Does the GoCardless advance notice count as the reminder?

No. It tells the customer a collection is coming. The law needs the amount, the date, the last day to cancel to avoid the charge, how to cancel and that they can, as a standalone email.

Can a customer cancel the direct debit at their bank instead?

They can, but cancelling the direct debit does not end the subscription, and the law is about the subscription. The cancel page must end the subscription itself.

Which customers do you count as UK?

The country on the GoCardless customer record. Customers with no country are counted as UK until you say otherwise.

GoCardless direct debit subscriptions and the UK 2027 law

We connect to GoCardless and do the rest

GoCardless collects by direct debit and sends its own advance notice of each collection. That notice is about the payment, not the subscription. It does not say the last day to cancel, how to cancel or that the customer can, so on its own it does not meet the new law. We read your GoCardless subscriptions and add the emails the law requires on top.

What works today

Connect GoCardless read-only and in two minutes you see every email the new law would need for your own subscribers in the next 30 days, customer by customer: payment reminders, change of mind emails, trial endings and 12 month renewals, each with the day it must go by. Nothing is sent and nothing in GoCardless is changed. It is free and needs no card.

The credential: in the GoCardless dashboard, open Developers, press Create, choose Access token, and tick Read-only access. We read subscriptions, mandates and customers, check the credential with one read, store it encrypted and never show it again. You can delete it in GoCardless at any time.

Sending opens from 1 January 2027. From then the same connection sends every email on time in your branding, runs the one step cancel page, works out change of mind refunds for you to approve, and keeps the record. Connect GoCardless now or check your sign-up page first.

Who uses GoCardless for subscriptions

Gyms, clubs, membership organisations, schools and tutors, and software companies invoicing UK customers monthly. Direct debit plans tend to be rolling monthly or annual with a notice period, which means the reminder must arrive before the last day to give notice, not just before the money is collected.

What the connection does from 1 January

Reads your plans and prices from GoCardless. You confirm each one: what kind of product it is, whether the law covers it, and how much notice you promise customers before a payment.
Reads every customer and subscription, with its start date, trial end, next charge date and status, so we can work out which emails are due and when. This part runs today.
Keeps up with changes in GoCardless every night: a new subscription, a changed price, a pause, a cancellation. Each change updates that customer's emails.
Writes two things back, and nothing else: a cancellation when a customer uses the cancel page, and a refund once you have approved it. Prices, products and customers are never changed.

Questions

Does the GoCardless advance notice count as the reminder?: No. It tells the customer a collection is coming. The law needs the amount, the date, the last day to cancel to avoid the charge, how to cancel and that they can, as a standalone email.
Can a customer cancel the direct debit at their bank instead?: They can, but cancelling the direct debit does not end the subscription, and the law is about the subscription. The cancel page must end the subscription itself.
Which customers do you count as UK?: The country on the GoCardless customer record. Customers with no country are counted as UK until you say otherwise.

This page explains the law in plain English. It is not legal advice. The detailed rules are still being finalised by the government.