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Subscriptions · Germany
Checked 2026-09-30

🔁 How do I cancel a subscription in Germany?

Short answer

Gym, streaming, magazine, club or app: how and when you can cancel depends on your contract and on the national rules in Germany 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 Germany (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  • A subscription taken online can be withdrawn from within 14 days without a reason (Art. 9 Directive 2011/83/EU).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 Germany

In standard terms, contracts for regular goods or services may bind you for at most two years. A tacit renewal is only valid for an indefinite period, which you can then cancel at any time with at most one month's notice (§ 309 Nr. 9 BGB).

  • Your notice period before the end of the initial term may not exceed one month (§ 309 Nr. 9 c BGB). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • If you can sign up on a website, the trader must offer a cancellation button ("Verträge hier kündigen") and confirm your cancellation. Without it, you may cancel at any time without notice (§ 312k BGB). (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Law: §§ 309 Nr. 9, 312k BGB
Official source: gesetze-im-internet.de · Checked 2026-09-30

🪜 Step by step

  1. Find the contract detailsCustomer number, start date, minimum term, notice period.
  2. Check the rules in GermanyThey 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).

Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes – Zentrum für Schlichtung e. V.Out-of-court dispute resolution with traders when no specialised ADR body is competent.🔗 universalschlichtungsstelle.de
VerbraucherzentralenIndependent consumer advice centres in every federal state; advice, template letters, complaint form.🔗 verbraucherzentrale.de

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

Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (EVZ)Free help with disputes with traders in other EU countries, Iceland or Norway.🔗 evz.de
Amtsgericht – Verfahren nach billigem Ermessen (§ 495a ZPO)Up to €1,000 the local court may run a simplified procedure; oral hearing on request.🔗 gesetze-im-internet.de

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 Germany →

❓ 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 Germany 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

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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

❔Can I cancel my online subscription with one click? · 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 Germany→

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