Posted on 04/15/25
Baltimore, MD - April 15, 2025 – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued today a consumer alert on a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule, which is quickly approaching the deadline for compliance – May 14, 2025 – and will make it easier for consumers to go online and cancel recurring subscriptions and memberships. The new “Click-to-Cancel” Rule went into effect on January 14, 2025, although businesses were given until mid-May to comply with the new rule that establishes a simple way for consumers to cancel subscriptions and memberships, rather than forcing consumers to jump through hoops.
The digital world we live in makes it easier than ever for businesses to sign up consumers for their products and services. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to monitor or cancel these purchases online, with many of these businesses making it difficult or confusing for their customers to keep track of their memberships or to cancel them.
In June 2023, Attorney General Brown supported changes to an existing FTC rule so that it would better protect consumers from deceptive auto-renewal programs and plans. These changes resulted in the creation of the new Click-to-Cancel rule.
Under the Click-to-Cancel Rule, it must be as easy for you to cancel as it was for you to sign up. In other words, a business that had you sign up online must provide you with a simple online means of cancelling.
With the addition of the Click-to-Cancel Rule, the FTC’s Negative Option Rule helps ensure that you are informed about the terms of any offer, protects you from unwanted charges and makes canceling subscriptions and memberships much simpler, saving your time and your money. A copy of that published rule is available on the Federal Register: Negative Option Rule.
More information about the Click-to-Cancel Rule is available from the FTC: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/NegOptions-1page-Oct2024-v2.pdf.