{"id":6155,"date":"2026-04-02T06:53:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/consumers-to-save-around-400-million-every-year-from-government-crackdown-on-costly-subscription-traps-gov-uk\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T06:53:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:53:44","slug":"consumers-to-save-around-400-million-every-year-from-government-crackdown-on-costly-subscription-traps-gov-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/consumers-to-save-around-400-million-every-year-from-government-crackdown-on-costly-subscription-traps-gov-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumers to save around \u00a3400 million every year from government crackdown on costly subscription traps – GOV.UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hard working Brits will keep more of their cash under a new\u00a0government\u00a0crackdown on\u00a0unwanted\u00a0and\u00a0misleading\u00a0subscriptions
New\u00a0measures\u00a0set out\u00a0to make subscriptions clearer and far\u00a0easier to manage\u00a0or cancel\u00a0
Changes\u00a0will help tackle the cost of living, by\u00a0saving\u00a0consumers around\u00a0\u00a3400m\u00a0annually\u00a0with new rules to stop \u201cfree trials\u201d turning into pricey surprises\u00a0\u00a0\u202f\u00a0
Consumers at the heart of action,\u00a0with protections against daily grinds such as endless phone queues to cancel subscriptions\u00a0signed up to with the click of a button
Hard working Brits will keep more of their cash under a new government crackdown on unwanted and misleading subscriptions, which will save consumers around \u00a3400 million every year.
New\u00a0rules, announced today\u00a0[2 April],\u00a0will make it simpler and far less painful to escape unwanted subscriptions,\u00a0stop people being silently rolled onto expensive contracts and ensure that companies are upfront and open when selling subscription services.\u00a0
This will\u00a0help tackle the\u00a0cost-of-living\u00a0head on\u00a0by\u00a0giving\u00a0consumers greater control over their spending to help them keep hold of their hard-earned cash at a time when household budgets are under pressure.\u00a0
\u201cThere\u2019s\u00a0nothing more frustrating than seeing money\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0worked hard for, disappear from your account\u00a0for a subscription\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0forgotten you had.\u00a0
\u201cThese new rules will put consumers back in control of\u00a0their money\u00a0\u2013 making subscriptions clearer, fairer and far easier to cancel.\u201d\u00a0
Once the rules come into force, expected to be in\u00a0Spring\u00a02027,\u00a0consumers will\u00a0benefit\u00a0from:\u00a0\u00a0
Clear, simple information before signing up to any subscription\u00a0\u00a0
Reminders before\u00a0free\u00a0or discounted\u00a0trials end,\u00a0or\u00a012month+\u00a0contracts automatically\u00a0renew\u00a0\u00a0
Straightforward\u00a0cancellations,\u00a0including online exits\u00a0for online sign ups\u00a0
A new\u00a014-day\u00a0cooling\u00a0off\u00a0period, after a\u00a0free\u00a0or discounted\u00a0trial ends,\u00a0or\u00a0when a contract renews for\u00a012 months\u00a0or longer\u00a0
Across the UK, there are 155 million active subscriptions\u00a0\u2013 with\u00a0nearly 10\u00a0million\u00a0of them\u00a0believed to be\u00a0unwanted.\u00a0
Over 3.5 million people are being quietly rolled from free\u00a0or discounted\u00a0trials into\u00a0fully costed\u00a0contracts, whilst\u00a0another 1.3 million\u00a0are caught out\u00a0by\u00a0unexpected\u00a0autorenewals.\u00a0
By\u00a0making it easier to cancel unwanted services,\u00a0consumers could save\u00a0around\u00a0\u00a314\u00a0every\u00a0month\u00a0(on average) per\u00a0unwanted subscription\u00a0–\u00a0nearly \u00a3170\u00a0a year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0\u201cSubscription traps can be costly and wreak havoc on finances that are already under strain from the cost-of-living crisis.\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
\u201cThe strengthening of subscription laws will be welcome news for those struggling with rising costs.\u00a0
\u00a0
\u201cThese new rules will help\u00a0put consumers in the driving seat with proper transparency and protection.\u201d\u00a0
New measures mark another major milestone in enhancing consumer protections\u00a0and implementing measures introduced in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024\u00a0(DMCCA).\u00a0
As well as strengthening consumer rights, measures will support competition and growth by ensuring all businesses\u00a0operate\u00a0on a level playing field.\u00a0\u00a0
The measures are expected to come into force in spring 2027.\u00a0
\u201cAt a time when every pound matters, these new rules will give consumers the clarity and control they deserve.\u00a0
\u201cBy stopping companies from quietly rolling people onto costly contracts and making cancellations far simpler, households can stay on top of their budgets and keep more of their money where it belongs: in their own pockets.\u00a0
Tackling\u00a0subscription traps is just one of the many steps\u00a0this\u00a0government is taking to support consumers. Other\u00a0recent\u00a0action includes rewiring enforcement to\u00a0clamp down on rogue traders like\u00a0rip-off\u00a0locksmiths and\u00a0launching a new Smart Data strategy\u00a0as part of our Industrial Strategy.\u00a0\u00a0
Smart Data\u00a0empowers consumers by giving them secure access to their own data and the ability to share it safely with trusted third parties,\u00a0enabling\u00a0personalised tools that help\u00a0shoppers\u00a0identify\u00a0better\u2011value products and services.\u00a0\u00a0
This strengthens and helps ensure firms offer fair prices and high\u2011quality outcomes for consumers.\u00a0
Today the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Business and Trade have written to all Secretaries of State and heads of regulators asking them for\u00a0new ideas\u00a0to protect consumers to drive down the cost of living. These will be published in a consumer action plan later this year.\u00a0
NOTES TO\u00a0EDITORS\u00a0
The Government will bring forward regulations for:\u00a0
Technical operational detail:\u00a0Ensure that the consequences and remedies for breaches are fair and that the technical operation of the regime is consistent with the\u00a0Consumer Contract Regulations\u00a0where possible. This will ensure a clear,\u00a0fair\u00a0and functioning regime that protects consumers from harm and has safeguards, so traders are not unfairly penalised.
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