A charge from GAN*NEWSPAPER SUB, USAT or USATODAY CO DIGITAL

GAN* is Gannett, the company behind USA TODAY and the local newspapers of the USA TODAY Network. On 18 November 2025 it renamed itself USA TODAY Co., Inc.,¹ and since February 2026 the same subscriptions have been showing up under new names: USAT NEWSPAPER SUB, then the newspaper’s own name or USATODAY CO DIGITAL.⁶⁷ A charge like this is almost always a newspaper subscription that renews by itself.

What it looks like on a real statement

The State of Delaware publishes every purchase its employees make on state cards, with the merchant name as the bank received it. Delaware’s Gannett paper is The News Journal (delawareonline.com). Card networks file these lines under subscription merchants; Gannett lines ending ADV, CLASS or LOCALIQ are advertising, not subscriptions.⁶

The switch shows in the same subscriptions. A Department of Safety and Homeland Security office paid $80 a month: as GAN*NEWSPAPER SUB1052 through 3 February 2026, as USAT NEWSPAPER SUB1052 on 3 March and 6 April, and as THE NEWS JOURNAL from 4 May. Offices of the Department of Justice ($59.01), the Legislature ($74) and the Department of Natural Resources ($53) changed names on the same dates.⁶ If your paper is not The News Journal, expect its own name, or one of the forms in the table.

USATODAY CO DIGITAL is also the name on the company’s advertising bills: in Delaware’s data all 167 of its lines, from 22 April 2026, are filed as advertising.⁶ If you have never bought advertising from a newspaper, look for a digital subscription.

Why the amount went up

The terms say you authorize charges "at the introductory and other rates indicated, subject to future price increases at the expiration of your then current subscription term".³ Delaware’s records show what that looks like. A Transportation office paid $1.49 a month 21 times, September 2019 to May 2021, then $7.99 from 1 June 2021. The Public Service Commission paid $9.75 every three months nine times, then $29.97 from July 2021, then $44.97 from October 2023. A Justice of the Peace Court office went from $9.99 to $14.99 in December 2021 and to $19.99 in October 2023.⁶

Print subscriptions have extras. The Gannett terms say a print subscription includes the Thanksgiving Day edition, "charged at the then Thanksgiving Day newsstand price", and "Premium print editions throughout the year", which "will be charged at $3"; a paper bill instead of automatic card payment adds "a $5.00 paper statement fee".³ Stopping delivery for a holiday does not stop the charge: "If you want to stop all future charges, you must cancel your subscription."³

How to find it and stop it

1. Find the newspaper Search your email, including spam, for “subscription”, “eNewspaper”, “USA TODAY” and the amount. Gannett papers sign you in at account. and the paper’s website, for example account.delawareonline.com or account.usatoday.com; the account shows billing history.⁴
2. Call to cancel "You can cancel at any time by calling Customer Service": USA TODAY’s number is 1-800-872-0001, The News Journal’s is 1-800-801-3322, and each paper lists its own in its help centre. Residents of California, Georgia, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Virginia "can cancel online by visiting their Account Management page".² Cancel before the renewal date: a cancellation takes effect "at the end of the then current subscription period".³
3. Ask for the money back "Payments are non-refundable, and there are no refunds or credits for the unused portion of a subscription that has been cancelled before the end of a billing cycle. We reserve the right, however, to issue refunds or credits at our sole discretion."² If you live in New York and the price went up, the terms say you can cancel within 14 days of the increase and get a prorated refund.³ Delaware’s data has 21 refunds among 2,231 GAN* subscription lines.⁶
4. If nobody you know subscribed, go to your bank If no newspaper account you or anyone near you can sign in to has the charge, treat it as fraud: ask your bank to cancel the card and dispute the charge, and ask what its deadline is. The Gannett terms say claims against the paper must be brought within one year.⁵

Is this a scam?

The names are real. GAN* is Gannett, and the company’s own filing says that "Effective today Gannett Co., Inc. is now USA TODAY Co., Inc."¹ A new name on a subscription you already had is the rename, not a new charge: in Delaware’s data the amount stayed the same across it.⁶ That does not make every such charge one you agreed to. If no account anyone you know can sign in to has it, it belongs with your bank.

Why this page is on a site about held money

This site records payment companies that hold back money that belongs to someone else. Gannett is not in the incident record; this page is here so that people searching for a name on a statement find the answer. Other plans that renew by themselves look like NYTIMES*, ANC*ANCESTRY.COM, STK*SHUTTERSTOCK or SMK*SURVEYMONKEY; a newspaper bought through PayPal starts with PAYPAL *. Other lines are in the table of statement names.

Sources

1. USA TODAY Co., Inc., "Gannett Changes Name to USA TODAY Co.", press release dated 18 November 2025, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as exhibit 99.1. sec.gov. Read on 2 October 2026. Archived copy of 25 August 2026.
2. The News Journal Help Center and USA TODAY Help Center, "Most common questions": "How can I cancel my subscription?", "Can I get a refund for my subscription?", and the customer service numbers. help.delawareonline.com; help.usatoday.com. Read on 2 October 2026. The News Journal, archived copy of 2 October 2026; USA TODAY, archived copy of 2 October 2026.
3. The News Journal, "About your subscription" (subscription terms), sections "Paper Statements / EZ Pay", "Vacation Stop or Other Non-Delivery", "Automatic Renewal & Billing", "Cancellation" and "New York Residents"; and Gannett’s general subscription terms on Thanksgiving Day and premium editions. cm.delawareonline.com; cm.gannett.com. Read on 2 October 2026. The News Journal terms, archived copy of 2 October 2026; Gannett terms, archived copy of 2 October 2026.
4. The News Journal Help Center, "Subscriptions": links to pay a bill, manage payment information, view account history and pause delivery, all at account.delawareonline.com. help.delawareonline.com. Read on 2 October 2026. Archived copy of 2 October 2026.
5. USA TODAY, "Subscription Terms & Conditions", section "Claims". cm.usatoday.com. Read on 2 October 2026. Archived copy of 28 September 2026.
6. State of Delaware Open Data, State Employee Credit Card Transactions, fields "merchant", "cat_descr", "trans_dt", "dept_name", "div_name" and "merchandise_amt". Subscription lines. Queried and counted on 2 October 2026; the data runs from March 2017 to August 2026. A refund is a negative line.
7. Published card statements: Oxford Community Schools, Michigan, corporate card statement dated May 27, 2026; Winnebago County, Illinois, transaction detail 07/01/2026 to 07/31/2026; Mead Public Library, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, accounts payable July 2026; Linn County, Iowa, newspaper report for 06-16-2022 through 06-22-2022. munetrix.com; wincoil.gov; Sheboygan meeting papers; linncountyiowa.gov. Read on 2 October 2026. Archived copies of 2 October 2026: Oxford Community Schools; Winnebago County; Mead Public Library; Linn County.