DMCCA subscription reminder notices explained
Updated Invalid Date. Based on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and the draft 2026 Regulations and guidance. Not legal advice.
A reminder notice tells a UK subscriber that a renewal payment is coming and how to stop it. The rules are in sections 258 and 259 and Schedule 23 Part 3 of the DMCCA 2024, with additional requirements in regulations 33 and 34 of the draft 2026 Regulations.
Which payments need a reminder
| Plan | Reminders due | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly or monthly, no trial | Before the last renewal payment in each six-month period, counted from the day after sign-up | s.258(1), (2), (5) |
| Every 9 or 12 months | Before every renewal payment | s.258(5)(b); Guidance §4.4 |
| Free trial or discount | Before the first charge after the trial, then six-monthly | s.258(3), (4) |
| Same discount over several payments | Before the first payment at the higher price | reg 33 |
| Next charge more than 12 months away | An additional, earlier reminder as well | s.259(6) to (8) |
Worked example from the guidance: a customer signs up on 1 June to a plan billed on the 1st of each month. Reminders are needed for the 1 December payment and then the next 1 June payment (Guidance §4.4).
When to send
The law does not fix a number of days. You state a window in your key pre-contract information, for example “7 to 14 days before each renewal”, and you must send within it (s.259(3)). The window must give the customer a reasonable chance to decide and cancel before the last day to cancel (s.259(4)).
What a reminder must say
Schedule 23 Part 3 lists ten items, given all together and more prominently than anything else in the message: that the customer will be charged unless they cancel; the renewal date and amount; the previous renewal amount and any increase; the frequency and minimum amount of later payments and any increase; the minimum total if they do not cancel; the next renewal date or end date; and the steps, contact details and deadline to cancel.
It must be in writing on a durable medium, such as email or SMS. An in-app notification that disappears does not count (reg 34; Guidance FAQ 8).
What happens if a reminder is missed or incomplete
Missing a reminder, or leaving out any Part 3 item, is a listed breach. The customer can cancel and stop owing payments from the renewal that should have been reminded, for 12 months (draft regs 23 to 26 and Schedule para 2).
Work out your own schedule with the reminder calculator, or copy the reminder template.
Renewproof sends these notices from your Stripe account, on schedule, with an evidence log. Pre-order for $1 or try the reminder calculator.