FTC Kills Click-to-Cancel Rule — What It Means for Your Subscriptions

Published February 14, 2026 · 6 min read

On February 12, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission officially gutted the “Click-to-Cancel” rule — the regulation that would have required companies to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up. The rule is effectively dead, and companies just got a green light to make cancellation harder than ever.

What Was the Click-to-Cancel Rule?

Finalized in October 2024, the FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule was supposed to end a common consumer nightmare: signing up for a subscription in two clicks but needing to call a phone number, wait on hold for 45 minutes, navigate a maze of retention offers, and sometimes even send a certified letter to cancel.

The rule would have required companies to:

• Make cancellation as easy as sign-up — if you signed up online, you cancel online
• No forced phone calls — companies couldn't require you to call to cancel
• No dark patterns — no misleading buttons, hidden cancel pages, or guilt-trip screens
• Clear disclosure — companies must tell you upfront how to cancel before you subscribe

What Happened on February 12, 2026

The FTC published a single Federal Register notice that killed three consumer protection rules at once:

1. Click-to-Cancel subscription rule — gutted
2. CARS auto dealer scam rule — withdrawn entirely
3. Non-compete ban — removed from the books

The FTC cited compliance with court orders, but the practical effect is the same: three rules designed to protect consumers from predatory business practices are gone.

What This Means for You

Without the Click-to-Cancel rule, companies are free to:

• Force phone calls to cancel — expect more “call us to cancel” policies
• Use retention mazes — multi-step processes designed to wear you down
• Hide the cancel button — bury it deep in settings behind confusing menus
• Require written notice — some companies may go back to requiring letters or faxes
• Deploy aggressive save teams — trained representatives whose job is to prevent you from canceling

This isn't theoretical. Our Cancel Difficulty Index already shows that many of the 440+ services we track are rated “Hard” or “Very Hard” to cancel — and that was with the rule as a deterrent. Without it, expect things to get worse.

The Services Most Likely to Get Harder

Based on our data, these services already have the worst cancellation experiences and are most likely to tighten the screws:

• Adobe Creative Cloud — already charges early termination fees up to 50% of remaining contract
• Planet Fitness — requires certified letter or in-person visit to cancel
• SiriusXM — phone-only cancellation with aggressive retention
• New York Times — requires chat or phone call, famous for retention tactics
• LA Fitness — certified mail or in-person with 30 days notice
• Xfinity — multi-step process with equipment return requirements
• Noom — has faced multiple lawsuits over cancellation difficulty

Scott Galloway's “Unsubscribe” Movement

The timing couldn't be more ironic. Just days before the FTC killed the rule, NYU professor Scott Galloway launched an “Unsubscribe” campaign urging Americans to cancel subscriptions to major tech companies — Amazon, Apple, Google, Netflix, Meta, Uber, OpenAI, and X — arguing that Wall Street watches subscriber numbers, and mass cancellations could pressure companies to treat consumers better.

With the Click-to-Cancel rule dead, Galloway's campaign just got a lot harder to execute. Which is exactly the point.

How to Protect Yourself

The rule may be dead, but you still have options:

1. Know exactly what you're paying for. Upload your bank statement to Just Cancel to find every subscription — including ones you forgot about. The average user finds $273/year in subscriptions they didn't know they had.
2. Cancel NOW, before it gets worse. If you've been putting off canceling a service, do it today. Companies may add new hurdles in the coming months now that the regulatory threat is gone.
3. Use our cancel guides. We have step-by-step cancel instructions for 440+ services including direct cancel URLs, difficulty ratings, and workarounds for the worst offenders.
4. Use virtual cards. Services like Privacy.com let you create single-use card numbers. If a company won't let you cancel, freeze the card.
5. File chargebacks. If a company charges you after you've clearly requested cancellation, your bank can reverse the charge. Read our complete chargeback guide.
6. Document everything. Screenshot your cancellation requests. Save confirmation emails. If a company makes it unreasonably difficult, you may have grounds for a chargeback or small claims action.

The Bottom Line

The FTC just made it official: you're on your own when it comes to canceling subscriptions. Companies have no federal obligation to make it easy. The Click-to-Cancel rule would have changed that — but it's gone.

That's exactly why we built Just Cancel. One scan, $5, and you know exactly where your money goes — with direct links to cancel every single subscription. No company can make that harder.

Related Reading

• What the FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule Was Supposed to Do
• Dark Patterns Hall of Shame: 15 Companies That Make Canceling Impossible
• What to Do When a Company Won't Let You Cancel
• The 10 Hardest Subscriptions to Cancel in 2026
• Cancel Difficulty Index — Every Service Ranked