Dating apps and sites often combine a free trial, a discounted first period and a subscription that rolls over automatically. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated the online dating sector and published advice for consumers and for providers. This article summarises that government-published guidance and the CMA case page. The materials date from 2018 and do not constitute legal advice, as they state themselves. The consumer law covered is UK-wide, and the routes for getting help differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What to check before signing up
The CMA’s consumer advice, “Online dating: what to look out for”, says a person should be given a description of the service, its main terms and a copy of the terms and conditions a good time in advance. It lists questions to ask before signing up:
- How much does the subscription cost and how long will it last?
- If a free trial is offered, will it convert automatically into a paid subscription at the end, and how can it be cancelled?
- If a discounted rate is offered, will it revert to full price after an initial period?
- Is the site operated by another company? This should be made clear on sign-up.
- Does the site share profiles with other websites? If so, which ones? Sites should seek permission before sharing.
The advice adds that a paid membership’s terms may require the customer to agree to services being provided as soon as they sign up. In that case, the customer may not be able to get a full refund if they cancel during the 14-day cooling-off period.
Watching for renewal notices
Once signed up, the CMA advises looking out for notices from the dating website about auto-renewal dates or changes to the service or price, and checking emails including spam or junk folders. It suggests asking whether the subscription must be cancelled to stop it rolling over for a further period, and how much notice is needed to leave. The guidance treats renewal information as something a customer should actively seek and a provider should actively supply.
The 14-day right to cancel
The CMA advice says a customer has the right to cancel and get a refund within 14 days of signing up to a service. For a fixed-term contract, the same right applies each time it renews for a further fixed term. The refund should be in full, but it is reduced if the customer asked for the service to be provided during the cooling-off period. The provider guidance repeats that businesses should allow customers to exercise the statutory 14-day right to cancel when they sign up or renew a fixed-term contract.
What providers are told to do
The government’s “dos and don’ts” for dating providers say providers should:
- be clear from the beginning about how and when subscriptions renew and how to cancel;
- tell customers a reasonable time before a subscription is about to renew, and before payment is taken;
- allow the 14-day cancellation right on signing up and on renewing a fixed-term contract;
- give adequate notice of changes to prices or terms and the right to cancel with a pro-rata refund if a customer does not accept them.
It also says providers should not make it difficult for customers to cancel their membership or delete their data when they cancel.
Unfair terms and misleading practices
The consumer advice says a customer can challenge a term they think is unfair, even if they signed the contract, and that an unfair term is not legally binding. It names the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which covers unfair terms in consumer contracts, and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which protect against unfair, misleading or aggressive selling practices and which can be misleading by omission. The CMA case page adds a caveat: the guidance was published before the unfair commercial practices provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 came into force on 6 April 2025, and those provisions contain broadly similar prohibitions to the earlier 2008 Regulations.
What the CMA did in this sector
The CMA opened an investigation into an online dating operator on 31 October 2017 and closed it on 6 June 2018 after the company, Venntro Media Group, gave undertakings. The commitments included clearer prior warnings before the auto-renewal of certain long subscriptions, clearer processes for cross-registration between websites and deletion of dating profiles, and a right to cancellation with a pro-rata refund for certain members. The CMA also sent warning letters to 14 other leading dating websites and app providers. These outcomes relate to that specific company, but the CMA published the “dos and don’ts” as a guide for the whole sector.
Where to get help
The government’s consumer rights page says that for advice or to refer a complaint to Trading Standards, people in England and Wales can contact Citizens Advice, in Scotland Advice Direct Scotland (0808 164 6000) and in Northern Ireland Consumerline (0300 123 6262). It also points to ombudsman schemes for some sectors. Contact numbers and hours are set by those services and can change. The CMA advice tells anyone with a problem to contact Citizens Advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does a free trial always convert into a paid subscription?
The CMA advice does not say that it always does. It asks customers to check whether it will and how to opt out.
Can a term buried in the contract stop a refund?
The CMA advice says an unfair term is not legally binding, even if the customer agreed to it.
The bottom line
Before paying for a dating service, the CMA advice is to read the price, length, trial conversion and renewal terms, find out which company and which network is behind the site, diarise renewal dates and use the 14-day right to cancel where it applies, remembering that asking for immediate service can reduce a refund. Unfair or unclear terms can be challenged. The guidance dates from 2018 and predates the 2025 change in unfair-practice legislation. For related privacy points, see this site’s guide to requesting and deleting your dating app data.