Can you claim?
Does this apply where you are?
US: FTC Negative Option Rule (status uncertain for the 2024 "click-to-cancel" amendments) and ROSCA
UK: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) new subscription contracts regime — NOT YET IN FORCE
Europe: Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU
Your rights
FTC Negative Option Rule (status uncertain for the 2024 "click-to-cancel" amendments) and ROSCA
- Click to cancel status
- The FTC announced a final "click-to-cancel" rule on 16 October 2024 and denied a petition to stay it pending judicial review on 13 December 2024. However, as of 13 March 2026 the FTC's own Negative Option Rule page states the Commission "seeks public comment on the need for amendments to" the rule "to help consumers avoid recurring payments... and allow them to cancel such payments without unwarranted obstacles" — a new Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The strict 2024 click-to-cancel provisions are not confirmed to be in full force today.
- ROSCA still applies
- Independent of the above, the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA), a separate federal statute, continues to require clear disclosure of all material terms, express informed consent, and a simple cancellation mechanism for negative-option/recurring online sales.
Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) new subscription contracts regime — NOT YET IN FORCE
- Commencement status
- The government's consultation response (updated 2 April 2026) states: "We will legislate when parliamentary time allows and we anticipate that the regime will commence in spring 2027." As of today, the DMCCA's new subscription-specific rules have not commenced — only the existing Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) currently apply, which already give a 14-day cooling-off right for contracts made at a distance or away from business premises.
- Future regime summary
- Once in force, the DMCCA will require: clear pre-contract information; reminder notices before a free/discounted trial or a 12-month+ contract auto-renews; an 'easy exit' — straightforward cancellation, available online if the consumer signed up online; and TWO 14-day cooling-off periods — an 'initial' cooling-off period on entering the contract, and a new 'renewal' cooling-off period after a trial or 12-month+ contract auto-renews, during which the consumer can cancel (for a full or proportionate refund depending on what's been supplied).
Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU
- Cancellation right
- Article 9(1): for distance/off-premises contracts (including subscriptions sold this way), "the consumer shall have a period of 14 days" to withdraw without giving any reason.
Evidence to gather
- Sign-up confirmation and terms
- Proof of cancellation attempts (screenshots, emails)
- Payment statements
- Chat/phone call records
Steps
- Gather your evidence (see the list above).
- Send a written complaint to the business or provider, citing the rule for your region from "Your rights" above.
- If unresolved by their deadline, escalate using the route named in "Your rights" for your region.
- If still unresolved, consider your region's ombudsman, regulator, or small claims court — see "Your rights" for the specific option.
Your tools
Generators
Information, not legal advice. Figures verified against the official sources linked above.