Cancel contracts and subscriptions
Checked on 4 October 2026
Cancelling is rarely hard, but it is often confusing: where is the cancel option, which notice period applies, and is an email enough? Here you’ll find the checked route for each provider, the rules that apply across the EU and the UK, and a letter you can copy.
Each guide shows the date on which we last checked the cancellation link. Notice periods depend on the country you live in; for Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain this site has its own guides in the local language.
Which rules apply to you
Notice periods depend on the law of the country you live in and on your contract, so there is no single answer for every reader. This site has detailed guides for Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain, with the rules that apply there.
In short: in Germany, contracts concluded since 1 March 2022 may require at most one month’s notice and can be cancelled monthly after the first term (§ 309 No. 9 BGB). In the Netherlands, after a tacit extension you can cancel at any time with at most one month’s notice (Art. 6:236 (j) Dutch Civil Code); newspaper and magazine subscriptions may instead renew for up to three months at a time (Art. 6:236 (p) and (q)). In France, the provider must remind you of the renewal deadline (loi Chatel), and contracts concluded online must be cancellable online. In Spain, you can end a contract the same way you entered it, without penalties (Art. 62 of the Spanish consumer law).
If you signed up online or by phone, you can usually withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason. In the EU this comes from the Consumer Rights Directive (Directive 2011/83/EU, Art. 9); in the UK from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
Internet and phone contracts follow their own EU rules: in the EU, the first commitment may last at most 24 months, and after an automatic extension you can cancel at any time with at most one month’s notice (Directive (EU) 2018/1972, Art. 105).
Subscriptions bought through Apple or Google are cancelled in the subscription settings of that account, not with the service itself.
Making sure your cancellation arrives
What usually counts is when the provider receives your cancellation, not when you send it. Cancel a few days before the deadline and keep proof: the confirmation page, the confirmation email or, for a letter, the proof of postage.
Always ask for a written confirmation that shows the end date of the contract. If none arrives, follow up.
Keep paying until the contract ends. Stopping a direct debit or card payment early can lead to fees and reminders, even when the cancellation itself is valid.
Cancellation, withdrawal and early exit
Cancelling ends a contract at the next possible date. Withdrawing undoes a contract you have just concluded online or by phone, within 14 days. Some national laws also let you leave early in certain cases, for example after a price increase. Which cases these are depends on your country and your contract.
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your contract and the law of the country you live in decide. If there is a dispute, your national consumer organisation or, in the EU, the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) can help.