https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring Skip to main content U.S. flag An official website of the United States government Here's how you know Here's how you know Dot gov The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. Https The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Translation Menu * Espanol Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Get Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library * Submit Public Comments Menu close Main Menu Mega * Show/hide Enforcement menu items Enforcement We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. View Enforcement Search or browse the Legal Library Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Browse legal resources Search small [ ]Search Sections + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + FTC Refund Programs + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog Take action + Report an antitrust violation + File adjudicative documents + Find banned debt collectors + View competition guidance Competition Matters Blog Competition Matters Slow the Roll-up: Help Shine a Light on Serial Acquisitions Henry Liu, Director of the Bureau of Competition May 23, 2024 View all Competition Matters Blog posts * Show/hide Policy menu items Policy We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. View Policy Search or browse the Legal Library Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Browse legal resources Search small [ ]Search Sections + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International + Office of Technology Blog Take action + Find policy statements + Submit a public comment Feature [ftc_hq6_400x350] Vision and Priorities Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. Learn more Technology Blog Technology Blog Avoiding Outages and Preventing Widespread System Failures Staff at the FTC August 13, 2024 View all Technology Blog posts * Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items Advice and Guidance Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. Take action + Report fraud + Report identity theft + Register for Do Not Call + Sign up for consumer alerts + Get Business Blog updates + Get your free credit report + Find refund cases + Order bulk publications Consumer Advice + Shopping and Donating + Credit, Loans, and Debt + Jobs and Making Money + Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts + Identity Theft and Online Security + Scams Business Guidance + Advertising and Marketing + Credit and Finance + Privacy and Security + By Industry + For Small Businesses + Browse Business Guidance Resources + Business Blog Servicemembers: Your tool for financial readiness Visit militaryconsumer.gov Get consumer protection basics, plain and simple Visit consumer.gov Learn how the FTC protects free enterprise and consumers Visit Competition Counts Looking for competition guidance? Competition Guidance * Show/hide News and Events menu items News and Events Latest News Press Release Federal Trade Commission Announces Final "Click-to-Cancel" Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships October 16, 2024 View News and Events Upcoming Event Oct18 Second Federal Trade Commission Conference on Marketing and Public Policy Friday, October 18, 2024 | 8:00AM - 6:00PM View more Events Sections + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Contests + Stay Connected Sign up for the latest news Follow us on social media Feature person signing non-compete agreement Noncompete Rule: What You Should Know Visit the Noncompetes feature page for more information, including factsheets featuring stories on how the rule can benefit Americans. Latest Data Visualization Visualization of FTC Refunds to Consumers FTC Refunds to Consumers Explore refund statistics including where refunds were sent and the dollar amounts refunded with this visualization. * Show/hide About the FTC menu items About the FTC Our mission is protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices and from unfair methods of competition through law enforcement, advocacy, research, and education. Learn more about the FTC Sections + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Featured Lina M. Khan Meet the Chair Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Chair Lina M. Khan * Search Show/hide Search menu items Enter Search Term(s): [ ] [Search] Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead. Translation Menu * Espanol Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Get Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library * Submit Public Comments * Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + FTC Refund Programs + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog * Policy Show/hide Policy menu items + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International + Office of Technology Blog * Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items + Consumer Advice + Military Consumer + Consumer.gov + Business Guidance + Competition Guidance + Bulk Publications * News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Contests + Stay Connected * About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu items + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Enter Search Term(s): [ ] [Search] Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead. Breadcrumb 1. Home 2. News and Events 3. News 4. Press Releases For Release Federal Trade Commission Announces Final "Click-to-Cancel" Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships Agency acts after receiving more than 16,000 comments from the public October 16, 2024 FacebookTwitterLinkedIn Tags: * Consumer Protection * Bureau of Consumer Protection * Advertising and Marketing * Online Advertising and Marketing * Telemarketing * Payments and Billing The Federal Trade Commission today announced a final "click-to-cancel" rule that will require sellers to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up. Most of the final rule's provisions will go into effect 180 days after it is published in the Federal Register. "Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription," said Commission Chair Lina M. Khan. "The FTC's rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want." Image Click-to-Cancel fact sheet image The Commission's updated rule will apply to almost all negative option programs in any media. The rule also will prohibit sellers from misrepresenting any material facts while using negative option marketing; require sellers to provide important information before obtaining consumers' billing information and charging them; and require sellers to get consumers' informed consent to the negative option features before charging them. The final rule announced today is part of the FTC's ongoing review of its 1973 Negative Option Rule, which the agency is modernizing to combat unfair or deceptive practices related to subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring-payment programs in an increasingly digital economy where it's easier than ever for businesses to sign up consumers for their products and services. Commission approval and publication follows the March 2023 announcement of a notice of proposed rulemaking which resulted in more than 16,000 comments from consumers and federal and state government agencies, consumer groups, and trade associations. While negative option marketing programs can be convenient for sellers and consumers, the FTC receives thousands of complaints about negative option and recurring subscription practices each year. The number of complaints has been steadily increasing over the past five years and in 2024 the Commission received nearly 70 consumer complaints per day on average, up from 42 per day in 2021. The final rule will provide a consistent legal framework by prohibiting sellers from: * misrepresenting any material fact made while marketing goods or services with a negative option feature; * failing to clearly and conspicuously disclose material terms prior to obtaining a consumer's billing information in connection with a negative option feature; * failing to obtain a consumer's express informed consent to the negative option feature before charging the consumer; and * failing to provide a simple mechanism to cancel the negative option feature and immediately halt charges. Following an evaluation of public comments, the Commission has voted to adopt a final rule with certain changes, most notably dropping a requirement that sellers provide annual reminders to consumers of the negative option feature of their subscription, and dropping a prohibition on sellers telling consumers seeking to cancel their subscription about plan modifications or reasons to keep to their existing agreement without first asking if they want to hear about them. The Commission vote approving publication of the final rule in the Federal Register was 3-2, with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter issued a separate statement and Commissioner Holyoak issued a separate dissenting statement. Commissioner Ferguson's dissenting statement is forthcoming. FTC staff has developed a fact sheet summarizing the changes to the rule. The primary staffer on this matter is Katherine Johnson in the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts. Press Release Reference Federal Trade Commission Proposes Rule Provision Making it Easier for Consumers to "Click to Cancel" Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships Contact Information Media Contact Mitchell J. Katz Office of Public Affairs 202-257-3814 Related actions Negative Option Rule: Final Rule Negative Option Rule Statement of Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Regarding the Final Trade Regulation Rule Concerning Recurring Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Programs Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Melissa Holyoak re Negative Option Rule For Businesses Blog: Click to Cancel: The FTC's amended Negative Option Rule and what it means for your business Topics Protecting Consumers Return to top Menu Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Get Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library * Submit Public Comments Main navigation * Enforcement + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + FTC Refund Programs + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog * Policy + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International + Office of Technology Blog * Advice and Guidance + Consumer Advice + Military Consumer + Consumer.gov + Business Guidance + Competition Guidance + Bulk Publications * News and Events + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Contests + Stay Connected * About the FTC + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Footer * Privacy Policy * Policy and Notices * Accessibility * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of Inspector General * USA.gov