Click to Cancel NYC Consumer and Worker Protection
NYC Consumer and Worker Protection
New York City's Click-to-Cancel rule took effect October 1, giving consumers new protections when canceling automatic-renewal and continuous-service subscriptions.
New York City's Click-to-Cancel rule is now in effect, giving consumers new protections against businesses that make subscriptions difficult to cancel. The rule requires businesses offering qualifying automatic-renewal or continuous-service subscriptions to provide straightforward cancellation methods and clearly disclose subscription terms and consumer rights. Businesses that violate the requirements can face restitution and civil penalties starting at $525 per violation. The city has also launched an online portal where New Yorkers can report problems including difficult cancellations, undisclosed automatic renewals and subscription terms that were not clearly explained. City officials say New York City is the first municipality in the country to implement a Click-to-Cancel rule.
Mayor Mamdani Tells Subscription Traps: Click-to-Cancel — or Pay Up
New York City’s Click-to-Cancel rule takes effect today, with fines starting at $525 per violation
In 10 weeks, the City’s PIT Crew built a new online portal to make filing complaints faster and easier for New Yorkers
Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) Commissioner Lisa Gelobter announced that New York City’s “Click-to-Cancel” rule is now in effect, giving the City new authority to crack down on businesses that make it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions.
The administration also launched a new online complaint portal, built in just 10 weeks by OTI’s Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew, making it easier for New Yorkers to report subscription traps and seek help from the City.
The rule follows Mayor Mamdani’s Jan. 5 signing of Executive Order 10, which directed DCWP to prioritize enforcement against deceptive subscription practices and consider new rules to stop them. Starting today, businesses that make it difficult for consumers to cancel a subscription can face restitution and civil penalties, with fines starting at $525 per violation. The Roosevelt Institute estimates the rule could save New Yorkers up to $162.5 million per year.
New Yorkers can file complaints at nyc.gov/click-to-cancel.
“No one should need 45 minutes of hold music to stop paying for something they never wanted,” said Mayor Mamdani. “New Yorkers work too hard for their money to have it drained by a subscription they can’t cancel. If a company can take your money with one click, you should be able to get your money back with one click. And now, if they won’t let you cancel, the City is coming for them.”
“This administration is putting its enforcement power behind affordability for working New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “The rule gives DCWP the authority to hold businesses accountable, and the portal gives New Yorkers a straightforward way to ask for help. I thank Commissioners Levine and Gelobter and their teams for delivering both.”
“If you signed up for a subscription online, you should be able to cancel online,” said DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. “To any company taking money from working people through subscription tricks and traps: you’re on notice. And to New Yorkers struggling to cancel a subscription, file a complaint through our new portal today. We have your back.”
“Government technology should work for the people, not against them,” said CTO and OTI Commissioner Lisa Gelobter. “Building this tool in house let us move quickly and design it around what New Yorkers told us they needed. We are proud to partner with DCWP to defend consumers in all five boroughs.”
What the Rule Requires
The rule gives DCWP citywide authority to enforce simple cancellation practices for consumers. It targets practices including “free trials” that quietly convert into paid subscriptions and cancellation processes buried behind unnecessary steps or unclear instructions.
Under the rule, businesses must provide consumers with a straightforward, transparent way to cancel a subscription. Businesses must also provide clear disclosures when consumers purchase, enroll in, or cancel a subscription.
The rule applies to subscriptions that qualify as automatic renewals or continuous service offers.
New York City is the first municipality in the country to implement a Click-to-Cancel rule.
File a Complaint at nyc.gov/click-to-cancel
OTI’s PIT Crew teamed up with DCWP to build a new, easy-to-use way for New Yorkers to file complaints about subscription traps. The PIT Crew, launched in July by Mayor Mamdani and CTO Gelobter, built the tool in just 10 weeks, designing and testing it with New Yorkers throughout development. The new portal is designed to make filing a complaint faster and easier, connect seamlessly with DCWP’s enforcement teams, meet high accessibility standards and be available in every major language spoken in New York City.
New Yorkers can file complaints online, by mail or by fax. After filing, they can check the status of their complaint using the complaint number they receive. In many cases, DCWP mediators will review the complaint and work with the consumer and the business to resolve it.
New Yorkers should file a complaint at nyc.gov/click-to-cancel if:
- The business did not clearly explain the terms of the subscription.
- The business made it difficult to cancel. For example, requiring a consumer who signed up online to cancel by phone or in person.
- The business delayed canceling the subscription.
- The business sent products the consumer did not request and expected the consumer to return or pay for them.
- The business did not notify the consumer about changes to the subscription terms.
- The business did not disclose that the subscription would automatically renew.
Source: New York City Mayor's Office
