Refund and Cancellation Policy Template

Refund and cancellation policy: cancelling, auto-renewal, pro rata refunds, EU/UK 14-day withdrawal and withdrawal function, exceptions, US auto-renewal checks

HukumStandarDirective 2011/83/EU as amended (Art. 11a by (EU) 2023/2673, from 2026-06-19)refund cancellation policyDiperbarui 29 Okt 2026

Buka di editorUnduh .md

Cara menggunakan: Use it when you sell subscriptions, digital products or goods online and need a public policy on cancelling and refunds. Fill the summary table last from the detailed sections and check every number matches. The main pitfall is promising less than the statutory withdrawal right, or claiming a digital-content exception without the consumer's recorded consent.

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Refund and Cancellation Policy: [Product or store name]

Format for a public refund and cancellation policy for an online subscription, digital product or online shop: how to cancel, when refunds are given, how they are paid, statutory withdrawal rights for consumers, automatic renewal and exceptions. Based on common online trading practice, with EU consumer clauses from Directive 2011/83/EU (Consumer Rights Directive) as amended, including the online withdrawal function inserted as Art. 11a by Directive (EU) 2023/2673 (applying from 19 June 2026), and dated UK and US examples on cancellation and automatic renewal. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a documentation format, not legal advice. It makes no claim that any rule below meets the law where you sell. Consumer law is national and changes often. Check the current official texts and have a qualified professional review the policy before you publish it.

Document control

Field	Value
Document ID	[LEGAL-REF-001]
Seller (legal entity)	[Registered name, address, registration number]
Products covered	[Subscriptions / Digital content / Physical goods / Services]
Customer types	[Consumers / Businesses / Both] in [countries]
Version	[0.1]
Status	[Draft / Legal review / Approved / Published]
Owner	[@owner, Legal or Customer support]
Approvers / reviewers	[Legal counsel], [Finance], [Support lead]
Effective date	YYYY-MM-DD
Next review	YYYY-MM-DD
Classification	Public once published

Approvals

Role	Name	Decision	Date
Legal counsel	[@name]	[Approved / Changes requested]	YYYY-MM-DD
Finance	[@name]	[Approved refund rules]	YYYY-MM-DD
Customer support lead	[@name]	[Approved process]	YYYY-MM-DD

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Change summary
0.1	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	First draft
1.0	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	Example: Published with withdrawal function for EU consumers
1.1	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	Example: Annual plans: pro rata refund window extended from 14 to 30 days after renewal

1. Scope

This policy applies to purchases made from [Seller] through [website, app, app stores]. It forms part of our Terms of Service. If you are a consumer, you also have rights under the law of the country where you live; this policy does not limit them.

Purchases made through [Apple App Store / Google Play] are refunded by that store under its own rules. [Explain how to request them.]

2. Summary

What you bought	Can I cancel?	Refund	Section
[Monthly subscription]	Any time, effective at the end of the paid month	[No refund for the current month]	3, 4
[Annual subscription]	Any time, effective at the end of the paid year	[Pro rata refund if you cancel within (30) days of a renewal]	3, 4
[One-off digital download]	[No, once download has started, if you agreed to that]	[Only if faulty]	5, 7
[Physical goods]	[Return within (N) days]	[Full refund including standard delivery]	4, 5
EU or UK consumer, any online purchase	14-day withdrawal period, subject to the exceptions in section 7	Within 14 days of your withdrawal	5

3. Cancelling a subscription

3.1 How to cancel. Go to [Account > Billing > Cancel subscription] and press [Cancel subscription]. You do not need to call us or give a reason. We confirm the cancellation by email right away.

3.2 When it takes effect. Your subscription ends at the end of the current billing period. You keep access until then. We do not charge you again.

3.3 Automatic renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period at the price shown at checkout [or the new price notified under 3.4]. We tell you before you buy, and again in the order confirmation, that the plan renews, how often, the price, and how to cancel. [For annual plans we send a reminder (N) days before renewal.]

3.4 Price changes. We give at least [(N)] days' notice of a price change before your next renewal. You can cancel before it applies.

3.5 Free trials. [Say whether a payment method is needed, the trial length, the date the first charge happens, the reminder you send, and how to cancel before it.]

3.6 Your data after cancellation. [Your account stays readable for (N) days so you can export your data, then we delete it as described in our Privacy Policy.]

4. Refunds

4.1 Our refund promise. [Describe what you refund beyond the law, for example: "If you cancel an annual plan within 30 days of a renewal, we refund the unused days of that year."]

4.2 How we calculate pro rata refunds. Refund = price paid x unused days / days in the billing period.

Example: An annual plan of USD 120 renews on 1 March. The customer cancels 12 days later. Used: 120 x 12 / 365 = USD 3.95. Refund: 120 x 353 / 365 = USD 116.05.

4.3 How and when we pay. We refund to the original payment method within [(N)] days of approving the refund [and within 14 days for statutory withdrawals, section 5]. Your bank may take longer to show it.

4.4 What we do not refund. [Partial months on monthly plans; usage fees already incurred; add-ons consumed.] This does not affect your statutory rights.

4.5 Faulty products. If a product or digital content is faulty or not as described, you may have legal rights to a repair, replacement, price reduction or refund, whatever this policy says. Contact [support link].

5. EU and UK consumers: right of withdrawal

5.1 Your right. If you are a consumer in the EU [or the UK], you can withdraw from a contract you made with us online within 14 days without giving a reason.

5.2 When the 14 days start. For services and for digital content not on a tangible medium: from the day the contract is made. For goods: from the day you, or someone you name other than the carrier, receive them (for several goods in one order delivered separately, the last one).

5.3 How to withdraw. Use the withdrawal function described in section 6, the model withdrawal form in our Terms of Service, or any other clear statement sent to [withdrawal email or address]. It is enough to send it before the 14 days end.

5.4 Refund. We refund all payments received from you, including standard delivery costs, without undue delay and at the latest within 14 days of being told of your withdrawal, using the same payment method unless you agree otherwise. For goods, we may wait until we receive them back or you show proof of return. [You pay the direct cost of return / We pay the cost of return.]

5.5 Services you asked us to start. If you asked us to start a service during the 14 days and then withdraw, you pay for what we provided until you told us, in proportion to the whole contract.

Example: A consumer buys an annual plan for EUR 240, asks for immediate access, and withdraws on day 9. Amount for the service provided: 240 x 9 / 365 = EUR 5.92. Refund: EUR 234.08. This assumes a time-based calculation; if the value of the service is not spread evenly over time, a different method may be needed. Check national guidance.

5.6 When the right does not apply. See section 7.

5.7 Business customers. Sections 5 and 6 do not apply to business customers.

6. Withdrawal function

For contracts made on our [website / app], you can withdraw with the button "[Withdraw from contract here]" at [Account > Orders]. It is available throughout the withdrawal period.

Choose the order you want to withdraw from.
Give or confirm your name, the contract, and the email address for our confirmation.
Press "[Confirm withdrawal]".
We email you an acknowledgement of receipt with the content of your statement and the date and time it was sent.

7. Exceptions

ID	Exception	Condition	Applies to us?
REF-EXC-001	Service fully performed	For paid contracts, performance started with the consumer's prior express consent and acknowledgement that the right is lost once fully performed (Art. 16(a))	[Yes / No]
REF-EXC-002	Digital content not on a tangible medium	For paid contracts, supply has begun with prior express consent, acknowledgement of loss of the right, and confirmation on a durable medium (Art. 16(m))	[Yes / No]
REF-EXC-003	Goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised	Art. 16(c)	[Yes / No]
REF-EXC-004	Sealed goods unsealed after delivery, not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons	Art. 16(e)	[Yes / No]
REF-EXC-005	[Other exception confirmed by counsel]	[Condition]	[Yes / No]

8. United States: automatic renewal and cancellation

Use these questions to check your US subscription flow:

ID	Question	Answer
REF-US-001	Before the customer pays, do you show clearly and near the payment button that the plan renews, how often, the price, and how to cancel?	[Yes / No]
REF-US-002	Do you get the customer's express consent to the renewal terms before charging?	[Yes / No]
REF-US-003	Do you send an acknowledgement with the renewal terms and the cancellation method in a form the customer can keep?	[Yes / No]
REF-US-004	Can a customer who signed up online cancel online, without having to call or chat with a retention agent?	[Yes / No]
REF-US-005	For free trials and promotional prices, do you say when the trial ends, what the regular price is and how to cancel before the first charge?	[Yes / No]
REF-US-006	Do you send renewal reminders where a state you sell to requires them (for example before an annual renewal or a price change)?	[Yes / No, states]
REF-US-007	Which states' auto-renewal laws apply to your customers, and when did you last check each?	[List with dates]

9. Disputes and contact

9.1 Contact us first at [support link or email]. We answer within [(N)] business days.

9.2 [If you are not satisfied, you can refer the dispute to (named alternative dispute resolution body), which we have agreed to use.] or [We are not obliged to use an alternative dispute resolution body.]

9.3 Opening a chargeback with your bank does not cancel your subscription; please also cancel it under section 3.

References

Source	Status / date checked	Used for
Directive 2011/83/EU (Consumer Rights Directive), Arts. 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/83/oj	Consolidated text; check the latest	14-day withdrawal, refunds, exceptions
Directive (EU) 2023/2673, inserting Art. 11a into Directive 2011/83/EU	Applies from 2026-06-19 (European Commission, Consumer Rights Directive page, read 2026-10-30)	Withdrawal function
European Commission, Consumer redress page on the ODR platform	Read 2026-10-30: platform discontinued on 20 July 2025, following Regulation (EU) 2024/3228	Section 9
UK Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3134)	Check legislation.gov.uk; check whether the subscription contract rules in Part 4 Chapter 2 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 are in force for your date	UK cancellation
Federal Trade Commission, Negative Option Rule page, ftc.gov	Read 2026-10-30: rule revised 2026-02-12 to conform to court decisions; ANPRM published 2026-03-13	US status
Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, 15 U.S.C. 8401 to 8405	Check the current text	US online negative option sales
California Business and Professions Code sections 17600 to 17606 (Automatic Renewal Law)	Check the current text on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov	US state example
Terms of Service (legal-lite/terms-of-service)	This collection	Model withdrawal form, fees section

Standard and licence note

Based on common online trading practice, with EU clauses based on Directive 2011/83/EU as amended (including Art. 11a inserted by Directive (EU) 2023/2673) and dated UK and US examples, all paraphrased in original words. Check the current consolidated texts, national transposing laws and state laws before use. This is a documentation format, not legal advice: it does not create a lawyer-client relationship and makes no claim that the policy complies with the law where you sell. Original text written for this collection; examples are fictional. Template licence: MIT.

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