Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7048

Rep. Takano's Unsubscribe Act Would Force Companies to Make Cancellations Easy

Unsubscribe Act of 2025

2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by Representative Takano, aims to stop companies from making it hard to cancel subscriptions. It requires businesses to be upfront about how much you will be charged and when those charges will happen before they ever take your money.
If you sign up for a service online, the company must provide a simple way to cancel online, like a direct link or a form. You would no longer be forced to call a customer service line or jump through extra hoops to end a service you started on the internet.
For 'free trials' that turn into paid plans, companies would have to get your clear permission before the first real charge. They must also tell you exactly how much the price will go up and give you a clear way to opt out before you are billed.
Businesses would be required to send you a reminder at least once a year about your subscription. This notice must include the terms of your deal and instructions on how to cancel so you do not keep paying for things you forgot you had.
The Federal Trade Commission and state officials would have the power to punish companies that use sneaky website designs to trick you into staying subscribed. These rules would apply to any new or updated contracts starting one year after the bill becomes law.

Consumer Protection

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Small Business Owner

Neutral

Small businesses that use subscription models would need to update their billing systems and cancellation processes to comply with new requirements, including providing simple online cancellation mechanisms and sending annual reminders. While this adds compliance costs and administrative burden, it also levels the playing field by holding larger competitors to the same transparency standards.

Positive Impacts(1)

Retiree

Helps

Retirees, who are often targeted by confusing subscription traps and may have difficulty navigating complex cancellation processes, would benefit from mandatory annual reminders about active subscriptions and simpler cancellation options. The ban on dark patterns and pre-checked boxes also provides extra protection against being tricked into unwanted recurring charges.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 13, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

New subscription rules take effect for all new or amended contracts

If this bill becomes law, any subscription you sign up for or change after this date must follow the new rules — easy cancellation, clear pricing disclosures, and no more dark patterns tricking you into staying subscribed.

Related News

2 articles

Compliance Week·8 months ago

Congress introduces bipartisan Unsubscribe Act after FTC Click-to-Cancel setback

Sens. Brian Schatz and John Kennedy introduced the Senate version of the Unsubscribe Act of 2025. The legislation requires sellers to provide simple means of canceling subscriptions and clear notice when a free trial ends, responding to a court decision that vacated the FTC's negative option rule.

Maui Now·8 months ago

Schatz, Kennedy introduce legislation to stop deceptive subscription practices

Sen. Brian Schatz announced the Unsubscribe Act to ensure transparency in subscription models. The bill would disallow automatic transfers to full-cost contracts without consent and require periodic reminders to customers about their cancellation rights and contract terms.

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