Click to cancel
Also known as: Negative Option Rule, FTC click-to-cancel
The FTC rule (effective May 2025) requiring subscription cancellation to be as easy as signup. Applies to US businesses.
The FTC "Negative Option Rule" (often called click-to-cancel) requires that cancelling a subscription be at least as simple as starting it. If signup was online, cancel must be online. The rule prohibits mandatory phone calls to cancel, hidden cancel buttons, required exit interviews, and cancel flows that loop back to sales. A compliant save flow shows offers but always allows a single-click cancel on every step.
Worked example
A cancel flow that shows three offers, each requiring the customer to click "No thanks" before reaching the cancel button, is non-compliant. A flow that shows each offer alongside a visible "Cancel anyway" button on the same screen is compliant.
Related terms
- Cancellation flow- The UI sequence a subscriber goes through when they click cancel — survey, offer, confirm, cancel.
- ROSCA- Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act. The 2010 US federal law governing online subscription consent and disclosure.
Related reading
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