← FFCheckComplaintsFR
Subscriptions · France
Checked 2026-09-30

🔁 How do I cancel a subscription in France?

Short answer

Gym, streaming, magazine, club or app: how and when you can cancel depends on your contract and on the national rules in France below. A written cancellation that states the contract and asks for confirmation is always your proof.

⏱ DeadlineThe notice period in your contract, within the limits of the law in France (below).

📜 Your rights

EUThe EU rule

EU consumer law applies in every EU country. Your country writes it into its own law — the national rule is below.

  • There is no general EU rule on minimum terms, notice periods, renewal reminders or cancel buttons for subscriptions: that is national law. Phone and internet contracts have their own EU rules.
  • Before you sign up, the trader must tell you the duration of the contract and the conditions for ending it, including automatic renewal (Art. 6(1)(o) Directive 2011/83/EU).
  • A term that automatically extends a fixed-term contract unless you object, with an unreasonably early deadline to object, may be unfair (Annex, point 1(h), Directive 93/13/EEC).
  • A subscription taken online can be withdrawn from within 14 days without a reason (Art. 9 Directive 2011/83/EU).
Official source: publications.europa.eu · Checked 2026-09-30

The rules in France

For fixed-term service contracts with tacit renewal, the provider must remind you in writing between three months and one month before the deadline to refuse renewal. Without that reminder you can cancel free of charge at any time after renewal.

  • Since 1 June 2023, if the contract was concluded online, or the trader offers online contracts, it must offer a free online cancellation function and confirm your cancellation on a durable medium. (legifrance.gouv.fr)
  • Advance payments for the period after the last renewal date must be refunded within 30 days of cancellation, minus services already provided. (legifrance.gouv.fr)
  • Insurance and mutual-society contracts follow their own codes, not these rules. (legifrance.gouv.fr)
Law: articles L215-1 et L215-1-1 du code de la consommation
Official source: legifrance.gouv.fr · Checked 2026-09-30

🪜 Step by step

  1. Find the contract detailsCustomer number, start date, minimum term, notice period.
  2. Check the rules in FranceThey may limit the minimum term or the notice period, or oblige the trader to offer online cancellation (below).
  3. Send the cancellationUse the letter below or the trader’s cancel button, and keep the confirmation.
  4. Stop further paymentsAfter the end date, a direct debit can be refused or reversed with your bank.
  5. No confirmation?Send the letter again by a route you can prove, then the bodies under “If the trader does not answer”.

✉️ Your letter

Information, not legal advice. FFCheck is independent and not affiliated with any authority, court or company. The letter is a template filled with your details: you check it and send it yourself.

Fill in your details. The letter appears on this page: copy it into an e-mail or the trader’s contact form, or print it. Nothing you type is stored.

Name of the shop or company
End of the contract required
Your full name
Optional, but a letter by post needs it.
Language of the letter

🧭 If the trader does not answer

Give the trader the time in your letter. Then, in this order:

An out-of-court dispute body (ADR) can settle it. The trader has to tell you which ADR body covers it (on its website, terms or in its reply).

Médiateur de la consommation (Trouver un médiateur de la consommation)Free mediation with a trader after a written complaint; apply within one year of that complaint.🔗 service-public.gouv.fr
SignalConso (DGCCRF)Free public service to report problems with businesses; the DGCCRF does not settle individual disputes.🔗 signal.conso.gouv.fr

Trader in another EU country? The European Consumer Centre helps for free.

Centre Européen des Consommateurs FranceFree help with disputes with a trader in another EU country, Iceland or Norway.🔗 europe-consommateurs.eu
Tribunal judiciaire – litige d'un montant inférieur ou égal à 5 000 eurosClaims up to €5,000 by simple requête, no lawyer needed; conciliation or mediation must be tried first.🔗 justice.fr

European Small Claims Procedure: for cross-border claims up to €5,000, a written procedure without a lawyer. e-justice.europa.eu

The EU’s online dispute resolution platform (ODR) closed on 20 July 2025. Use the bodies on this page instead.

📇 Every office for this in France →

❓ Frequently asked questions

Do I need to give a reason?

No, not for an ordinary cancellation at the end of the term or with the notice period.

Can I cancel by e-mail?

Check the rules in France below and the contract. Keep proof in any case: a confirmation, a screenshot or registered post.

The trader keeps charging after my cancellation. What now?

Send your cancellation and its proof, ask for the refund, and ask your bank to stop or reverse the direct debit.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-09-30

🔎 What people search

  • “cancel subscription France”
  • “cancel gym membership letter”
  • “subscription auto renewal cancel”
  • “how to cancel contract notice period”
  • “cancellation letter template”

🧭 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

❔Can I cancel an online subscription easily? · Your right in one line→📶Leave a phone or internet contract→📲Digital content not working→💳Unauthorised payment→↩️Return an online order→📇Every office for this in France→

More free tools for France

Who do I contact?Who do I contact?100+ things that go wrong — money, housing, work, safety, health, papers, government — and the one desk in France that actually handles each: phone, site, and what to say when they pick up.Before it goes wrongCan I?What is allowed, what is not, which permit you need — with the official source.⚡Electricity & gasThe rules that protect you as an electricity and gas customer in France, and who to contact. Every fact is checked on an official source.