Connecticut AG Warns Businesses It Will Enforce Subscription Cancellation Rules

automatic renewal connecticut connecticut unfair trade practices act Jul 17, 2026

Connecticut is warning subscription businesses that the state intends to enforce automatic renewal and cancellation requirements that took effect July 1.

Attorney General William Tong and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli issued the warning on July 16. The state is also explaining the requirements to consumers and encouraging them to report businesses that make cancellation difficult.

“Businesses that fail to comply may be engaging in unfair trade practices, and we will not hesitate to enforce the law,” Tong said.

What Businesses Are Required to Do

The law applies to covered automatic renewal and continuous service agreements with Connecticut consumers.

Businesses must:

Send an annual reminder that identifies the subscription, its billing frequency and amount charged, and how to cancel
Provide a clear cancellation method
Allow subscriptions started online to be canceled online
Process cancellation requests without obstructing or delaying the customer

The annual reminder generally must be sent through the way the subscription was activated or a channel the customer normally uses.

Businesses can no longer require customers to cancel only in person or by mail.

Telephone Cancellations Come With Specific Rules

Businesses that offer cancellation by phone must promptly answer calls during normal business hours.

If a customer leaves a voicemail asking to cancel, the business has one business day to process the request or return the call. When the voicemail contains enough information to cancel and the business cannot reach the customer, it must complete the cancellation within that one-business-day period.

Companies using an outside call center need to check that the vendor follows these requirements. Scripts, training and voicemail procedures all count.

Retention Offers Are Still Allowed

Connecticut’s law doesn’t prohibit a business from trying to retain a customer who calls to cancel.

A representative may offer a discount or explain what the customer will lose. Before making the offer, the representative must tell the customer that they can complete the cancellation at any time by saying they want to cancel.

Once the customer says “cancel” or uses similar language, the business must promptly process the request.

Who Is Covered?

The law applies to covered consumer agreements entered into or amended on or after October 1, 2023.

Several categories are excluded, including certain banks, credit unions, insurance companies, utilities and regulated communications services. The law also excludes certain global or national services that consist largely or predominantly of audiovisual content.

Businesses should review the definitions and exemptions with counsel before deciding whether a product or service is covered.

What’s new is the public enforcement warning

The requirements aren’t new this week. Subscription Insider included Connecticut’s July 1 changes in our earlier coverage of subscription compliance rules taking effect this summer.

Connecticut officials are telling businesses to comply while encouraging consumers to file complaints. A violation can be treated as an unfair trade practice under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Companies should test the entire cancellation experience. Can customers complete it without getting stuck? Are cancellation emails monitored? Do call-center representatives know when they must stop making offers? Are voicemail requests handled within one business day?

A written policy is only the starting point. Problems often surface when a customer tries to use it.

Insider Take

Connecticut’s warning brings the enforcement risk into sharper focus.

Consumer complaints can expose gaps that an internal review misses. A cancellation link may exist but be hard to find. An email address may be published but rarely checked. A call-center representative may continue with a save offer after the customer has clearly asked to cancel.

Executives need to know what happens from the customer’s first request through the final account update. They should also confirm that the company can show when reminders were sent, when cancellation requests arrived and how quickly those requests were completed.

Businesses can’t wait for one federal cancellation standard. States are setting their own requirements and enforcement priorities. National subscription businesses need to know which laws apply and where their processes may fall short.

Sources and Member Resource

For members: Review the Connecticut Automatic Renewal and Continuous Services Law Brief for the requirements, business implications, and primary sources in one place.

This article provides news analysis and business-planning information, not legal advice. Businesses should work with qualified legal counsel to determine how the law applies to their operations.