New York City begins enforcing rule requiring easy subscription cancellation

New York City’s “click to cancel” rule took effect on October 1, 2026, giving residents a formal way to report companies that make it hard to end a subscription. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, known as DCWP, will enforce the rule and can fine violators starting at $525 per violation, with businesses also potentially owing refunds to affected customers.

The rule rests on one idea: cancelling a subscription should take the same number of steps as signing up for one. If a customer joined online with a few clicks, the business cannot require a phone call, an in-person visit, or a mailed letter to cancel. Companies must also spell out subscription terms clearly before a customer signs up, disclose cancellation rights, and tell subscribers about price changes or automatic renewals in advance. Businesses are barred from charging customers to ship back items the company sent them for free.

DCWP says New Yorkers can file a complaint if a company failed to clearly state subscription terms, forced a harder cancellation process than its sign-up process, delayed a cancellation request, sent unwanted products and expected payment or return shipping, or did not disclose changes to subscription terms or automatic renewal.

A resident who files a complaint receives a complaint number that can be used to check its status online. DCWP reviews the complaint along with supporting documents such as receipts or contracts, and may contact the complainant for more information. In many cases the agency assigns a mediator, who sends the business a copy of the complaint and asks for a written response, then works with both sides to try to reach a settlement. Complaint forms are available on the city’s website in eleven languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Urdu, and residents can also mail a completed form to DCWP’s Consumer Services Division at 42 Broadway in Manhattan or fax it to the department.

The city describes the measure as the first municipal rule of its kind in the nation, aimed at subscription services that rely on multi-step cancellation flows to retain paying customers. DCWP’s announcement does not name specific companies or industries, and it does not say how complaints will be prioritized or how quickly mediators will respond once filings start coming in.

What happens next will depend on how DCWP handles the first wave of complaints, and whether subscription businesses operating in New York City change their cancellation processes to match their sign-up flow before enforcement actions begin.