Automatic renewal rules in Wisconsin

We read Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08 on the state's official site and list what it requires below. A summary leaves out detail; the linked text is the authority.

In the law's own words:

• “No subscription for a definite period of time may be renewed or extended beyond its scheduled termination date, pursuant to an automatic renewal or extension provision in the contract, unless one of the following applies” (Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08)
• “The notice shall be given at least 30 days but not more than 60 days prior to the scheduled effective date of the automatic renewal or extension.” (Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08(2))
• “Every contract for fitness center services shall be for a specified length of time not exceeding 2 years” (Wis. Stat. § 100.177(5))

Our company guides show how each business takes cancellations and where to write, for example Phone, TV and internet, Spectrum and Gym memberships.

1. 1

   Check how you signed up

   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

   Use the cancellation route the law protects

   Gym and weight-loss center contracts can be cancelled within 3 operating days by any writing mailed or delivered to the seller at the address on the contract. Save the confirmation screen or email.

3. 3

   Back it up with a letter

   Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08 covers only phone, TV and internet subscriptions, so cite it only if your contract is one of them. Send a written notice that cites Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 123.08, your account details and the end date you want. Our cancellation letter template has the layout.

4. 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.

Where no statute sets the route, many contracts ask for written notice. 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.

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.