Two buttons, two laws: the cancellation button applies to shops with subscriptions selling to Germany, the withdrawal button since 19 June 2026 to every online shop selling to EU consumers. Status: 19 October 2026.
Cancellation button (§ 312k BGB, Germany)
If consumers can sign up online for a paid continuing contract – a subscription box, membership or software subscription – cancelling must be just as easy:
- A clearly legible button “Verträge hier kündigen” (cancel contracts here) leading directly to a confirmation page.
- The confirmation page asks only for the type of cancellation (with reason if extraordinary), data identifying the customer and the contract, the desired end date and how to send the confirmation.
- A button “jetzt kündigen” (cancel now). Both must be permanently available and directly and easily accessible.
- The customer must be able to save the declaration with date and time, and the shop confirms receipt immediately in text form – with content, date, time and end of contract.
If anything is missing, the customer may cancel at any time without notice (§ 312k(6)). Competitors and consumer associations can also send cease-and-desist letters.
What the Federal Court of Justice decided
- 16.07.2026 – I ZR 200/25: the confirmation page may contain only the statutory fields and the button. No retention offers, no pause option, no discounts.
- 22.05.2025 – I ZR 161/24: the duty also applies to contracts paid once a year that end automatically.
- Requiring a login before cancelling violates § 312k according to the case law.
Withdrawal button (Art. 11a Directive 2011/83/EU, since 19 June 2026)
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 added Art. 11a to the Consumer Rights Directive (Germany: § 356a BGB). It applies to all distance contracts with a right of withdrawal, not only subscriptions:
- A function labelled “withdraw from contract here” (German: “Vertrag widerrufen”), legible, permanently available during the withdrawal period, prominent and easy to reach.
- It asks only for the name, the contract – or the part withdrawn from – and how to send the confirmation.
- A confirmation function “confirm withdrawal” (German: “Widerruf bestätigen”).
- Confirmation of receipt on a durable medium with content, date and time. Submitting before the deadline counts as in time.
Member states transpose at different speeds – Poland, for example, has only a draft (UC169) – but selling to Germany means the rules apply now.
Checklist for WooCommerce shops
- Footer links for cancellation and withdrawal on every page.
- Confirmation pages without login, without marketing, without captcha hurdles.
- An automatic e-mail with date and time of receipt – and a log proving it was sent.
- Ordinary cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid period, so no further period is charged.
Note: this guide is not legal advice.