subscription" — is too long, so payment processors shorten it to fit. Different banks abbreviate it differently, which is why you might see "Yt Primetime," "GOOG YT PREM," "Google YouTube," or "YT Premium" on the same charge across different statements.
This abbreviation is standard practice across the financial system. Other companies do the same thing: Netflix becomes "NFLX," Amazon Prime becomes "AMZN PRIME," and so on. The shortened name does not mean anything is wrong with the charge — it is just how the bank displays it.
How to check if you authorized this charge
Go to YouTube.com and sign in to your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Purchases and memberships." You will see a list of any active subscriptions tied to your account. If YouTube Premium appears there, you have an active subscription. Click on it to see the billing date, the payment method being used, and the renewal date.
If you do not recognize the subscription or the payment method listed, someone else may have added it to your account. Check whether anyone in your household has access to your Google account or your payment methods. If you share a Google account with family members, one of them may have added the subscription without telling you.
Free trials that convert to paid subscriptions
YouTube sometimes offers free trials of YouTube Premium — typically one month free for new users. When you start a free trial, you must provide a payment method, and the trial automatically converts to a paid subscription when the trial period ends. If you started a free trial and forgot about it, the charge appearing on your statement is the conversion to the paid plan.
You can cancel a free trial at any time before it ends, and you will not be charged. If you have already been charged, you can cancel the subscription when ready, and depending on your bank and location, you may be able to request a refund for the first month. Contact your bank directly to ask about their refund policy for subscription services.
How to cancel YouTube Premium
Sign in to your YouTube account and go to "Purchases and memberships" (the same place you checked whether the subscription exists). Click on YouTube Premium, then select "Cancel membership." YouTube will ask you to confirm the cancellation and may offer you a discount to keep the subscription. If you proceed with cancellation, your access to Premium features will end at the end of your current billing cycle — you will not lose access when ready.
After you cancel, the charge will stop appearing on your statement starting with the next billing date. If you were charged for a month you did not use, contact Google Support through your account to ask about a refund, though they do not always grant them.
What to do if you did not authorize this charge
If you are certain you did not sign up for YouTube Premium and no one in your household did, your Google account may have been compromised. Change your Google account password when ready, then check your account recovery options (phone number and backup email) to make sure they are still yours. If someone else has added a recovery method, remove it.
After securing your account, cancel the YouTube Premium subscription through the steps above. If you want to dispute the charge with your bank, contact them directly — most banks allow you to dispute unauthorized charges within 60 days. Provide your bank with proof that you cancelled the subscription and did not authorize it. You can also report the unauthorized access to Google by visiting the Google Account Security Checkup page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a refund if I was charged but did not use YouTube Premium?
Google does not automatically refund YouTube Premium charges, but you can contact Google Support to request one. They may grant a refund if you cancelled within a short time of being charged. Your bank may also allow you to dispute the charge if you believe it was unauthorized, though this process takes longer and requires documentation.
Does YouTube Premium work on all my devices?
The $11.99 plan works on phones and tablets only. The $13.99 plan works on phones, tablets, and computers. If you pay for the phone-and-tablet plan and try to use Premium features on a computer, you will see ads. You can upgrade to the full plan at any time through your account settings.
If I cancel YouTube Premium, do I lose my saved videos and playlists?
No. Your saved videos, playlists, watch history, and subscriptions remain in your account after you cancel. You straightforward lose the ability to read videos, remove ads, and play videos in the background. If you resubscribe later, all your content is still there.
Why does my statement say a different amount than $11.99 or $13.99?
YouTube Premium costs vary by country and are charged in local currency. If you are outside the United States, the charge will be converted to your local currency, which may result in a slightly different amount depending on exchange rates. Some countries also charge sales tax on top of the base price.
Can I share a YouTube Premium subscription with family members?
YouTube Premium is tied to a single Google account and cannot be shared directly. However, if you share a Google account with family members, they can all use the same Premium subscription. Google also offers YouTube Premium Family, which allows up to six family members to have their own accounts and share one subscription, though this plan is not available in all countries and costs more than the individual plan.