GLOSSARY · CANCELLATIONS AND WIN-BACK
Click to cancel
Click to cancel is the principle that a subscription bought online can be cancelled online, as easily as it was bought, without calls or obstacles.
Also called Click-to-cancel rule · Easy cancellation · Cancellation button
In the United States, the FTC adopted a click-to-cancel rule in October 2024 as part of its Negative Option Rule. On July 8, 2025, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated it on procedural grounds, so it never took effect. In March 2026 the FTC opened a new rulemaking on negative option marketing; as of November 2026 there is no new rule in force.
Other rules still apply. The federal Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act requires a simple way to stop recurring charges for online sales. California’s Automatic Renewal Law, amended by AB 2863 with effect from July 1, 2025, requires that consumers who signed up online can cancel online. Germany has required a cancellation button for online consumer contracts since July 2022.
Laws differ by country and change often, so check the current text with a lawyer for your markets. In product terms, the safe design is the same everywhere: a visible cancel option, no forced call or chat, a confirmation, and any retention offer shown without blocking the cancellation.