Source: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/federal-trade-commission-proposes-rule-provision-making-it-easier-consumers-click-cancel-recurring

It isn’t, generally. We went through a whole market transformation when streaming came in where we lost the whole “12 month contract” thing. It affected TV, phones, utilities services, banking products, etc. and now we have “cancel anytime” as the norm

But plenty of companies have tried to be sneaky around the “cancel anytime” approach. For example, the New York Times has a very easy subscribe process: click product, pay. But to unsubscribe, you can’t go through the same way, you either have to ring or go through their online chat, because it gives them an opportunity to retain, upsell, or even delay to get you to stay or give up unsubscribing. I feel like these kinds of tactics are what the FTC are going for.

I don’t think it’s just streaming services. FTC quotes gym memberships as an example as well, and they’re notorious for bad cancellation policies.