FTC’s Click to Cancel rule struck down. How to cancel subscriptions, gym membership in Florida

Sorry, Americans. You’ll still have to do battle with AI chatbots, hold music and relentlessly persistent salespeople if you want to cancel your streaming service or gym membership.

On July 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit vacated the “Click to Cancel” rule created by the Federal Trade Commission in 2024, just days before it was due to take effect. The rule would have required businesses to make it “as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up.”

Businesses would also have been required to get consent for subscriptions, auto-renewals and free trials that convert to paid memberships. 

“Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” said then-Commission Chair Lina M. Khan in October 2024. “The FTC’s rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.”

However, the rule was challenged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and multiple corporate lobbyists, delayed by the new FTC under the Trump administration and the new FTC head Andrew Ferguson — who voted against it in 2024 — and ultimately struck down by the court for a missing regulatory analysis.

“Over 16k Americans weighed in on the click-to-cancel rule, overwhelmingly supporting our effort to end subscription traps,” Khan posted to X the day of the court decision. “The rule was set to go into effect in May but this @FTC slow-walked it—and now a court has tossed it out, claiming industry didn’t get enough of a say.” She urged frustrated Americans to demand the FTC re-issue the rule.

How to cancel that subscription: Why more Americans are dumping monthly payments

What are Florida laws on automatic subscription renewal?

About 20 states and Washington have laws on automatic renewal. Under Florida Statute 0501.165, sellers are required to:

• Disclose the automatic renewal provision “clearly and conspicuously” in the contract or contract offer
• Provide the buyer with written or electronic notification of the automatic renewal provision no less than 30 days and no more than 60 days before the cancellation deadline if the contract is 12 months or more, and if it automatically renews for more than one month, unless the consumer cancels the contract. The notification must include:
  • A reminder that the contract will automatically renew if the buyer does not cancel it
  • How a buyer can find out how to cancel

However, the laws do not restrict sellers from making unsubscribing a tortuous process, only that they’re transparent about reminding you when renewal comes up.

How to cancel subscriptions you don’t want anymore

Subscriptions add up quickly, especially if you don’t pay attention to services you’ve racked up or free trials that became paid services. Here’s how to trim down your list.

• Let an app do it: There are several apps such as Rocket Money that, with access to your financial accounts, can identify all your subscriptions and help you cancel them. Ironically, they also have monthly charges. The financial service Experian also offers a (paid) cancellation service.
• Audit your subscriptions: Do it yourself by going over your bank statements and credit card bills to find all the subscriptions you’re still paying for. Go back at least a year, some subscriptions such as Amazon Prime are annual. Make a list of all of them and go one by one to see which ones you still feel are worth it. Cancel anything you’re not regularly using. 
• Check your app subscriptions: If you have apps you pay for, audit those as well.
  • In iOS, either tap on Settings, then on your Apple ID, and then Subscriptions, or open the App Store and tap your profile icon and then Subscriptions. You’ll see all active and expired subscriptions and you can easily cancel any you don’t want.
  • For your Android device, tap on Settings and then tap on Google, your name, and Manage Your Google Account. At the top pf that page, tap Payments & subscriptions, then on Manage purchases, Manage subscriptions, or Manage reservations. There you can choose to renew or cancel a subscription.
• Watch for automatic renewals: Keep an eye on your inbox for renewal notices and notices about price increases. You may have to hunt, some may go to spam and are easy to miss.
• Be careful of free trials: Free trials can easily become paid subscriptions if you’re not careful, and many companies rely on that. Set up calendar alerts or phone reminders to help you remember to cancel before it’s too late.
• Be more careful with what you subscribe to: There are ways to get the things you want without paying as much.
  • Check around to see if you can replace a paid subscription for a free or cheaper one
  • Rotate your streaming services and subscribe to only one or two at a time. Binge what you want for a few months and then jump to another. Repeat
  • Check for free or reduced subscriptions through your mobile carrier or another membership service such as Walmart Plus. Keep an eye out for sales and promotions
  • Check out books, music and movies from your local library

How to cancel gym memberships in Florida

Be wary of gym memberships: Many gyms are notorious for their convoluted and obstructive cancellation policies.

Read any gym membership contract closely and make sure you understand what’s involved, including the steps you’ll need to take and any termination fees that might be charged. Some national chains don’t allow online cancellations, for example, requiring you to call or come in instead.

Florida law has certain restrictions on gym memberships and cancellations:

• Contracts may not be for longer than three years, renewable annually (lifetime memberships were banned in 1979).
• Gyms must allow penalty-free cancellations and refunds within three days of signing, not counting holidays and weekends.
• Consumers are required to provide notice of cancellation in writing at any point in the membership, which “terminates automatically the consumer’s obligation.”
• If a contract is cancelled, gyms are permitted to compute the amount of the refund based on the number of weeks remaining in the contract.
• Refunds must be given within 30 days of cancellation.
• Contracts may be canceled if the member dies or becomes physically unable to use enough of the services, but the gym may require the buyer to provide proof of disability or the buyer’s estate to provide proof of death.

However, you will almost certainly have to deal with a heavy sales pitch to keep your membership at a (temporarily) reduced price, and some former gym members have horror stories about seeing their credit cards billed for months after leaving.

Note that just telling your bank to stop paying or canceling your credit card doesn’t stop your legal obligation to pay and you may see months of fees backing up and damaging your credit. Annoying as it may be, you’ll have to jump through the hoops to cancel.

If a gym does not let you cancel or continues charging you anyway, contact the Florida State Attorney’s Office or call 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352).

Contributing: Bailey Schulz and Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FTC’s Click to Cancel rule struck down. How to cancel subscriptions, gym membership in Florida