Subscriptions will be easier to cancel from January 2027
New rules will make companies offer an easy exit and remind you before a contract renews. The government has brought them forward to January 2027, with a consultation on the detail this autumn.
Cancelling an unwanted subscription is meant to get easier. The government has promised new rules for subscriptions from January 2027, three months sooner than first planned.
What the rules will require
When they start, a company will have to:
- Give clear information before you sign up.
- Remind you before a free or discounted trial ends, or before a contract of 12 months or more renews.
- Let you cancel as easily as you signed up, and online if you signed up online.
- Give you 14 days to cancel after a trial ends, or after a contract of 12 months or more renews, and get a refund.
When it starts
The rules come from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. They were due in spring 2027, but the government has promised to start them in January 2027. A consultation this autumn will set the detail.
The same announcement also promises to stop shops using fake “was” prices to make a discount look bigger than it is.
Why the rules are coming
The government says that about 10 million subscriptions in the UK are unwanted. It says that 3.5 million people are quietly moved from a free or discounted trial onto a paid contract, and that 1.3 million are caught out by an unexpected renewal. It puts the saving at £400 million a year.
What you can do now
The rules are not here yet, so the current position still applies. To cancel a subscription now, our cancel a subscription tool shows the steps, and your rights if a company makes it hard.
- Check when a free trial ends, and cancel before it turns into a paid contract.
- Keep the confirmation when you cancel, in case a payment still leaves your account.
- If a payment leaves after you cancel, tell your bank to stop it.