By Cora Lewis
NEW YORK (AP) – The “click” rule that makes it easier for consumers to make unwanted subscriptions easier was blocked by the federal court of appeals before it came into effect. But there are ways to terminate those subscriptions and memberships, even if they are in some kind of work.
The rules also require businesses to disclose to ensure that free trials and promotional offers are finished and that they can cancel their subscriptions as easily as they have started. But there are a few ways to know your subscription and membership fees without the new federal guidance.
Use the calendar reminder and check your invoice regularly
Experts from the American Consumer Federation recommend setting a calendar reminder every time the free trial period ends and warning you to cancel your promotional offer before the actual repetitive costs begin.
“The subscription business model must not be structured to benefit from the gauntlet-style cancellation process,” said Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation, in a statement on the Click-ToCancel rules.
Regular review of your credit and debit card bills can also help you track recurring fees. This includes price increases that you may have missed, and things you didn’t expect when trying new memberships or subscriptions.
Know the terms and conditions of a specific subscription
In a statement on the FTC’s Click-to-Cancel Rules, Shennan Kavanagh, head of litigation at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), said: “People shouldn’t spend months trying to cancel unnecessary subscriptions.”
However, given the FTC’s eviction rules, businesses may legally require customers to cancel their membership or subscription over the phone, even if they allow them to sign up, register and pay invoices online. Consumer advocates say this puts an extra strain on consumers of time and energy to stop the extra repetitive fees, but knowing the terms of subscription and getting on the phone is worth the problem.
There are several services that will introduce you
Apps such as services such as Rocket Money and Trim, accessed through your browser, can help you catch new services and register from some services by repeating monthly fees and subscriptions for free or for a fee.
Especially for parents, services like Trim can help inform your child that they have started a new subscription, game or membership before the fees recur. And Rocket Money works proactively to terminate unnecessary subscriptions for you, at a monthly price. If the company is unable to successfully terminate or cancel a subscription or membership, we will provide the customer with the information they need. Trim offers this service in a premium format at an additional cost.
Resist trade when cancelled
FTC is currently preparing a trial, including Amazon’s Prime program. This denies retailers for registering consumers with the Prime program without consent, making it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
Often, when consumers try to cancel a subscription to something like Prime, which offers free streaming and streaming videos, the company offers more than a month of subscription at a promotional rate. Staying strong in the face of something that may seem quite a bit will help you stop repeating monthly fees before you forget to cancel again.
Consenting yet another exam or promotional rate is another on-ramp for auto-registration, but only continues the cycle, according to consumer advocates.
What are the rules of the FTC?
FTC rules required companies to obtain customer consent before they could request membership, automatic renewals, or programs linked to free trials. Businesses also had to disclose if the free trial and promotional offers were terminated.
The U.S. Eighth Circuit said this week that the FTC made a procedural error by failing to come up with the preliminary regulatory analysis needed for rules with annual impacts on the US economy exceeding $100 million.
The FTC said it initially determined that the regulations had an impact on the national economy of less than $100 million, so it does not need to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis. An administrative law judge ruled that the economic impact would exceed the threshold of more than $100 million, and the court decided to vacate the rules.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration included the FTC proposal as part of the “Time Is Money” initiative aimed at cracking down on consumer-related hassles.
“The Associated Press is supported by the Charles Schwab Foundation for education and reporting on explanations to improve financial literacy. The Independent Foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The Associated Press is solely responsible for its journalism.”
Original issue: July 14th, 2025, 12:16pm EDT
