{"id":49138,"date":"2026-07-11T12:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49138"},"modified":"2026-07-11T12:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:42:16","slug":"mamdani-announces-click-to-cancel-rule-to-combat-subscription-traps-junk-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/mamdani-announces-click-to-cancel-rule-to-combat-subscription-traps-junk-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani Announces \u2018Click-to-Cancel\u2019 Rule to Combat Subscription Traps, Junk Fees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Mayor<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lights the Empire State Building in celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence, on July 4, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by John Nacion\/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you can sign up with one click, you can cancel with one click,\u201d said New York City\u2019s democratic socialist mayor.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brett Wilkins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jul 10, 2026 (CommonDream.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a move proponents say will save constituents up to $162.5 million annually, Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and other New York City<\/a> officials on Friday unveiled a \u201cclick-to-cancel\u201d rule aimed at ensuring people can end online subscriptions as easily as they start them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days after entering office in January, Mamdani signed a pair of executive orders, \u201cCombating <\/a>Hidden Junk Fees<\/a>\u201d and \u201cFighting Subscription Tricks and Traps<\/a>\u201d\u2014his 9th and 10th mayoral edicts\u2014to protect consumers and make it easier<\/a> \u201cfor New Yorkers to know the real price of what they are buying and to stop paying for the services they no longer want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"'How<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018How Small They Are\u2019: Mamdani Takes Apart MAGA\u2019s Vision of America in July 4 Address<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"President<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018At Least He Admits It\u2019: Trump Says Pro-Democracy Resolution Would Destroy GOP<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following up on the orders, Mamdani and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine proposed a rule<\/a> \u201crequiring transparent, all-in pricing that bans hidden junk fees, alongside a final \u2018click to cancel\u2019 rule that guarantees consumers can cancel subscriptions as easily as they sign up for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landmark proposal is part of Mamdani\u2019s affordability agenda, which includes the rent freeze and universal childcare<\/a> programs he\u2019s partially enacted, as well as the free city buses, municipal grocery stores, affordable housing<\/a> expansion, and redistributive taxation<\/a> his administration is pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor years, companies have built their business model around making it harder for working people to hold onto their money,\u201d Mamdani said during a Friday press conference<\/a> at Asser Levy Recreational Center in Manhattan\u2019s Kips Bay neighborhood. \u201cWhether it\u2019s hidden fees that suddenly appear at checkout or subscriptions that take one click to sign up for and a dozen steps to cancel, the result is the same: Working people pay more while corporations profit. That ends now. If you can sign up with one click, you can cancel with one click.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=sT5i5yxD0nk%3Frel%3D0%26start%3D4\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Levine said that \u201cthese two rules will ensure that the price you see is the price you pay\u2014no hidden charges, no endless subscription services, and no advantages for businesses that cheat. Requiring companies to compete on price will lower costs for all New Yorkers and level the playing field for honest businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su spoke at the press conference, saying, \u201cEvery dollar a family loses to a hidden fee or a subscription they couldn\u2019t cancel is a dollar stolen from them, a dollar that could have gone toward rent, groceries, childcare, or anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd just as important, the hours spent trying to cancel a subscription or membership you no longer want is stolen time,\u201d the former acting US labor secretary added. \u201cThat\u2019s what affordability means in practice\u2014closing the small holes that drain people\u2019s paychecks and their time month after month. These rules put New Yorkers back in control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Federal Trade Commission<\/a> Chair Lina Khan\u2014who implemented a similar rule<\/a> while serving in the role during the Biden administration<\/a> before it was killed<\/a> after President Donald Trump<\/a> returned to office\u2014also spoke Friday, arguing that \u201cnobody should be trapped in subscriptions they can\u2019t escape or stuck paying junk fees they can\u2019t avoid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese predatory tactics cheat people out of billions of dollars each year,\u201d she added. \u201cWith today\u2019s rules, Commissioner Levine and DCWP are cracking down on corporate ripoffs, protecting families and honest businesses alike. The Mamdani administration\u2019s work to tackle the affordability crisis and promote economic fairness continues to set a new standard nationwide, modeling effective governance and a relentless focus on using all of the city\u2019s levers to improve life for New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brett Wilkins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lights the Empire State Building in celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence, on July 4, 2026. \u00a0(Photo by John Nacion\/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust) \u201cIf you can sign up with one click, you can cancel with one click,\u201d said New… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1879],"tags":[1894],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49140,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49138\/revisions\/49140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}