Cancelling a Free Trial in the UK: What the Consumer Contracts Regulations Say Today and What the DMCC Act Subscription Rules Will Change

Free trials that roll into paid subscriptions are covered by two layers of UK consumer law: rules that apply now, and a new subscription regime that has been legislated but is not yet in force. This guide keeps the two apart. It covers the UK as a whole where the legislation says so, and it is general information, not legal advice. It does not describe any brand’s trial terms, which change often.

What applies today: the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 are marked on legislation.gov.uk as applying across the UK. They cover distance contracts, such as online sign-ups, between a trader and a consumer. Some contract types, such as gambling, financial services and package travel, are excluded. Whether a particular free-trial agreement carries the rights below depends on its terms and on whether it falls within the Regulations, so the trader’s terms matter.

Information before you are bound

Before a distance contract binds the consumer, the trader must give information listed in Schedule 2. That includes the main characteristics of the service, the total price, and, for a contract containing a subscription, the total costs per billing period. It also covers the duration of the contract and, where the contract is to be extended automatically, the conditions for terminating it, plus the conditions, time limit and procedures for cancelling.

For online orders with an obligation to pay, regulation 14 requires certain key information to be shown clearly and prominently directly before the order is placed. The consumer must explicitly acknowledge the payment obligation, and the order button must be labelled “order with obligation to pay” or an equivalent unambiguous wording. If the trader has not complied with the acknowledgement and button requirements, the consumer is not bound by the contract or order.

The 14-day cancellation right

A consumer may cancel a distance contract during the cancellation period without giving a reason (regulation 29). For a service contract, or for digital content not on a tangible medium, the period ends 14 days after the day the contract is entered into (regulation 30). If the trader did not give the required cancellation information, the period runs for up to 12 months longer (regulation 31).

Starting the service early changes the position. A trader may not begin a service in the cancellation period unless the consumer has made an express request. If the consumer then cancels, a proportionate payment for what was supplied can be due, but the consumer bears no cost if the trader failed to give the required cancellation information or the service was not supplied at the consumer’s request (regulation 36). For digital content, the trader needs express consent and the consumer’s acknowledgement that the right to cancel will be lost; once supply begins on that basis, the right is lost (regulation 37).

What the DMCC Act 2024 will change

Part 4, Chapter 2 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets out a subscription contracts regime. On legislation.gov.uk it is marked as prospective, with its provisions not in force at Royal Assent and commencement left to regulations. The page is stated to be up to date to 9 October 2026. The Department for Business and Trade said on 2 April 2026 that the measures are expected to come into force in spring 2027, and the Competition and Markets Authority has repeated that expectation. That is an expected date, not a fixed one, so the rules below will apply only once they are brought into force.

• Trials are covered. The Act’s definition of a subscription contract includes a contract that supplies goods, services or digital content free of charge, or at an introductory rate, for a set period and then automatically makes the consumer liable for payments or higher payments, with a right to end the contract before that liability arises.
• Clear information before sign-up. The government describes this as clear, simple information before signing up to any subscription.
• Reminders. Traders will have to send reminders before free or discounted trials end, or before 12-month-plus contracts renew.
• Cooling-off. The Act gives a right to cancel in an initial 14-day cooling-off period and in a 14-day renewal cooling-off period, which includes the point where the first payment falls due after a concessionary period such as a trial. No penalty or charge may be imposed for cancelling. The government describes a full or proportionate refund, with the detail left to regulations.
• Easy exit. The government says cancellation will be straightforward, including online exits for online sign-ups.

The government has said it will publish guidance for businesses and will exclude certain charitable memberships from the regime.

What to do in the meantime

• Check the order page for the price after the trial, the billing period and how automatic extension ends, as Schedule 2 requires.
• Cancel using the method in the terms, in a form that can be kept as proof.

The free trials FAQ on this site covers the basics of how trials convert.

Common questions

Do I get 14 days after the trial ends under current law?

Not as a separate right. Under the 2013 Regulations the 14 days run from the day the contract is entered into. A cooling-off period after a trial belongs to the future subscription regime.

Does the new regime apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The provisions are marked as applying to the UK on legislation.gov.uk. Commencement details are for regulations yet to be made.

The bottom line

In the UK today, cancellation rights for online trials come from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013: required information before the contract, a 14-day cancellation period from the day the contract is entered into, and special rules where a service or digital content starts early. The DMCC Act 2024 subscription regime, with its reminder notices and post-trial cooling-off period, is expected to start in spring 2027 but has no fixed commencement date yet. Until it is in force, it should be treated as future law.

Sources

• The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulations 5 to 7, 13, 14, 29 to 31, 36 and 37 and Schedule 2 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Part 4, Chapter 2: Subscription contracts (legislation.gov.uk)
• Consumers to save around £400 million every year from government crackdown on costly subscription traps (gov.uk, 2 April 2026)
• Government response to consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime (gov.uk)
• Direct consumer enforcement: one year on (Competition and Markets Authority blog, 17 April 2026)