Your subscription cancellation rights in Maryland

What the law says

Maryland’s new automatic-renewal law (SB 49/HB 107 of 2025, Chapters 204/205), in force since June 1, 2026, requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of renewal terms including the post-introductory price, the consumer’s consent before automatic charging, advance renewal notices whose timing depends on the initial term, and a cancellation mechanism that is cost-effective, timely, easy to use, available through the medium used to sign up and at least as easy as enrolment — with violations treated as unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practices under Maryland law.

This is one of the newest general regimes in the country — enacted through twin bills in April 2025, in force since June 1, 2026. If your subscription predates that, note the transition: the duties attach to offers and renewals under the new law’s scope, and the first renewal cycle after commencement is where most consumers will first feel them.

The exit rule

The cancellation requirements carry the operative weight: the mechanism must be cost-effective, timely and easy to use, offered through the medium you used to sign up, and at least as easy as enrolment was — and it must actually stop the recurring charges. A one-click sign-up paired with a retention-call exit is, in Maryland since June 2026, a compliance defect you can name, not just a frustration.

Consent and the post-intro price

Two disclosure details do real work. The renewal terms must state the price that applies after any introductory or promotional period — the number that actually recurs, not the teaser. And automatic charging requires your consent on clear notice; a charge that began without it is the defect to name first in a written dispute.

Renewal notices, scaled to the term

The law requires advance notices before renewal, with timing that depends on the initial subscription term — longer commitments earn earlier warnings. If a longer-term Maryland subscription renewed on you silently after mid-2026, ask in writing what notice was sent and when.

The order to work in

1. Test the exit against the entrance. Same medium, comparable ease, charges stop promptly. Screenshot any asymmetry.

2. For a surprise charge, ask for the consent record and the notice. Both are duties; the absence of either is a citable defect.

3. Escalate as a trade-practices matter. Violations are unfair, abusive or deceptive practices under Maryland commercial law — complaints go to the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division with your paper trail attached.

This page gives general information, not legal advice. Statutes are summarised; the wording that binds is the current text of the law itself. For a contested case, a consumer-protection office or a licensed attorney in your state is the right address.

Source: Chapter 204 (SB 49), Maryland General Assembly, checked September 9, 2026. · How we verify legal content