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Automatic renewal law in Hawaii

Under Hawaii automatic renewal law (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481-9.5), sellers must offer a toll-free number, email, a postal address (only if they bill you directly) or other easy way to cancel. Hawaii has a general automatic renewal law. Keep a dated record of your cancellation in case the charges continue.

Last reviewed 1 official source

What Hawaii requires of the business

We read Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481-9.5 on the state's official site and list what it requires below. A summary leaves out detail; the linked text is the authority.

Hawaii: Automatic renewal and continuous service clauses

Source: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481-9.5

  • Applies to consumer contracts with a term of more than one month that auto-renew for more than one month, and to continuous service clauses.
  • Automatic renewal clause and cancellation procedure must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously in the contract.
  • Contracts with a term of 12 months or more need a renewal notice (renews unless cancelled, how to cancel, response deadline) 30 to 60 days before the deadline.
  • Notice may be electronic if the sale was electronic at the consumer's election or the consumer elects electronic communications.
  • No charge to a card or third-party account without the consumer's affirmative consent to the agreement containing the offer terms.
  • Must give a retainable acknowledgment of offer terms, cancellation policy and procedure; free trials must also disclose the right to cancel before payment.
  • Must include a toll-free telephone number, email address, a postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer, or a clearly and conspicuously described cost-effective, timely and easy-to-use alternative way to communicate the cancellation.
  • Material changes require prior notice with cancellation information.
  • Knowing violation, or knowingly failing to cancel on request, is an unfair or deceptive practice under section 480-2.
  • Exempt: financial institutions and insurers to the extent of their regulated activities, telecommunications providers subject to chapter 269, and cable operators to the extent regulated under chapter 440G or by the FCC.

In the law's own words:

  • “shall include a toll-free telephone number, electronic-mail address, postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer, or a clearly and conspicuously described cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use alternative means to communicate the cancellation” (481-9.5(g))
  • “shall be sent to the consumer no less than thirty days and no more than sixty days before the date upon which the consumer shall respond” (481-9.5(b))
  • “No person shall charge the consumer's credit or debit card or the consumer's account with a third party for an automatic renewal or a continuous service without first obtaining the consumer's affirmative consent” (481-9.5(e))
  • “knowingly fails to cancel an automatic renewal contract or a continuous service contract upon consumer request” (481-9.5(i))

How to cancel under Hawaii law

To find the cancellation route and mailing address of the business you are leaving, start with Software subscriptions, News and magazine subscriptions, Streaming services and Microsoft 365.

  1. Start with how you joined

    Find the email or contract that confirmed the subscription and note the next renewal date, so you know how much time you have.

  2. Cancel the way the law allows

    The contract must state how to cancel, and the seller must offer a toll-free number, email address, a postal address (only if it bills you directly) or another clearly described easy way to communicate the cancellation. Keep whatever confirmation the business gives you.

  3. Back it up with a letter

    Send a written notice that cites Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481-9.5, your account details and the end date you want. Our cancellation letter template has the layout.

  4. When a charge still goes through

    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.

Why a letter with proof still helps

Online cancellation is the quickest route where the law requires it. A mailed letter with a delivery record proves the date your notice arrived, and it is the route of last resort when an online or phone cancellation fails.

Which mail service proves what is set out in certified mail for cancellations.

What federal law adds

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.

Send your cancellation by certified mail

Tell us the company you want to leave. We write a formal cancellation letter, mail it by certified mail the next business day and send you the delivery proof.

Sources

Official pages we read on the review date.

  1. Hawaii: 481-9.5(i)

This is general information, not legal advice.

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