How to Cancel Subscriptions (Fast Guide to Stopping Recurring Charges)

Fact-check summary (article: "How to Cancel Subscriptions")

Supported (accurate, supported by provided sources):

• The FTC finalized a click-to-cancel / negative-option rule in October 2024 (FTC press release).
• Appeals-court coverage: courts subsequently blocked/vacated that rule (coverage by Reuters/Investing.com and AP News). Use the court coverage language (blocked/vacated) rather than implying the rule remains in effect.
• Cancel with the merchant first, save cancellation proof (screenshots, confirmation emails), and monitor statements — consistent with FTC consumer guidance and FTC consumer alert.
• If a merchant continues to bill after cancellation, dispute with your card issuer or bank and provide your cancellation evidence — supported by Mastercard guidance and chargeback resources.
• For bank (ACH) debits, consumers can revoke authorization, place a stop-payment, or file a dispute/unauthorized-transaction claim — consistent with CFPB guidance.
• App-store specifics: deleting an app does not cancel a subscription; cancel in Apple or Google subscription settings. Apple and Google support pages advise cancelling via account/subscriptions and recommend acting before the trial/renewal window (Apple/Google pages).
• Subscription-manager apps commonly use read-only bank connectors, provide automated discovery, and often offer concierge/cancellation services; they have privacy tradeoffs — supported by comparison/review sources (Rocket Money review, WellKeptWallet).

Partially supported / needs rewording:

• "Eighth Circuit vacated the rule in July 2025 on procedural grounds": the provided coverage (AP/Reuters) reports the appeals court blocked/vacated the FTC rule; characterize it as "vacated/blocked by an appeals court" and cite the news pieces. The articles support the vacatur/ blocking, but wording about the exact court and the legal rationale should follow the court coverage text rather than adding procedural detail not in the FTC press release itself.
• "Card-network / issuer dispute windows (e.g., ~120 days)": timelines vary by issuer and card network. The provided Mastercard and chargeback resources explain dispute processes and reason codes but do not establish a universal "~120 days" rule for recurring-transaction disputes. State that timeframes vary and consumers should check with their issuer.

Unsupported / not found in the provided sources (claims that should be removed or clearly labeled as advisory, not sourced):

• The article's numeric claim that the FTC "reported nearly 70 consumer complaints per day during its recent rulemaking effort" is not substantiated in the provided FTC press release. The FTC press release documents the final rule but does not, in the provided text, support that specific "70 per day" number. Remove or attribute to a specific source if available.
• Practical tips such as "use virtual or burner cards for trials" or "use a single subscription email/calendar reminders" are reasonable consumer tips but are not supported by the provided official sources and should be labeled as general advice (not sourced) or supported with an authoritative citation.

Recommended corrections / clearer wording for article elements:

1) Rule status: "The FTC issued a final click-to-cancel rule in October 2024; an appeals court later blocked/vacated that rule (news coverage). As a result, the FTC rule is not currently in effect pending further court action." (Cite FTC + Reuters/AP).

2) Dispute timeframes: replace any specific universal deadlines (e.g., "~120 days") with: "Timeframes and reason codes vary by card network and issuer. Check with your bank or card issuer about exact dispute windows and process." (Cite Mastercard + Chargebacks911).

3) Complaint volumes/statistics: remove or verify the "70 complaints per day" statement; if retained, include a direct citation to where that figure comes from.

4) Label practical tips (virtual cards, single-subscription email, calendar reminders) as "practical consumer tips" and indicate they are not documented in the supplied regulator/industry sources.

Bottom-line: The article's procedural steps and templates are broadly consistent with FTC/CFPB guidance and Apple/Google support pages. Corrections mainly concern: (a) precise, sourced wording about the status of the FTC click-to-cancel rule (it was issued Oct 2024 and later blocked/vacated by an appeals court per news reports), (b) removal or qualification of unsourced numeric claims (e.g., "70 complaints/day" and a universal "~120 days" dispute window), and (c) marking purely practical tips as unsourced advice unless an authority is cited.