2 April 2026
Hard-working Brits will keep more of their cash under a new Government crackdown on unwanted and misleading subscriptions, which will save consumers around £400 million every year.
New rules, announced on 2 April, will make it simpler and far less painful to escape unwanted subscriptions, stop people being silently rolled onto expensive contracts and ensure that companies are upfront and open when selling subscription services.
This will help tackle the cost-of-living head on by giving consumers greater control over their spending to help them keep hold of their hard-earned cash at a time when household budgets are under pressure.
Once the rules come into force, expected to be in Spring 2027, consumers will benefit from:
- clear, simple information before signing up to any subscription
- reminders before free or discounted trials end, or 12-month+ contracts automatically renew
- straightforward cancellations, including online exits for online sign-ups
- a new 14-day cooling-off period, after a free or discounted trial ends, or when a contract renews for 12 months or longer
Across the UK, there are 155 million active subscriptions - with nearly 10 million of them believed to be unwanted.
Over 3.5 million people are being quietly rolled from free or discounted trials into fully costed contracts, whilst another 1.3 million are caught out by unexpected auto-renewals.
By making it easier to cancel unwanted services, consumers could save around £14 every month (on average) per unwanted subscription - nearly £170 a year.
(Source: Department for Business and Trade)
Read the full story on the GOV.UK website.