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Money · Austria
Updated September 2026

🔁 They will not let me cancel my subscription — who helps?

Direct answer

Since 2022, a contract you can sign online must be cancellable online too, and after the first term it renews only month to month with a one-month notice in most EU countries. Cancel in writing (email is fine), keep the proof, and stop the direct debit if they keep charging. VKI — Verein für Konsumenteninformation (vki.at) is the consumer body for Austria and takes complaints about subscription traps; for a company in another EU country, Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich (01 588 77 81) helps free of charge. The last step is Verbraucherschlichtung Austria (01 890 63 11).

Call firstVKI — Verein für Konsumenteninformation
Report toEuropäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich
If that failsVerbraucherschlichtung Austria

🗣️ What to say

"I cancel my subscription [number] with effect from the earliest possible date. Please confirm the end date in writing within 14 days. I do not consent to any further charges after that date."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Cancel in writing, datedEmail to the address in the terms, or the online cancel button. Screenshot the confirmation. Phone-only cancellation is not allowed for consumers.
  2. Know the termAfter the initial period, the contract is month to month with one month's notice in most countries. A tacit renewal for another year is not valid unless you were clearly warned.
  3. Stop the moneyRevoke the direct debit or card mandate at your bank. Charges after a valid cancellation can be reclaimed.
  4. Complain to VKI — Verein für KonsumenteninformationAttach the cancellation and the charges. Repeated complaints about the same company trigger enforcement.
  5. Cross-border or stubborn: Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich, then Verbraucherschlichtung AustriaECC for companies elsewhere in the EU; the dispute body if the company simply refuses.

📇 All contacts

VKI — Verein für KonsumenteninformationAdvice, template letters, collective actionsWhen the seller refuses🔗 vki.at
Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum ÖsterreichFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller in another EU country📞 01 588 77 81🔗 europakonsument.at
Verbraucherschlichtung AustriaOut-of-court dispute resolution, freeAfter a failed complaint to the seller📞 01 890 63 11🔗 www.verbraucherschlichtung.at
BezirksgerichtPayment claim without a lawyer up to €5,000When conciliation fails🔗 www.justiz.gv.at

❓ Frequently asked

They say I must call to cancel

For a contract signed online, no. Write instead and say the online route was unavailable.

I cancelled but they keep charging

Reclaim the amounts through your bank (unauthorised direct debits can be reversed) and send the company a final demand.

Gym, dating app, streaming — same rules?

Same EU rules, with national details on notice periods. Gyms are the classic case; the one-month rule applies after the first term.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

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🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

✉️Write my letter: Cancel a subscription · Complaints→📦Faulty goods, no refund→📶Phone or internet contract→💳Scammed online→⚡Energy bill dispute→

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