How do I get a refund for an unwanted Duolingo subscription?

In most cases all transactions in the App Store are final. At times Apple may provide a compassionate refund, but it should never be expected. I have not seen any case where an Apple agent would overturn that decision, but they may offer help by directing you to the link where you can request the refund. It is simply a request and not a guarantee.

I am not sure how Duolingo baited you into paying. When you accept a Free Trial through an in-app purchase managed by Apple, you double click the side button on the Authorization Screen where you see the trial period, Subscription start date, Subscription price, and the VERY important message that says to cancel the free trial a day before the trial ends to avoid the subscription charge. After agreeing to these terms, it is followed by authentication with Face ID/Touch ID or Passcode. There is no additional notification sent and you are responsible for cancelling like you agreed to on the Authorization screen.

DuoLingo does also offer a subscription/free trial on their website and that has nothing to do with a subscription that would be managed by Apple. Cancelling and requesting a refund with a website subscription is done with them directly as that would bypass any means for Apple to do that. It is not clear if this is where your free trial/subscription was started. Subscriptions managed by Apple are cancelled here:

View or cancel app subscriptions on iPhone - Apple Support

Tazi13 wrote:

it was the Apple Pay, but used PayPal even though I chose Revolut.

Ok then, that is not a subscription that is managed by Apple through an in-app purchase. You made that free trial/subscription with DuoLingo directly and that is where you would have to cancel and request a refund.

Just because you used Apple Pay does not mean Apple has anything to do with the subscription. Apple Pay is just a secure method of making a purchase where your actual account numbers are not being sent to the merchant. No money is going though Apple and disputing an Apple Pay transaction is done the same way as any other purchase, first you contact the merchant and if unresolved then you have the option to dispute the charge with your Payment Method that is being billed. If a merchant refunds your money, it does not go to Apple Pay, funds are sent directly to the payment method that was charged.

Another example is that you could subscribe to any other service such as Hulu directly with them and that would also not be managed by Apple and to cancel or request a refund, you would have to contact Hulu. That would be true whether you used Apple Pay for payment or any other payment method. Even though Hulu has an App in the App Store, you are not required to use that to subscribe where Apple would manage the subscription. When Apple is managing the subscription, you cancel using the link provided.

Here you go. I thought with the information provided you would be able to go to their website where the information is provided, since you now know where the subscription originated.

1. Sign in to your “Duolingo account” via web browser
2. Click the Super icon at the top of the home screen
3. Scroll toward the bottom of the page and select the option to contact Duolingo support
4. You will have the option to send an email to Duolingo support. Please detail in the email that you need a refund for your web subscription. A member of our support team will review your request.

https://www.duolingo.com/help/how-do-I-request-a-refund

Don't forget to cancel your web browser subscription by following the steps they provide here:

1. Sign in to your “Duolingo account” via web browser
2. Click your profile picture at the top of the home screen, and choose “Settings”
3. Select “Super Duolingo”
4. Select “Cancel subscription” and confirm

https://www.duolingo.com/help/cancel-my-super-duolingo-subscription

It is still not clear the source of your subscription, did you see it here as a subscription managed by Apple?

View or cancel app subscriptions on iPhone - Apple Support

Since you said the money was taken from a different account than the one you put in, that sounds more like a free trial/subscription you made directly with DuoLingo. A purchase managed by Apple is billed to the card on your Apple Account and you do not enter any account information.

If your refund request was declined by Apple, that’s the decision made by Apple and nobody around here can alter it.