Unsubscribe Act of 2025
Rep. Takano's Unsubscribe Act Would Force Companies to Make Cancellations Easy
Legislative Progress
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.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
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.
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.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Unsubscribe Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.