Automatic renewal law in Massachusetts

These are the rules in 940 CMR 38.00 that matter when a subscription or membership renews on its own. The official text is one click away if your contract is unusual.

In the law's own words:

• “The simple mechanism required by 940 CMR 38.05(3) must be at least as easy to access and use as the method the consumer used to initiate the Negative Option Feature.” (940 CMR 38.05(3)(a))
• “must, at a minimum, be available through the same medium (such as Internet, telephone, mail, or in person) the consumer used to initiate the Negative Option Feature” (940 CMR 38.05(3)(b))
• “for Internet cancellation, the simple mechanism must be available through the same website or web-based application the consumer used to initiate the Negative Option Feature.” (940 CMR 38.05(3)(b)1.)
• “written notice within no more than 30 and no fewer than five calendar days prior to the date upon which the consumer must cancel in order to avoid incurring a subsequent financial obligation” (940 CMR 38.05(4))
• “940 CMR 38.00 shall apply to acts committed or practices in force as of September 2, 2025.” (940 CMR 38.09)

To find the cancellation route and mailing address of the business you are leaving, start with Software subscriptions, Streaming services, Dating apps and Adobe.

1. 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. 2

   Cancel through the protected channel

   You can cancel through the same medium you used to sign up (the same website or app if online, a promptly answered phone number if by phone), and it must be at least as easy as signing up. In-person sign-ups must also be cancellable online or by phone. Save the confirmation screen or email.

3. 3

   Send a written notice you can prove

   A short letter that names 940 CMR 38.00 and the date you are cancelling from gives you a dated record. The letter template generator lays it out for you.

4. 4

   When a charge still goes through

   Show the business your proof and the regulation, then dispute the charge with your card issuer. What to do if a company keeps charging you walks through it.

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.

See certified mail for cancellations for the proof each mail service gives you.

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.