Millions of Britons paying for subscriptions they no longer want could soon find it much easier to cancel, under a major new crackdown on subscription traps.
The Government is bringing forward new rules designed to stop customers being caught out by contracts which automatically renew, often at a higher price, after a trial or initial deal comes to an end.
The changes are being billed as one of a series of ‘everyday fixes’ aimed at easing pressure on household budgets.
Under the new rules, which are due to come into force in January 2027, companies will have to provide clearer information before customers sign up, send regular reminders and make it significantly easier to leave a subscription.
There will also be a new 14-day cooling-off period, allowing consumers to cancel after a trial ends or when a long-term subscription renews.
The scale of the problem is enormous, with around 155 million active subscriptions in the UK.
£1.6 billion wasted on unwanted subscriptions
Consumers are estimated to be spending around £1.6 billion a year on subscriptions they do not actually want, according to the Government.
That works out at an average of around £14 a month for each unwanted subscription, or £168 a year.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to end the frustration of people finding it easy to sign up for services but difficult to get out of them.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” Andy Burnham said.
“We’re also making it as easy to leave a subscription as it is to join.”
And that's it the end of the week. I'm signing off socials. May your weekend be long, your queues be short, and your forgotten subscriptions cancel themselves.
See you monday— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) May 15, 2026
What will the new rules mean for misleading discounts?
The new measures will also target retailers using inflated ‘was’ prices or deceptive deals to make savings appear bigger than they really are.
Under the plans, shoppers could be better protected from offers where an item is advertised as discounted despite having previously been sold at the same price.
A consultation due to launch this autumn will examine whether tactics including fake ‘was’ prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices should automatically be classed as unfair commercial practices.
Ministers say this would make it easier for regulators to take action against firms using such tactics.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said there was “nothing worse” than discovering money had been taken from a bank account because a subscription had renewed unexpectedly.
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Consumer groups have welcomed the move.
Which? said it had repeatedly exposed businesses using deals which were “not what they seem” and argued that stronger enforcement was needed.
Citizens Advice also backed the changes, saying millions of people had been caught out by subscription traps and unwanted online purchases.
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