Subscription and Membership Settlements: What Is Actually Open
The FTC's click-to-cancel rule does not exist — a federal appeals court struck it down in July 2025. Two subscription settlements are still open (YouTube TV closes August 30, Disney September 8), and the biggest one, Amazon's $2.5 billion, closed last month.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
The Rule Most People Think Exists
The FTC's Negative Option Rule — universally called click-to-cancel — would have required that cancelling a subscription be as easy as signing up. It was widely reported and widely believed to be in force.
On July 8, 2025 the Eighth Circuit vacated it in Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC. The court did not rule on whether the rule was a good idea; it held the FTC had skipped a required preliminary regulatory analysis because the compliance costs exceeded the $100 million threshold. A procedural failure, but a complete one — the rule is gone.
The FTC restarted the process with an advance notice of proposed rulemaking published March 13, 2026, with comments closing April 13, 2026. There is no new final rule.
Case Details
Open: Dutcher v. Google LLC (YouTube TV), No. 20CV366905, Santa Clara County Superior Court, California — $7.5 million. Biddle et al. v. The Walt Disney Company — $50 million, covering YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers, with final approval not scheduled until January 14, 2027.
Open Right Now
Disney streaming antitrust — closes September 8, 2026. $50 million, for YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers from April 1, 2019. Note this is a bundling and pricing case rather than a cancellation-trap case, and final approval is not until January 14, 2027, so payment follows well after the deadline.
That is the honest list. Searches for this topic surface a dozen familiar brands, but almost all of those windows have already shut.
Recently Closed — Check Before You Look
These come up constantly in searches and are worth knowing about, because several closed very recently.
Amazon — $2.5 billion (FTC v. Amazon, W.D. Wash.), the largest of them all: $1 billion penalty plus $1.5 billion for consumers over Prime enrolment and cancellation practices. One group was paid automatically in December 2025; the claim group's deadline was July 27, 2026 and has passed.
Adobe — $150 million over hidden early-termination fees, announced March 2026. No claim form: compensation was to be issued automatically in summer 2026. We found this in only one secondary source and could not confirm it against a DOJ or FTC release, so treat the detail as probable rather than established.
SiriusXM — $28 million, closed March 21, 2026, about $39.63 per person across 427,627 claims. Worth flagging: this was primarily a TCPA robocall case, not a cancellation case, although it is frequently described as one.
Also closed: Tinder ($60.5 million, age-based pricing in California, August 18, 2026), Noom ($56 million), HelloFresh ($7.5 million) and Peacock ($3.74 million).
Your Rights Without the Federal Rule
ROSCA — the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act — has applied since 2010. It requires clear disclosure of all material terms before payment details are taken, express informed consent before charging, and a simple cancellation mechanism. There is no private right of action, but it is the basis for the FTC's cases against Amazon, Adobe and Uber.
California's Automatic Renewal Law, strengthened by AB 2863 effective July 1, 2025, goes further: affirmative consent to renewal terms, cancellation through the same medium used to sign up, consent records kept three years, and a reminder 15 to 45 days before renewal on terms of a year or more. Free-to-paid trial conversions now count as automatic renewals.
Illinois, Virginia and New York have their own versions, and industry analysts expect a wave of state-law litigation through 2026 and 2027. In other words: the federal rule fell, the state rules got stronger.
Deadlines and Turning Points
- 1
July 8, 2025 — click-to-cancel struck down
The Eighth Circuit vacates the FTC rule on procedural grounds in Custom Communications v. FTC, without reaching the merits.
- 2
March 13, 2026 — the FTC starts over
An advance notice of proposed rulemaking is published, with comments closing April 13, 2026. No replacement rule has issued.
- 3
March 21, 2026 — SiriusXM closes
427,627 claims, about $39.63 each. Primarily a robocall case despite frequently being listed as a subscription one.
- 4
July 27, 2026 — Amazon's claim deadline passes
The largest of these settlements at $2.5 billion closes to claims. One group had already been paid automatically in December 2025.
- 5
August 30, 2026 — YouTube TV closes
$7.5 million, California residents only, about $92 each, at YouTubeTVSettlement.com.
- 6
September 8, 2026 — Disney streaming closes
$50 million for YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers. Final approval January 14, 2027, so payment comes considerably later.
Three Things Reported Wrongly
This topic is full of confidently stated errors, including in mainstream coverage.
"Click-to-cancel is now the law"
It was vacated on July 8, 2025 and no replacement exists. Your cancellation rights come from ROSCA and from state law, notably California's Automatic Renewal Law, not from that rule.
Listing Amazon or Tinder as still claimable
Amazon closed July 27, 2026 and Tinder on August 18, 2026 — both within the last few weeks, which is exactly why stale lists still show them as open.
Calling SiriusXM a cancellation settlement
It was primarily a TCPA case about do-not-call violations. The distinction matters if you are trying to work out whether a similar claim applies to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is click-to-cancel in effect?
No. The Eighth Circuit vacated the FTC's Negative Option Rule on July 8, 2025 because the agency omitted a required regulatory analysis. The FTC began a new rulemaking in March 2026, but no final rule exists.
Which subscription settlements can I claim right now?
Two. YouTube TV auto-renewal closes August 30, 2026 (California residents, about $92), and the Disney streaming antitrust settlement closes September 8, 2026 ($50 million fund).
I missed the Amazon deadline. Any options?
Not through that settlement — the claim deadline was July 27, 2026. One group of consumers was paid automatically in December 2025 without needing to file, so it is worth checking whether you were in it.
What are my rights if a company makes cancelling difficult?
ROSCA requires clear disclosure, express consent and a simple cancellation mechanism, enforced by the FTC. If you are in California, the Automatic Renewal Law adds the right to cancel through the same medium you signed up in, plus renewal reminders on longer terms. Complaints go to the FTC or your state attorney general.
Is there a case against Uber?
The FTC and 21 states plus the District of Columbia filed an amended complaint in December 2025 over Uber One billing and cancellation. It is a pending enforcement action — no settlement, no claim form.
Why do so many lists show settlements that are closed?
Because these windows are short and several major ones closed within the past few weeks. Any list without dates next to each entry is close to useless for this topic.
Does a free trial that converts count?
In California, yes — AB 2863 brought free-to-paid conversions within the definition of automatic renewal from July 1, 2025. Elsewhere it depends on state law and on how the offer was presented.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.