How to guess when to use 銷 or 消 in compounds? In some words that have to do with smelting and metal (銷蝕 , 銷毀 ) it is intuitive we have to use 銷. But in most cases they seem really hard to distinguish.  According to pleco:

取消: cancel, call off, abolish
註銷: cancel, write off
抵消: offset, cancel out, counteract
撤銷: cancel, rescind, revoke
對消: offset, cancel each other out
吊銷: revoke, withdraw, cancel
消去: cancel, eliminate
銷帳: cancel (or remove) from an account, write off

It seems that “cancel out” always goes with 銷 not 消，but other words are really hard to predict. Is this something we just have to memorise, or is there any helpful logic or mnemonic?
Use 銷 when the object has man made physical  form

Use 消 when the object has no man made physical  form

We 吊銷牌照 and 銷毀武器

License and weapons have man made physical form

We 消滅 敵人 and 消除恐懼 

Enemy and fear have no  physical form, they are concepts

Simply put, look at the object and you can guess it should be 消 or  銷 in the compound