Mayor Mamdani, Commissioner Levine Announce First-In-The-Nation Municipal “Click to Cancel” Rule to End Subscription Traps

April 9, 2026

Following Executive Order 10, DCWP’s Proposal Ensures New Yorkers Can Easily Cancel Subscriptions and Protects Against Deceptive Practices

NEW YORK – Today Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine announced a proposed rule to dramatically strengthen New Yorkers’ “Click to Cancel” consumer rights, cracking down on subscription traps and ensuring consumers can easily cancel automatic renewals and continuous service offers.

Following the proposed rule’s publication on April 8, 2026, and opens a 30-day public comment period. If adopted, New York City would become the first municipality in the nation to enforce this level of consumer protection. Executive Order 10, “Fighting Subscription Tricks and Traps,” directs DCWP to take on deceptive subscription practices.

“Subscription traps are just another way that big corporations extract hard-earned money from working people. In our city, we’re drawing a clear line: if you can sign up with a click, you must be able to cancel with one. I commend Commissioner Levine for helping us make New York City a national leader in protecting consumers from these abusive practices,” said Mayor Mamdani.

“If it's easy to sign up for something, it should be just as easy to cancel,” said DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. “Following Mayor Mamdani’s Executive Order 10, this proposed rule sends a warning to gyms, apps and other businesses citywide that our agency will not tolerate tricks and traps that rip off New Yorkers.”

“The ‘click to cancel’ proposed rule will deter shady tactics too-often used to deceive customers into unwanted, never-ending subscriptions,” said Senior Policy Director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates Christine Hines. “DCWP continues to do the hard work to protect New York families from unexpected traps that aim to pick New Yorkers' pockets and deprive them of their hard-earned funds.”

“One click to sign up, one click to cancel. It really should be that simple” said Consumer Federation of America’s Director of Competition and Market Fairness Emily Peterson-Cassin. “Too often, companies use unfair tactics to keep us paying even when we don't know about it or want to. When finalized, this rule will protect New Yorkers from these kind of traps. This innovative move highlights yet again that local and state consumer protection agencies are stepping up to protect consumers even while federal agencies aren’t and provides a roadmap for other regulators to do the same.”

"Too many corporations have turned cancellation into a maze on purpose, betting that consumer frustration and exhaustion will keep the profits flowing,” said Director of State and Local Policy at the American Economic Liberties Project Pat Garofalo. “New York City is rightfully saying enough is enough. As momentum builds across the country to crack down on deceptive corporate practices, this click-to-cancel rule would set a model other cities and states can follow. If businesses want to earn people’s money, they should do it honestly, not via deception and entrapment.”

Proposed “Click-To-Cancel" Rule

The proposed rule would give DCWP citywide enforcement authority to ensure consumers can easily cancel subscriptions. Businesses that violate the rule would be liable for restitution to harmed consumers and civil penalties, with fines starting at $525.

The rule would require clear disclosures and affirm consumers’ rights when purchasing, enrolling in or canceling subscriptions for services or goods. It applies to any subscription that qualifies as an automatic renewal or continuous service offer. Too often, bad actors force consumers through confusing, time-consuming hurdles to cancel unwanted services — from “free trials” that quietly convert into costly charges to cancellation processes buried in endless steps or unclear instructions. This rule targets those practices directly, requiring straightforward, transparent cancellation mechanisms.

Public Comment Process

DCWP published the proposed rule by in the City Record on April 8, 2026. Under the City Administrative Procedures Act (CAPA), New Yorkers will have 30 days to submit comments, including at a public hearing. After the comment period, DCWP will review feedback before finalizing the rule.

This proposal builds on the agency’s ongoing efforts to address hard-to-cancel memberships, including a PSA video and warning notices issued to hundreds of gyms and health clubs across the city.

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is the nation’s leading municipal enforcement agency charged with delivering economic justice. DCWP leverages its authority to bring New Yorkers real economic relief and protect them from predatory, deceptive, and unfair practices that violate their rights as consumers and workers. This includes pioneering cutting-edge protections, such as the City’s Consumer Protection Law, Protected Time Off Law, Fair Workweek Law, and Delivery Worker Laws, including the Minimum Pay Rate for delivery workers. Through licensing more than 45,000 businesses in over 45 industries, DCWP ensures fair competition and a level playing field for responsible small businesses that are integral to New York City’s vibrant communities. DCWP also provides essential services such as free tax preparation and financial counseling to ensure New Yorkers keep more of what they earn and can plan for their futures. DCWP is committed to making sure New York City is a fairer, more affordable place to live. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp, sign up for its newsletter, or follow on its social media sites, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Media Contact:
Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
press@dcwp.nyc.gov
(212) 436-0042