Subscription Rules 2027 Checklist for Publishers

Based on the Act, the draft regulations and the government's draft guidance of 19 October 2026. Not legal advice. Your ticks are saved in this browser only and never sent to us.

The new rules apply to auto-renewing consumer subscriptions entered into from 1 January 2027. If you sell subscriptions to individuals who pay personally, this is the work to get through before then. Each item links back to the rules in our full guide, and our example wording covers the reminders and notices.

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Know your file

Count the auto-renewing subscribers who pay personallySeparate them from company-paid subscriptions, corporate licences and invoice renewals, which are out of scope.

List every offer that rolls onto full priceFree trials, cheap first issues and introductory rates are all covered.

List every way people can subscribeWebsite, phone, post, agencies and events: the rules apply to each.

List the partners who touch subscriptionsBureau, fulfilment house, payment provider, agencies. The duties stay with you.

Sign-up

Add a key information block to every order pageTogether, set apart, in plain language, visible in the journey and not behind a link.

Show the monthly equivalent for non-monthly pricesFor example, £120 a year is £10 a month.

For offers, show the date and amount of the first full-price payment

Show the minimum total the subscriber will pay

State when reminders will be sentThis is your reminder period. You must stick to it.

Make the order button say they are agreeing to pay

Write a script for phone sales that gives the key information aloud

Email the full terms after sign-up, before the first issue

Reminders

Decide a reasonable reminder period for each kind of subscriptionThere is no set number of days. It must give a real chance to decide and act.

Send a reminder before the first full-price payment after an offer

Send two reminders before each annual renewalThe normal one, plus an additional, earlier one.

Send a reminder roughly every six months to monthly and quarterly payers

Put the required details first: date, amount, change from last time, how and by when to cancel

Make each reminder obviously a reminder, starting with the subject line

Keep a record of every reminder sent, with the dateYou have to be able to prove it went out.

Leaving

Add an online cancel button or simple formAn email address on its own is not enough.

Remove any steps that are not reasonably necessaryExiting should be as easy as signing up.

Check retention offers do not drag out cancelling

Make any feedback question optional

Send an end of contract notice: within 24 hours online, 3 working days otherwise

Refund any overpayment when a subscription ends

Brief customer service on accepting cancellations in any clear formPhone, email or letter all count.

Cooling-off

Explain the initial 14-day cooling-off right at sign-upFor print, it runs from receipt of the first issue.

Send a separate renewal cooling-off notice after each annual renewal and trial conversionNo marketing, and not combined with a reminder.

For digital-only, get express consent before access starts if you want the right to end earlyNot a pre-ticked box. Not possible for print and digital bundles.

Set up refunds within 14 days, including proportionate digital refunds

Decide how returned or unreturned printed issues are handled

Payments and partners

Stop taking renewal payments before the renewal dateA term that does this has no effect.

Confirm your bureau and payment providers follow your new process

Decide whether to move existing subscribers onto the new process tooNot required by law, but often simpler.

Test the whole journey as a customer before 1 January 2027

Where to start

If time is short, start with the three things most likely to catch publishers out:

Reminders before every annual renewal (two of them) and before every offer converts to full price, sent inside the period you promised.
An online way to cancel for anyone who subscribed online.
Payment timing: no renewal charges before the renewal date.

If you'd like help with any of it, our bureau team can run renewals and notices for you, or get in touch to talk it through.

Subscription rules checklist: are you ready for 1 January 2027?

Know your file

Sign-up

Reminders

Leaving

Cooling-off

Payments and partners

Where to start

Sources

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