Is there an easier way to cancel subscriptions?
One frustrated Reddit user recently shared that canceling a subscription seemed impossible. They had used a now-defunct work email address to sign up for a web services company. With that email no longer accessible, the service said it was unable to process a cancellation.
Subscription cancellation headaches are so common that the Federal Trade Commission recently took action to ease the process: In a rule that fully goes into effect later this year, sellers must make it as easy to cancel their subscription as it was to sign up.
The FTC says that it received about 70 consumer complaints a day in 2024 about recurring subscriptions, up from 42 per day in 2021.
“Companies are on notice that they have to clean up their act,” says Chuck Bell, financial policy advocate at Consumer Reports.
In the meantime, consider these four tips for canceling subscriptions.
Search using the company’s name
Bell says conducting a web search using the company’s name, such as, “how do I cancel my subscription for x,’ can lead to specific tips for reaching the right contact number. “Other people might have had that problem in the past and you might find a point of contact,” he says.
Getting beyond a chatbot and finding the right person is often the first step to resolving these types of problems, he says. Please read more here: https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2025/01/31/canceling-subscriptions-made-easier/
