If you have ever tried to cancel something and found the exit buried three menus deep behind a phone number that only answers on weekday afternoons, the law is about to be on your side.
The government has brought forward the subscription trap rules in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. They now come into force in January 2027, timed for the point in the year when people take out new subscriptions.
What actually changes?
Four things. Businesses will have to give clearer information up front, send regular reminders, and provide a much easier exit from contracts. And a new 14-day cooling-off period will let you cancel after a free trial ends or after a long-term contract auto-renews.
That last one matters most, because it targets the specific moment where money goes missing: the trial you meant to cancel, and the annual contract that renewed at a higher price while you weren’t looking.
Why is the government doing this?
The numbers it published alongside the announcement: around 155 million active subscriptions in the UK, an estimated £1.6bn a year spent on ones people don’t actually want, and an average saving of £14 a month for every unwanted subscription someone escapes.
Citizens Advice has found that over 13 million people, 26% of UK adults, accidentally took out a subscription in a single year. That’s a quarter of the country signing up to something they didn’t mean to.
Certain charitable memberships for cultural and heritage organisations are excluded from the new rules.
What it means for you
Nothing changes today. January 2027 is when the duties come int force.
What it does change is the argument you can make in the meantime. If you’re being charged for something you tried to cancel, the difficulty of cancelling is the difficult part. Write it down: when you tried, where you clicked, what the site did, who you spoke to. A complaint that says “I attempted to cancel on 3 March through the account page and there was no cancellation option” is a different complaint from “I want a refund.”
And the practical move that works regardless of the law: cancelling a direct debit is not the same as cancelling a contract. Stopping the payment leaves the agreement running and can leave you in arrears. Cancel with the company, in writing, and keep the confirmation.
There’s also a second announcement worth knowing about. A consultation launches this autumn on whether fake “was” prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices should be added to the list of practices automatically banned under the same Act, because, as the government puts it, enforcers currently find these cases difficult to bring.
If a company won’t let you cancel, our guide to writing a complaint letter covers what to send and what to keep. If they ignore you, the no-response guide covers the next step.
Common questions
When do the new subscription rules start?
January 2027. They were brought forward from spring 2027.
What is a subscription trap?
A contract that is easy to enter and hard to leave, no clear cancellation route, and automatic renewal, often at a higher price.
Can I cancel a subscription by stopping the direct debit?
No. Cancelling the payment doesn’t cancel the contract, and can leave you in arrears. Cancel with the company in writing and keep the confirmation.