The "Click-to-Cancel" rule would have made it as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up. Cole Kan/CNET
The Federal Trade Commission's "Click-to-Cancel" rule has been blocked.
The rule would have made it easy to cancel unwanted subscriptions. However, the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the rule earlier this month because the FTC failed to conduct a preliminary regulatory analysis, which is required for rules that could impact the US economy by more than $1 million.
"While we certainly do not endorse the use of unfair and deceptive practices in negative option marketing, the procedural deficiencies of the Commission's rulemaking process are fatal here," the court's ruling stated.
As CNET's consumer insights editor and someone with quite a few subscriptions, I was looking forward to this rule being finalized. It's easy to rack up streaming subscriptions and other monthly services with just a few taps or clicks. Before you know it, you're paying more in subscriptions than you've budgeted for.
On average, we spend over $1,000 a year on subscriptions and waste around $200 a year on unwanted apps. Trying to lower that cost by canceling your subscriptions can be tricky when companies hide their cancellation buttons or require you to call or visit an office location just to cancel.
If you're struggling to cancel your subscriptions, here's what CNET experts recommend.
How to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions
Before you can cancel your subscriptions, you'll want to do an audit to make sure you flag any services you no longer want to pay for.
You can spot unwanted subscriptions by combing through your bank account and credit card statements from the past month and looking for recurring charges. If you spot any unwanted subscriptions, log in to your service account and cancel or pause the service. If you're struggling to find an option to cancel, call the service's customer service phone number to end your account. In some cases, like with certain gym memberships, you may be required to cancel in person.
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