🔁 Can I cancel a subscription that has auto-renewed?

With conditions

Quick answer

Conditionally yes: a subscription that has auto-renewed can be cancelled — the automatic renewal does not lock you in for another year, but your notice must arrive in time. The Consumer Protection Act (ZVPot-1) requires the trader to warn you before the automatic renewal, in good time and on a durable medium (by email or in writing), that the contract is renewing, and to tell you by when and how you can prevent it. If they fail to inform you, the renewal does not bind you. The common myth — »once my subscription renews, I am stuck for another year« — is therefore false: you can end the relationship, and for open-ended contracts even at any time with the statutory notice period. The flip side is true too: there is no 14-day right of withdrawal once the subscription is running — that right applies only when a distance contract is first concluded, not at each renewal. Give notice in writing (email or registered post) so that it arrives before the new billing period begins; otherwise the contract renews for the same term and the trader may charge the next cycle. Silence is not cancellation — until you say you are leaving, the service legally continues.

📋 The rules

ZVPot-1 requires the trader to warn you before an automatic renewal, in good time and on a durable medium, of the renewal and of the deadline and manner for preventing it; without that notice the renewal is not valid.
Your cancellation must arrive before the current term ends — the moment of receipt counts, not the moment you send it; give notice in writing (email or registered post) with proof.
For open-ended contracts you may cancel at any time, observing the agreed notice period, which must be reasonable and must not operate as a hidden lock-in.
The 14-day right of withdrawal applies only when a distance or off-premises contract is first concluded, not at each automatic renewal of a subscription that is already running.
The trader may charge a proportionate amount for the service already used in the current term, but may not penalise you with a full new term if you cancelled in time.

🔓 Exceptions

Some fixed-term contracts (e.g. a phone with a tie-in) provide for an early-termination penalty during the minimum commitment period — this is not the same as automatic renewal and is judged under the contract.
If the trader cannot be reliably notified (the contract gives no valid address for cancellation), send the notice by registered post to the company's seat; a broken cancellation channel does not extend your obligation.
For business (B2B) subscriptions the ZVPot-1 protection does not apply — the relationship is judged under the Code of Obligations and the contract terms themselves, which may be stricter.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The main cost of being late is one more full billing period: if your notice arrives too late, the subscription renews automatically and the trader may lawfully charge the next cycle even though you are not using the service. Unpaid invoices lead to reminders, default interest and then collection; the provider can assign the claim to a debt-collection agency or file for enforcement based on an authentic document at court, which adds procedural and bailiff costs. An entry in a debtors register can worsen your creditworthiness when you sign future contracts. But if the trader acted unfairly — failed to warn you of the renewal on a durable medium, or did not allow simple cancellation — the renewal is invalid, and a complaint goes to the Market Inspectorate (TIRS), which can fine the breach of the auto-renewal rules. The burden of proving that it warned you in time lies with the provider, not with you.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Must the trader warn me before the subscription renews?

Yes. Under ZVPot-1 it must inform you in good time and on a durable medium, such as by email, that the contract is renewing automatically, and state the deadline and manner for preventing it. If it fails to do so, the renewal does not bind you and you can challenge it.

By when must I send my cancellation for it to count?

The trader must receive your cancellation before the new billing period begins, because the moment of receipt counts, not of sending. Send it in writing and with proof — by email or registered post — early enough, otherwise the contract renews and the provider may charge the next cycle.

Do I have 14 days to withdraw because the contract renewed?

No. The 14-day right of withdrawal applies only when a distance or off-premises contract is first concluded, not at each automatic renewal of a running subscription. Once the subscription is live, you end it by cancellation under the contract and the law, not by withdrawal.

Can I cancel an open-ended subscription at any time?

Yes, for open-ended contracts you may cancel at any time, but you must observe the agreed notice period. That period must be reasonable and must not act as a hidden lock-in; an excessively long or unclear notice period can be an unfair term that does not bind the consumer.

What if the trader ignores my cancellation?

Ask for written confirmation of receipt and rely on ZVPot-1. If it does not end the relationship despite timely notice or keeps billing you, file a complaint, then a report to the Market Inspectorate; the burden of proving it properly warned you of the renewal lies with the provider, not you.

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