Britain is about to make it much harder for companies to trap you in subscriptions you no longer want. Under a new consumer subscription regime set to come into force on January 1, 2027, businesses will have to be clearer up front, remind you before renewals, and make cancelling simple. The UK government published draft guidance on the regime on October 19, 2026, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will enforce it.
What exactly changed
The regime comes from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA). Under the old position, subscription traps were policed mainly through general consumer-protection law. Under the new rules, traders face specific, enforceable duties: clearer up-front information, renewal reminders, simple cancellation mechanisms, and respect for cooling-off rights.
Up-front information must be integrated into the purchase journey, in clear and plain language, as close as possible to the point of contracting, so consumers understand before signing up what they are agreeing to and what it will cost. For subscriptions that auto-renew weekly, monthly or quarterly and do not include a concessionary period, reminder notices must be delivered roughly every six months. Traders must also send reminders ahead of certain renewal payments, including when a free or discounted trial is about to convert to a paid plan.
Who is affected
The rules affect any business selling subscription contracts to UK consumers: streaming services, apps, gyms, meal kits, software, news and any trader whose model relies on recurring payments. They also affect consumers directly, since the new rights apply to contracts entered into under the regime, and the CMA has already launched investigations into consumer-facing practices in recent months and imposed fines for prior infringements.
The government has also said it will consult on whether certain pricing practices, including "fake" discounts, should be added to the UK's list of banned commercial practices, which would make enforcement action easier.
What you need to do
For now, nothing changes overnight: the regime starts on January 1, 2027. But consumers can prepare by auditing current subscriptions, noting trial end dates, and checking which services auto-renew. From January 1, watch for the new renewal reminders before trial conversions and six-monthly reminders on rolling contracts, and use the simplified cancellation routes traders must provide. If a business makes cancelling hard, hides costs, or skips reminders, that becomes a breach the CMA can act on.
Why it matters
Supporters say the rules tackle a well-known frustration: subscriptions that are easy to join and hard to leave, with costs and renewals buried in fine print. Businesses warn of compliance costs, but the draft guidance gives them time to redesign checkout flows, reminder systems and cancellation journeys before January. The key date is January 1, 2027: from then on, "simple to cancel" is not good practice, it is the law.
Sources: Wilson Sonsini