Automatic renewal law in California

We read Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17600-17606 on the state's official site and list what it requires below. A summary leaves out detail; the linked text is the authority.

What the text says, word for word:

• “shall allow a consumer to terminate the automatic renewal or continuous service exclusively online, at will” (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(d)(1))
• “A prominently located direct link or button which may be located within either a customer account or profile, or within either device or user settings.” (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(d)(1)(A))
• “the notice shall be provided at least 15 days and not more than 45 days before the automatic renewal offer or continuous service offer renews” (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(b)(2))
• “Fail to obtain the consumer’s express affirmative consent to the automatic renewal or continuous service offer terms.” (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(a)(4))

To find the cancellation route and mailing address of the business you are leaving, start with Streaming services, Gym memberships, Software subscriptions and Hulu.

1. 1

   Note how and when you agreed

   Look up the sign-up confirmation and the renewal date. Under California law the way you joined matters for how you can leave.

2. 2

   Use the cancellation route the law protects

   If you signed up online, the business must let you cancel online at will through a prominent cancel link or button or a ready-made termination email. It must also offer a toll-free number, email, postal address (if it bills you directly) or another easy mechanism. Cancellation must be available in the same medium you used to sign up, or "the same medium in which the consumer is accustomed to interacting with the business" (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602(f)). Keep whatever confirmation the business gives you.

3. 3

   Put it in writing as well

   Write to the business, cite Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17600-17606 and ask for written confirmation. You can build the letter with the free letter template.

4. 4

   If the charges continue

   Reply with your proof and the citation, ask for a refund, and if that fails, dispute the charge with your bank. See what to do when a company keeps charging you.

A mailed letter does not replace the routes California law requires the business to offer, but it gives you proof that holds up: the delivery record shows who received your notice and when.

Certified mail for cancellations explains what each delivery record proves.

The federal Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act requires online sellers using automatic renewals to provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel amendments are not in force: on July 8, 2025 the Eighth Circuit vacated them (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137), on February 12, 2026, in a rule effective that day, the FTC recodified its Negative Option Rule "as it existed before the effective date" of the 2024 amendments (91 FR 6507), and on March 13, 2026 it asked for public comment on "the need for amendments" (91 FR 12318). Our state-by-state overview and the FTC click-to-cancel guide have the details.