The New State Laws Against Hidden Fees & Hard-to-Cancel Subscriptions
A wave of new state consumer-protection laws bans junk fees and forces businesses — including gyms — to make cancelling as easy as signing up. Here's what each one actually gives you, in plain language.
Connecticut
All-in pricing required and the nation's strictest auto-renewal cancellation rules — and consumers can now sue directly.
Massachusetts
The AG's junk-fee regulations: the total price up front, the cancel-by date disclosed, and cancellation as easy as signup.
California
Click-to-cancel is the law: cancel in the same medium you signed up, renewal reminders required, and no drip pricing.
Why these laws exist
The playbook is familiar: advertise one price, bill another, and make cancelling a maze. After the FTC's federal "click-to-cancel" rule was struck down in court in 2025, states moved on their own — Massachusetts through Attorney General regulations (September 2025), California by strengthening its Automatic Renewal Law (July 2025), and Connecticut with a sweeping consumer-protection act (July 2026). All three now require honest all-in pricing, easy cancellation, or both.
All-in pricing
The advertised price generally must include every mandatory fee — no more surprise "annual" or "facility" charges appearing on your statement.
Cancel = as easy as signup
Signed up online? You get an online way out — click-to-cancel links, reply-to emails, phone lines that actually answer.
Real teeth
Violations are unfair or deceptive trade practices — enforceable by state Attorneys General, and in Connecticut and Massachusetts by consumers directly.
Use your new rights — free
Our letter generator now writes statute-cited demand letters for hidden-fee refunds and refused cancellations in these states.
Looking for your state's gym-specific cancellation law (cooling-off periods, refund rights)? See gym cancellation laws by state. Not legal advice — these laws are new, enforcement is still developing, and details change; verify the cited statute and consult an attorney about your situation.