NEW YORK, NEW YORK, United States, July 10, 2026: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference alongside New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine announce landmark Click To Cancel consumer protection rules at City Hall in New York City. The first of its kind municipal regulations aim to ban subscription traps and hidden junk fees by requiring transparent pricing and making subscription cancellations as easy as signing up. (Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire)
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a sweeping package of consumer protection measures Friday aimed at eliminating hidden fees and making it easier for residents to cancel unwanted subscriptions, calling the initiative one of the strongest municipal consumer protection efforts in the United States.
Speaking at City Hall alongside New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine, the mayor introduced new “Click To Cancel” regulations designed to prevent businesses from trapping consumers in recurring subscriptions while increasing transparency in pricing.
Under the new rules, businesses offering automatic renewal or continuous service subscriptions will be required to provide cancellation methods that are as simple as the sign up process. Consumers will no longer be forced through lengthy online procedures or multiple customer service interactions to end recurring charges.
City officials also unveiled a proposed rule targeting so called junk fees. If adopted, businesses would be required to display the full price of goods and services upfront, including mandatory charges that often appear only during the final stages of checkout. The proposal is intended to improve price transparency across a range of industries, including hospitality, ticket sales and delivery services.
Mamdani said hidden fees and difficult cancellation processes have allowed companies to increase profits at the expense of working families. He said the city’s new regulations are designed to return both time and money to consumers by ensuring fairer business practices.
Levine said the rules will require companies to compete honestly by making prices clear from the beginning and by removing unnecessary barriers that prevent customers from ending subscriptions they no longer want.
The Click To Cancel rule is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1, 2026, making New York City the first municipality in the nation to adopt such a requirement. City officials estimate the regulation could save New Yorkers between $21.5 million and $162.5 million annually by reducing unwanted recurring charges.
The proposed junk fee regulation follows Executive Order 9 and will undergo a public comment period before a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 7. Businesses found violating either rule could face restitution requirements for affected consumers and civil penalties beginning at $525 per violation.
Officials said the measures are part of the Mamdani administration’s broader affordability agenda, which focuses on reducing unnecessary consumer costs while promoting greater transparency and accountability in the marketplace.
Source: EuropaNewswire
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