Cancel Waves: The Right Way to Reclaim Your Money

How to cancel Waves and stop paying for accounting software you don't need

What is Waves and why new zealand small businesses cancel it

Waves is a cloud-based accounting and invoicing platform designed for small business owners and freelancers across New Zealand. You access it through waveapps.com or via mobile apps on iOS and Google Play. The service bundles invoicing, expense tracking, receipt scanning, payroll processing, and payment acceptance into one dashboard.

You might pay for a Pro subscription (full accounting features), a Receipts plan (automated receipt capture), payroll services (employee wages and tax filing), or payment processing (accepting customer payments via card or bank transfer). Each component can be cancelled independently, giving you flexibility to keep only what you use.

At Tocancel, we help New Zealand consumers navigate subscription cancellation with clarity and confidence. If you've switched to accounting software that better suits your workflow, your business needs have changed, or you simply want to cut monthly costs, cancelling Waves is straightforward once you know your rights and the correct process.

Common reasons to cancel Waves

You might cancel Waves because you've found a competitor with lower pricing, consolidated onto a single accounting tool that integrates better with your systems, or discovered you no longer use key features. Cancelling immediately stops future charges, but only if you follow the correct procedure-otherwise disputes and unwanted debits can linger.

Waves features you might be paying for

Waves offers tiered subscriptions. Your invoice might show charges for Pro invoicing (typically NZD 20+ per month), Receipts automation (around NZD 15 per month), payroll processing (variable, based on employee count), or payment gateway fees (percentage per transaction). Understanding exactly which services you're subscribed to is essential before you cancel, because you may only want to cancel one component.

Your consumer rights under new zealand law

Before you cancel, understand your legal protections as a New Zealand consumer purchasing digital services.

Consumer guarantees act protections for digital services

The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (CGA) protects you when you buy services like Waves. The law guarantees that any digital service must be of acceptable quality, fit for purpose, and delivered with reasonable care and skill. If Waves fails to meet these standards-for example, if invoicing features malfunction, the platform crashes during critical business periods, or promised functionality doesn't work as described-you have the right to a refund, repair, or replacement at no extra cost.

Your legal position is clear: if Waves has not performed as promised, document the fault with screenshots, error messages, and dates. Contact Wave Support and reference "breach of acceptable quality" under the Consumer Guarantees Act. This is not a favour; it's your statutory right.

Cooling-off rights for online purchases

If you purchased your Waves subscription through the App Store, Google Play, or directly at waveapps.com, you have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of purchase. During this window, you can request a full refund without providing a reason. Simply contact Wave Support or your app store within the 14-day window and request a refund based on your right to cancel.

Once the 14-day cooling-off period expires, refunds depend on Wave's cancellation and refund policy and the Consumer Guarantees Act. Act quickly if you want to use this cooling-off right.

How to cancel Waves: step-by-step methods

Your cancellation route depends on whether you signed up through the web, iOS app, or Google Play, and which Waves service you're cancelling.

Cancel your Waves subscription via the website

If you signed up at waveapps.com and manage your subscription there, follow these steps.

1. Visit waveapps.com and sign in with your email address and password.
2. Click your account avatar or menu icon (usually in the top-right corner) and select Account Settings or Business Settings.
3. Navigate to the Billing or Subscriptions section.
4. Find your active plan (Pro, Receipts, or any other paid service) and click Cancel Subscription or Manage.
5. Review the cancellation details. Waves may ask why you're leaving; this is optional feedback.
6. Confirm cancellation by clicking the final Cancel button or entering your password to verify.
7. Check your email inbox for a cancellation confirmation. Keep this email as proof for your records and as protection against future billing disputes.

Cancel Waves via the iOS app

If you subscribed through the App Store, your subscription is managed through Apple's subscription system, not Wave's website.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen, then select Subscriptions.
3. Find Waves in your active subscriptions list.
4. Tap Waves, then tap Cancel Subscription.
5. Confirm the cancellation and review the refund eligibility message (the App Store will show whether a refund applies).
6. Apple will send you a cancellation confirmation email. Save this for your records.

Cancel Waves via google play

If you subscribed through Google Play on Android, Google manages your subscription billing.

1. Open the Google Play Store app on your Android device.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Payments and subscriptions.
3. Tap Subscriptions.
4. Find and tap Waves.
5. Tap Cancel subscription.
6. Follow the prompts to confirm cancellation. Google Play will email you a confirmation.

Tocancel recommends keeping a screenshot of each cancellation confirmation, regardless of platform. This protects you if Waves or the app store attempts to charge you after cancellation.

What happens after you cancel Waves

Understanding the post-cancellation timeline ensures you're not surprised by charges or access changes.

Immediate effects of cancellation

When you cancel Waves, your access to paid features stops at the end of your current billing cycle, not immediately. For example, if your Pro subscription renews on the 15th of each month and you cancel on the 1st, you retain full access until the 15th. After that date, your account reverts to the free plan (if available), and paid features lock.

You can continue using free Waves features (basic invoicing, some expense tracking) after cancellation. Paid features like detailed financial reports, receipt scanning, or payroll access become unavailable.

Refund eligibility after cancellation

Tocancel advises checking your refund eligibility based on your purchase method and cancellation timing. If you cancelled within 14 days of purchase, you're entitled to a full refund under cooling-off rights. If you cancel after 14 days, Wave's refund policy applies; many providers offer pro-rata refunds (a partial refund for unused portion of your billing period) if you request one within 7-30 days of cancellation.

Contact Wave Support directly via in-app chat or email and request a pro-rata refund if you cancelled before using the full billing period. Include your cancellation confirmation email and account number. Wave is not obligated to refund you, but many companies honour pro-rata requests as goodwill.

Data export before access closes

Before your paid access ends, export your invoices, expense reports, and financial data from Waves. Most accounting software lets you download reports as PDFs or CSV files for tax and record-keeping purposes. Once you lose access, retrieving this data becomes difficult and may incur support fees.

Go to your reports section within Waves, generate the reports you need, download them as PDFs, and save them to your computer or cloud storage. This step takes 10 minutes and protects your business records indefinitely.

Refund policy and payment method considerations

Your refund eligibility depends on your payment method and timing. Here's what to expect.

Refunds process via your original payment method (credit card, debit card, or bank account) within 5-10 business days. If you don't see a refund after 10 days, contact your bank or payment provider and mention the Waves refund date.

Common mistakes when cancelling Waves

Cancelling a subscription should be simple, but small errors can cost you money and frustration. Here's what to watch for.

Confusing Waves with Wave

A common mix-up occurs because there's a separate Canadian accounting platform called "Wave" (without the 's'). When searching for cancellation help or contacting support, make sure you're dealing with Waves (the New Zealand-friendly service accessible at waveapps.com), not the similarly named competitor. Double-check the URL and app name before submitting any support request.

Cancelling the wrong subscription component

Waves lets you cancel individual services (Pro invoicing, Receipts, payroll) separately. If you only want to stop paying for Receipts but keep invoicing, cancelling your entire account stops all services. Review your subscription list in Business Settings and cancel only the services you don't need. This is especially important if you use Waves payroll for employees-cancelling the whole account could disrupt your payroll cycle.

Missing the 14-day cooling-off deadline

If you cancel after 14 days of purchase, you lose the automatic refund right. Many New Zealand consumers miss this window and assume they have 30 days. Mark your purchase date in your calendar and cancel within 14 days if you want a no-questions-asked refund.

Not requesting a pro-rata refund after day 14

Waves doesn't automatically refund you for unused time after the 14-day window closes. However, you can request a pro-rata refund within 7 days of cancellation if you've used minimal services. Wave Support sometimes honours these requests. If you don't ask, you won't receive the refund. Contact support and explain you've cancelled and request a refund for the unused portion of your billing cycle.

Forgetting to export your data

Once your paid access ends, exporting invoices and reports becomes difficult. Spend 10 minutes before cancellation takes effect generating PDFs of your financial records, invoices, and client lists. This protects you if you need historical data for tax purposes or audit trails.

Tocancel recommends creating a checklist (see below) before you cancel to avoid these costly slip-ups.

Cancellation checklist for Waves

Use this checklist to ensure you've completed every step correctly and protected yourself from future billing issues.

What to do if Waves refuses to cancel or keeps charging you

If Waves ignores your cancellation request or continues billing you after you've cancelled, you have legal recourse in New Zealand.

Contact Wave support first

Send a written message to Wave Support via their in-app chat or support email. Include your account number, cancellation date, and confirmation details. Explain that you've followed their cancellation process and request confirmation that your subscription is cancelled and no further charges will be applied. Keep a copy of this message.

Escalate to your bank or payment provider

If Waves charges you after you've cancelled, contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately. Explain that you cancelled the subscription but Waves charged you anyway. Your bank can dispute the charge on your behalf and potentially refund you. This is called a chargeback or dispute claim, and it's free.

Contact the commerce commission

If Waves continues to refuse cancellation or refunds, and your bank dispute fails, file a complaint with the Commerce Commission, New Zealand's consumer protection authority. The Commission investigates unfair trading practices and can compel companies to refund consumers. Visit www.comcom.govt.nz to lodge a complaint online.

Tocancel advises documenting every interaction: save emails, screenshots of cancellation confirmations, and bank statements showing unwanted charges. This evidence strengthens your case if you escalate to the Commerce Commission.

Pricing breakdown for Waves in new zealand

Understanding what you're paying for helps you decide whether to cancel or downgrade.

If you're on Pro plus Receipts, you're likely paying NZD 35+ monthly (NZD 420+ annually). Cancelling and switching to a free alternative or lower-cost competitor could save hundreds of dollars per year.

Alternative accounting software to consider

Before you cancel Waves, consider whether an alternative platform better suits your needs.

Research each alternative and trial the free version before cancelling Waves. This ensures you're not leaving Waves for a tool that doesn't meet your needs.

Cancellation address and contact details

If you need to contact Waves by post, note that the company's mailing address details are not prominently published. The only verified postal address linked to the Wave group is:

Wave Financial Inc. (parent company)
PO Box 1
Nelson, 7040
New Zealand

However, Tocancel strongly recommends cancelling via the website or app for speed and proof of cancellation. Postal cancellation is slow and leaves no digital record. Use the website or app method described above, save your confirmation, and follow up via in-app support if needed.

For urgent issues, contact Wave Support directly through the Waves app or at their support portal. This is faster and creates a trackable support ticket.

Final steps and next actions

Cancelling Waves is straightforward once you follow the correct process for your platform. Your legal rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 protect you from unfair charges, and your 14-day cooling-off right ensures a full refund if you act within two weeks of purchase.

Start by exporting your business data, identify which Waves services you're cancelling, and use the step-by-step guide above for your platform (website, iOS, or Android). Save every confirmation email, and if Waves charges you after cancellation, dispute the charge with your bank.

Tocancel has helped thousands of consumers cancel subscriptions they no longer need. Use Tocancel as your guide throughout the cancellation process. Visit tocancel.com to explore cancellation guides for other services you're paying for, and let Tocancel empower you to take control of your subscriptions and protect your money.