FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule 2026: Your Rights When Companies Won't Let You Cancel
The FTC's "Click to Cancel" rule — officially the Negative Option Rule amendment — went into effect in 2025. It's the most significant consumer protection change for subscriptions in decades. Here's what it means for you.
✅ The Core Rule: If you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online. Companies can no longer force you to call a phone number, visit a store, or send a letter to cancel a subscription you started digitally.
What the Rule Requires
Simple cancellation: The cancellation process must be at least as easy as the sign-up process
Same channel: If you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online (no phone-only cancellation)
No unnecessary barriers: Companies can't require you to listen to retention pitches, talk to "specialists," or jump through hoops
Clear disclosure: All material terms must be disclosed BEFORE charging, including cancellation policies
Express consent: Companies need your clear, affirmative consent before charging for recurring subscriptions
Annual reminders: Companies must remind you before auto-renewing annual subscriptions
Companies Still Violating the Rule
Despite the rule, many companies still make cancellation difficult. Common violators include:
Gym chains: Many still require certified mail or in-person visits to cancel
Cable/internet providers: Often require phone calls with extended retention pitches
SiriusXM: Notorious for lengthy phone cancellations with aggressive retention
Newspaper subscriptions: NYT, WSJ, and others often require phone calls
Insurance companies: Some require written letters or in-person visits
Gym supplement subscriptions: Many hide cancellation behind multi-step phone processes
Select "Something else" → "Subscription or recurring payment"
Describe the company, what happened, and how they made cancellation difficult
Include: company name, dates, amounts charged, screenshots of the cancellation process
The FTC doesn't resolve individual complaints but uses them to build enforcement cases
⚡ Why File Even If FTC Won't Help You Directly: The FTC uses complaint volume to decide which companies to investigate. When Adobe was fined $3 billion in a proposed settlement for dark patterns, it was partly because of thousands of consumer complaints. Your complaint matters.
State-Level Protections (Even Stronger)
Some states have even stronger subscription cancellation laws:
California (ARL - Automatic Renewal Law): Requires clear disclosure, easy cancellation, and full refund for failure to comply. Strongest state law.
New York: Free trial subscriptions must be cancelable online. Auto-renewal disclosures required.
Illinois: Automatic Renewal Act requires clear disclosure and simple cancellation.
Vermont: Companies must provide annual notice before auto-renewing.
Colorado: 2022 law requires online cancellation for online subscriptions.
What to Do Right Now
Know the rule exists. Companies count on consumers not knowing their rights.
If cancellation is unreasonably difficult: Cite the FTC Click-to-Cancel rule by name. This sometimes triggers immediate compliance.
Document everything: Screenshots of the cancellation process, chat transcripts, phone call dates and duration.
File complaints: FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), your state AG, and the BBB. The more complaints, the more pressure.
Use your bank as backup: If a company won't stop charging after you cancel, dispute the charge through your bank.
💡 The Magic Words
When a company makes cancellation difficult, try saying: "I am aware of the FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule requiring you to make cancellation as easy as sign-up. Please process my cancellation immediately or I will file a complaint with the FTC and my state Attorney General." This works more often than you'd expect.
🔍 Find All Your Subscriptions
Before you can cancel, you need to find every subscription. Upload your bank statement and see every recurring charge — most people find 3-5 they forgot about.