The new subscription law for pet subscriptions, in plain English
Pet subscriptions let the customer pick how often a bag or a box arrives, change it as the animal grows, and mix fresh food with toys and flea treatment. From 1 January 2027 a new UK law covers all of them. You will have to email customers before you charge them, give them 14 days to change their mind, and let them cancel as easily as they change the delivery date. We plug into Stripe, follow whatever frequency the customer chooses, and do the rest.
Your typical plans and what the law asks for each
| Plan | What the law asks for |
|---|---|
| Dry food every 6 weeks, customer sets the frequency | A 14 day change of mind period and email at sign-up. A payment reminder at least once every six months, attached to whichever charge falls due, so a change from 6 weeks to 8 weeks moves the reminder with it. |
| Fresh food every 2 weeks, first order 50% off | An email before the first full price order. A change of mind period at sign-up and again when the full price starts. Then the six monthly reminders. You may keep the price of food already delivered on a change of mind refund. |
| Flea and worm treatment every 3 months | Billed quarterly, so one reminder every six months (every second payment in practice). A change of mind period at sign-up. |
| Annual pet plan paid monthly with a 12 month minimum | The total the customer commits to must be on the sign-up page. Each renewal onto another 12 months needs a reminder first and opens a new change of mind period. |
What we do for your pet business
We connect to Stripe and read your products, customers and their chosen frequencies. It reminds customers before you take their money, using the amount Stripe is actually about to charge. It gives them a cancel page that takes no more taps than changing the delivery date. And it keeps a record of every email, click and refund, so if the regulator asks you have the answer.
When you connect, we ask what kind of product each item is (fresh food, dry food, toys, health plan), so the refund sum is ready before the first cancellation.
A frequency the customer controls
The reminder duty is measured in six month periods from the day the customer signed up, not in deliveries. If the customer moves from every four weeks to every eight, the next payment moves and the reminder moves with it. We check every subscription each night and whenever Stripe reports a change, so a change made in your app is in the schedule the same day.
Every reminder must say the amount of the next charge. When the basket changes, that is whatever Stripe will charge next, so we read the upcoming invoice rather than the plan price.
Mixed baskets, mixed refund rules
A change of mind cancellation on a subscription that delivered fresh food, a bag of dry food and a toy has three refund rules in it. Food already delivered can be kept, with its delivery charge. Returnable goods are refunded when they come back. Anything not yet sent is refunded in full. See change of mind refunds.
We ask you to set the product type for each product when you connect, so the sum is right first time.
Vet plans and prescription items
Pet health plans sold by a vet practice are subscriptions for services and goods. They are not insurance, so the insurance exclusion does not apply. A 12 month plan paid monthly must show the total on the sign-up page and needs a reminder before it renews each year.
Pet insurance itself is not covered by the law. If you sell both, mark the insurance product as excluded and record why.
Cancelling as easily as changing the frequency
If the customer can change the frequency in two taps, cancelling cannot take more. One offer to stay, for example a smaller bag or a longer gap, is allowed. A survey before the cancellation is not. You confirm the cancellation in writing within 24 hours.
Worked example: fresh food every 2 weeks, £38 an order, first order £19, joined 4 May 2027
Change of mind email on 4 May. First order at £19 on 4 May. First full price order charged 18 May: an email before it from 11 May (7 days notice promised), and a second change of mind period from 18 May to 1 June with its email.
Six month periods run from 4 May. The next reminder attaches to the first payment in the period starting 4 November 2027 whose send day falls inside it: the 15 November order, sent from 8 November.
Questions
- If the next order amount changes, which amount goes in the reminder?
- The amount the customer will actually be charged on that date. We take it from the upcoming invoice in Stripe, not from the plan price.
- Does a customer who pauses for a month still get reminders?
- Yes, before the next payment that falls due after the pause, if a reminder is required in that six month period.
- Is pet insurance covered by the law?
- No. Insurance and financial services are excluded. Pet health plans sold by a practice are not insurance and are covered.
- What if an order has already been packed when the customer cancels in the 14 days?
- Food already delivered can be kept with its standard delivery charge. Goods not yet sent are refunded in full. Say in the cancellation confirmation what will still arrive.
This page explains the law in plain English. It is not legal advice. The detailed rules are still being finalised by the government.