New UK subscription rules due 1 January 2027
Free trials, auto-renewals and cancel buttons are about to change in the UK.
From 1 January 2027, subscriptions taken out in the UK are due to get reminders before trials turn paid, online cancellation, and extra 14-day cooling-off periods. Find out in plain English what that means for you, or for your business.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the draft regulations laid on 19 October 2026.
The rules in 30 seconds
- Apply to subscriptions taken out on or after 1 January 2027. Existing ones stay under the old rules.
- Key price and cancellation information must be shown before you commit.
- Reminders before a trial turns paid and before a 12-month-plus contract renews.
- If you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online.
- A 14-day cooling-off period at the start, and another after a trial converts or a long contract renews.
- Phone, broadband, energy, insurance and financial products are excluded.
Free tools
Will the new rules cover my subscription?
A one-minute check. Tells you whether a subscription is inside the 2027 rules and what you would gain.
Cooling-off date calculator
Enter the date you signed up, a trial converted or a contract renewed. See your last day to cancel.
Trial and renewal tracker
List your subscriptions, see what is due next, and download calendar reminders. Saved in your browser only.
Escape the Subscription
A short game about cancellation dark patterns. Can you get out in under a minute?
For businesses
Sell subscriptions to UK customers? The rules reach you wherever you are based.
Twenty yes-or-no questions give you a readiness score and a prioritised fix list for your checkout, reminder emails, cancel flow and refunds. Works for Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe and app-store billing.
Take the readiness checklistWhy it matters
The government's own numbers
- About 155 million active subscriptions in the UK.
- Around 9.7 million of them are unwanted at any one time.
- An estimated £1.6 billion a year spent on subscriptions people do not want.
Department for Business and Trade impact assessment (2023), restated by the government in August 2026.
Based on reports of the government's draft rules and guidance (19 October 2026). Last checked on 24 October 2026. The rules still need parliamentary approval and could change. Not legal advice. Check the official sources.
Last checked 24 October 2026.