New Yorkers will have an easier time cancelling unwanted subscriptions starting this fall.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel Levine on Friday announced a new measure to crack down on subscritpion traps by introducing a “Click to Cancel” rule that guarantees consumers can cancel subscriptions as easily as they sign up for them.
The rule tak
The Click-to-Cancel Rule alone is estimated to save New Yorkers up to $162.5 million per year, officials said.
“For years, companies have built their business model around making it harder for working people to hold onto their money,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Whether it’s hidden fees that suddenly appear at checkout or subscriptions that take one click to sign up for and a dozen steps to cancel, the result is the same: working people pay more while corporations profit. That ends now. If you can sign up with one click, you can cancel with one click.”
Residents who have a tough time cancelling their subscription can send a complaint via an online portal, 311, phone, mail or fax. The DCWP will then review the complaint and necessary documents, and will assign a mediator to speak to the business to resolve the matter.
Businesses that violate the rule would be liable for civil penalties, starting at $525, and may be liable for refunding the consumer.
The new rule is on top of the city’s new proposed rule requiring transparent, all-in pricing that bans hidden junk fees.
