Skip to content

Secure checkout

Cancel nowCancel nowCancel anotherCancel another

Automatic renewal law in Maryland

Under Maryland automatic renewal law (Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1329), cancelling must be as easy as signing up, in the same medium, and must stop recurring charges immediately. Maryland has a general automatic renewal law. Whatever the route, keep dated proof that you asked to cancel.

Last reviewed 1 official source

What Maryland requires of the business

We read Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1329 on the state's official site and list what it requires below. A summary leaves out detail; the linked text is the authority.

Maryland: Automatic renewals

Source: Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1329

  • Offer terms, including the price after the initial term, must be presented clearly and conspicuously next to the request for consent.
  • Methods of cancelling must be disclosed in an easily accessible way.
  • Cancellation mechanism must be cost-effective, timely and easy to use, and must stop recurring charges immediately.
  • Cancellation must be available through the same medium used to consent; online cancellation needs a prominent direct link/button or a ready-made termination email.
  • Before the end of an automatic renewal or a free gift/trial over 14 days, a notice (renews unless cancelled, terms and price, cancellation methods, link if electronic, contact info) is required: 3 to 21 days before renewal for trials over 14 days and 15 to 45 days before renewal for initial terms of at least 1 year.
  • Cards may not be charged automatically for initial terms over 1 month without clear notice and the consumer's consent.
  • Deemed compliance if the person follows the contract renewal procedures of the State or federal agency that regulates it, or is licensed under Title 18 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article.
  • Excluded: insurance, service contracts regulated under the Maryland Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act, and services regulated by the PSC, FCC or FERC.
  • A violation is an unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practice; no private right of action is created.

What the text says, word for word:

  • “Be at least as easy to use as the mechanism the consumer used to consent to the automatic renewal” (14-1329(b)(3)(ii)1)
  • “Be available through the same medium the consumer used to consent to the automatic renewal” (14-1329(b)(3)(ii)2)
  • “An immediately accessible termination e–mail formatted and provided by the business or person that made the automatic renewal offer that a consumer may send without additional information” (14-1329(b)(3)(ii)3.B)
  • “shall be provided not less than 15 days and not more than 45 days before the date when the automatic renewal is scheduled to take effect” (14-1329(c)(3))

How to cancel in Maryland

Our company guides show how each business takes cancellations and where to write, for example Streaming services, News and magazine subscriptions, Gym memberships and Spotify.

  1. Note how and when you agreed

    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 through the protected channel

    Cancellation must be as easy as signing up and available in the same medium; online it needs a prominent cancel link or button or a ready-made termination email, and phone cancellations must be handled promptly during business hours. Keep whatever confirmation the business gives you.

  3. Send a written notice you can prove

    A short letter that names Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1329 and the date you are cancelling from gives you a dated record. The letter template generator lays it out for you.

  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.

A mailed letter as your record

A mailed letter does not replace the routes Maryland 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.

Federal law in Maryland

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. Maryland: 14-1329(c)(3)

This is general information, not legal advice.

Free tools and help

Automatic renewal law in other states