Automatic renewal subscription

Do you offer subscriptions to consumers? In the Netherlands, in general you are not allowed to automatically renew subscriptions. Automatic renewal means that the subscription continues without informing the subscriber. The Netherlands has legal rules for renewal and cancellation. You may not deviate from these rules in your general terms and conditions.

Renewing subscriptions with consumers

Has a consumer taken out a subscription with you for a fixed period? You may only automatically renew your customer’s subscription if you indicated this when they took out the subscription. You are only allowed to automatically renew a subscription:

• for a fixed period (until a specific end date), with a notice period of at most 1 month
• for an indefinite period (no specified end date), with a notice period of at most 1 month
• until your customer agrees to a new contract

Cancellation must be easy

Consumers must be able to cancel their subscription easily if the subscription is renewed automatically. The following rules apply:

• Your customer can cancel their subscription at any moment, not just after a fixed period.
• The notice period is no more than 1 month.
• You must give customers at least the following two options for cancelling: in writing, and in exactly the same way as they signed up for it. For example, if your consumer took out a subscription by phone, they must also be able to cancel it by phone.

Renewing business subscriptions

Do you offer subscriptions to small businesses (business-to-business, B2B)? In that case, the general rules on (purchase) agreements from Books 6 and 7 of the Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek) apply. You may incorporate these rules into the agreement and in your general terms and conditions.

Automatic renewal business telecom plan

Did you take out a business telecom plan with a small business, such as an SME or a self-employed professional? After automatic renewal, small businesses may terminate their plan for telephone or internet without any costs, at any moment after the contract period has expired. A notice period of at most 1 month applies.

Subscription to newspapers, magazines, and periodicals

Different rules apply for subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and periodicals. After the initial contract period you may renew the subscription automatically for a period of 3 months at the most, or for an indefinite period. Different cancellation conditions apply:

• Do you renew a subscription for a period of at most 3 months each time? You must give your customers the option to cancel the subscription every 3 months. A notice period of at most 1 month applies.
• Do you renew a subscription automatically to an indefinite subscription? Then a 1-month notice period applies. For magazines or periodicals that are published less than once a month, a 3-month notice period applies.
• Trial subscriptions always end after the agreed trial period. You are not allowed to renew trial subscriptions automatically.

For business subscriptions the general terms and conditions that you have drawn up as the vendor apply.