As a millennial, my life is powered by subscriptions. There’s a subscription for everything—watching TV, working out, eating healthy (or pretending to), and even for productivity tools. But you know what’s harder than juggling all these subscriptions? Cancelling one.
Honestly, I think the stress from canceling a subscription is right up there with doing your taxes. And recently, I got a front-row seat to the nightmare.
We’ve all been there. Subscribing to something is the easiest click of your life—one tap, and voilà, you’re in.
But trying to cancel that same subscription?
Suddenly, it’s like trying to crack the Da Vinci Code.
My recent experience with Seamless AI was a headache and a half; three days of waiting, unanswered emails, and plenty of frustration.
And you know what? It got me thinking: the stress of trying to cancel these things is becoming a genuine wellness concern.
Thankfully, there’s some light at the end of the subscription tunnel.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just announced the “Click to Cancel” rule, making it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions.
This is the kind of change we’ve needed for years.
It’s a push toward a world where we’re not gaslit by pop-up messages asking if we’re “really, really sure” we want to cancel, or left waiting for weeks while the “customer success team” conveniently disappears.
The new rule means companies will need to offer simple ways to cancel—ideally, as simple as the signup process.
Imagine that! No more digging through endless links or talking to a “customer loyalty” rep who has more tricks than a magician.
If it was one click to sign up, it should be one click to cancel.
This kind of regulation is a win for our mental health, and let’s not forget the financial stress it addresses.
I mean, think about it—subscription costs add up.
Whether it’s a forgotten gym membership or a fancy software tool, these services often chip away at our wallets long after we’ve stopped using them.
And companies know this. They rely on the fact that many of us either forget or give up because the cancellation process is just too much hassle.
This new FTC rule is about giving us control again—because if companies truly value our loyalty, they shouldn’t need to trap us to keep us.
For me, and probably many others out there, this change couldn’t come soon enough.
Subscription stress is real. It’s a wellness issue as much as it is a consumer rights issue.
The FTC’s move signals that consumers matter—that our peace of mind matters.
And maybe, just maybe, we can all start focusing on what subscriptions actually bring value to our lives, rather than being stuck in the endless maze of trying to cancel the ones that don’t.
Here’s hoping that companies will get on board and realize that letting go of a customer gracefully is just as important as winning them in the first place.
It’s time we said goodbye to subscription headaches and hello to transparency and ease.
