Automatic renewal rules in Missouri

Each point below comes from the text on Missouri's official legislature or code site, read on the review date. The full text has definitions and exceptions, so open it before you rely on one point.

What the text says, word for word:

• “No contract shall contain an automatic renewal clause; provided, however, that such an agreement may provide for the buyer to exercise a renewal.” (RSMo 407.675)
• “No contract shall be valid for a term longer than twenty-four months from the date upon which the contract is signed.” (RSMo 407.675)
• “Notice of cancellation shall be in writing and delivered personally or by mail.” (RSMo 407.672.2)
• “may cancel such membership by giving written notice any time before midnight of the third business day following the date on which membership was attained” (RSMo 407.672.1)

To find the cancellation route and mailing address of the business you are leaving, start with Memberships and clubs, Costco and Sam's Club.

1. 1

   Start with how you joined

   Write down the date you signed up, how you did it and when the next charge is due. Those three facts decide which rule above applies to you.

2. 2

   Cancel through the protected channel

   A buyers club member may cancel within three business days of joining by written notice delivered personally or by mail; mailed notice is effective when posted. The contract itself may not renew automatically. Save the confirmation screen or email.

3. 3

   Back it up with a letter

   RSMo § 407.675 covers only buyers club memberships, so cite it only if your contract is one of them. A short letter that names RSMo § 407.675 and the date you are cancelling from gives you a dated record. The letter template generator lays it out for you.

4. 4

   If you are billed again

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

Outside buyers club memberships, Missouri law sets no special cancellation route, so your contract's terms apply. A letter sent with tracking adds what an online click often lacks: a dated, third-party record that you asked to cancel, which card issuers and state consumer offices can check.

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.