New subscription rules postponed for a year
The Government announced today (2 April 2026) that new rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC) regarding subscriptions are now expected to come into force in Spring 2027, much later than originally anticipated.
Elements of the DMCC, covering drip pricing and reviews, already came into force on 6 April 2025. Plans for subscription reform had been expected to go live in April 2026 and were then delayed until Autumn 2026.
On 23 March, when asked why the implementation had been delayed until Autumn 2026, the Department for Business and Trade said that it recognised that all stakeholders, particularly businesses, needed time to prepare.
Most of us have been caught out in a subscription trap at some time, an assertion borne out by recent research by National Trading Standards. It revealed that 4.7 million people were paying for a subscription they didn’t know they had signed up for. According to its NTS research “More than 20 million UK adults have signed up to a subscription without realising it, and of these, 4.7 million are STILL paying for a subscription they didn’t ask for…”
@thecomplainingcow The actual subscription trap protections have at last been announced. But coming into force is delayed again #subscriptions #subscription #consumerprotection #refunds #consumersdvice
New subscription rules – in brief
Ten days later the Government announced the measures that will come into force. The DMCC subscription rules state that businesses must:
- Provide simple and clear information to consumers before they enter a subscription contract.
- Issue a reminder to consumers that a “free trial” or low-cost “introductory offer” is coming to an end, send a reminder before a contract auto-renews onto a new term.
- Ensure consumers can exit a contract in a straightforward, cost-effective and timely way. This includes being able to cancel online if you signed up that way.
- Subscription providers will be required to remind consumers before a contract rolls over or automatically renews.
These are largely in line with what was predicted a year ago. However, a 14-day cooling off period will be added. This means that if a consumer takes out a free or discounted trial, or they miss the auto renewal date at 12 months, they will receive a full or partial refund.
Some memberships of charitable, cultural and heritage organisations will be exempt from the new rules, as the Government says that it recognises “the unique role they have in preserving and opening up access to the nation’s history, landscapes, and cultural collections”. However, it has not yet provided any more detail about which organisations will receive this special treatment.
A nation of subscribers
The Government says:
“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 autorenewals.
By making it easier to cancel unwanted services, consumers could save around £14 every month (on average) per unwanted subscription – nearly £170 a year.”
My view on subscription changes
It is good to see clarity around the actual rules coming into force. However, it is very disappointing they have been delayed, yet again. I don’t believe that businesses really need this amount of time to put such changes into place! But at least we now know for certain what the changes will be and how they will help consumers.
I am available for media interviews and commentary on consumer issues like this. See consumer rights expert media appearances and commentary.
CMA Adobe investigation
On 24 March 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into some of Adobe’s subscription models. See Adobe subscription issues and how to deal with them.
More help on subscriptions
See Don’t get caught in the Subscription Trap! for more about subscriptions and what you can do currently.
Streaming services: How to cut subscriptions and save money.
Think before you sign – top 10 tips to save on subscriptions
More help with complaining effectively
For more general advice on resolving complaints see Top 20 Tips on how to complain effectively
For masses of information, tips, guidance, laws and regulations and templates GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS!
101 Habits of an Effective Complainer is designed to improve the way you look at and make complaints. Each page gives you a complaining habit to consider and an example of how and why it empowers you to become more effective in getting the results you want.
Save yourself time and effort finding the laws and wording a letter of complaint and download a template, fill in your details and get that redress.
Purchase downloadable templates to gain redress.
