Subscription Auto-Renewal Disclosure Checker

Check subscription, membership and free-trial offers for automatic renewal disclosure gaps under California's Automatic Renewal Law (Bus. & Prof. Code 17600-17606, with the amendments that apply from July 1, 2025) and the federal ROSCA. The Auto-Renewal Disclosure Checker reads offer, checkout and consent text and flags offers that don't say they renew until cancelled, the recurring price, the billing period, the cancellation policy, the price after a free trial or how to cancel online, plus pre-checked consent boxes. Click Start with the prefilled example to see it work.

This is an automated screen of offer text, not a legal determination. It can't judge how clearly or prominently terms are shown, or check the cancellation flow. A clean result doesn't mean an offer complies. Not legal advice; every row carries this disclaimer and a timestamp.

What does the Auto-Renewal Disclosure Checker do?

• ✅ Renewal not disclosed (high): no 'renews automatically' or 'until you cancel' wording.
• ✅ Missing price, term or cancellation policy: the recurring amount, billing frequency and how to cancel (BPC 17601(a)(2)).
• ✅ Free trials and intro prices: missing post-trial price, trial length or the amount after an introductory price.
• ✅ Offline-only cancellation (high): phone, letter or in-person only, while online sign-ups must be cancellable online.
• ✅ Pre-checked consent and consent text that doesn't mention renewal.
• ✅ Pages with no recurring offer get an info note, so About and blog pages from a crawl aren't counted as problems.
• ✅ Output per row: trialDetected, elementsFound, riskLevel, issueCount, categoriesFlagged, issues (ruleId, severity, message, quote, sourceUrl, fixHint), checkedAt and a disclaimer.

Who is it for?

• SaaS, app, streaming and subscription box companies checking pricing and checkout pages.
• Gyms, clubs and membership businesses reviewing sign-up terms.
• Agencies and compliance teams auditing many client sites from a crawl.
• Consumer advocates and journalists studying subscription traps.

How to check subscription offers for auto-renewal disclosures

1. Click Start with the prefilled example (a vague free trial, a gym with phone-only cancellation, an intro offer with a pre-checked box and a complete app offer).
2. Replace Offers with your own: offerText, optional checkoutText, consentText, consentPrechecked and cancellationText.
3. Or enter a Dataset ID from Website Content Crawler or another crawler run on pricing and sign-up pages; use Field map to point at markdown or text.
4. Turn on Only save rows with findings to skip clean pages; you only pay for saved rows.
5. Export results as CSV, Excel or JSON, or fetch them through the API.

Input example

This is the prefilled input:

{
  "offers": [
    {
      "id": "EXAMPLE-TRIAL",
      "title": "Example streaming free trial",
      "offerText": "Start your free trial today! Cancel anytime."
    },
    {
      "id": "EXAMPLE-GYM",
      "title": "Example gym membership",
      "offerText": "Membership $39.99/month, renews automatically until you cancel. To cancel, call our member services line or send a letter to your club."
    },
    {
      "id": "EXAMPLE-INTRO",
      "title": "Example meal kit intro offer",
      "offerText": "Introductory price $1 for the first 3 months! Renews automatically monthly until you cancel. Cancel online in your account.",
      "consentPrechecked": true
    },
    {
      "id": "EXAMPLE-APP",
      "title": "Example app subscription",
      "offerText": "Start your 7-day free trial. After the trial, you'll be charged $9.99 per month. Your subscription renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime online in Account settings; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.",
      "consentText": "I agree to the automatic renewal terms above."
    }
  ]
}

Dataset mode:

{"datasetId": "YOUR_DATASET_ID", "fieldMap": {"offerText": "markdown", "title": "metadata.title"}, "onlyFlagged": true}

Output example

Real output from a run of the prefilled input on 2026-11-01 (long finding lists are shortened here; the run returns all of them):

[
  {
    "itemNo": 1,
    "offerId": "EXAMPLE-TRIAL",
    "title": "Example streaming free trial",
    "recurringOfferDetected": true,
    "trialDetected": true,
    "elementsFound": {
      "continuesUntilCancelled": false,
      "cancellationPolicy": true,
      "recurringChargeAmount": false,
      "renewalLengthOrFrequency": false,
      "onlineCancellation": false
    },
    "riskLevel": "high",
    "issueCount": 6,
    "categoriesFlagged": [
      "cancellation_method_not_stated",
      "post_trial_price_missing",
      "recurring_amount_missing",
      "renewal_not_disclosed",
      "renewal_term_missing",
      "trial_length_missing"
    ],
    "issues": [
      {
        "ruleId": "renewal_not_disclosed",
        "severity": "high",
        "message": "The offer doesn't clearly say it renews automatically or continues until the consumer cancels (California BPC 17601(a)(2)(A); ROSCA requires all material terms before billing information is collected).",
        "quote": null,
        "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17601.",
        "fixHint": "Add e.g. 'Your subscription renews automatically every month until you cancel.' near the consent button."
      },
      {
        "ruleId": "recurring_amount_missing",
        "severity": "high",
        "message": "No recurring charge amount found (BPC 17601(a)(2)(C)).",
        "quote": null,
        "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17601.",
        "fixHint": "State the amount, e.g. '$12.99 per month'."
      },
      {
        "...": "4 more findings: renewal_term_missing 'No renewal length or billing frequency found (BPC ', post_trial_price_missing 'Example streaming free trial Start your free trial today! Cancel any...', trial_length_missing 'Example streaming free trial Start your free trial today! Cancel any...', cancellation_method_not_stated 'The offer doesn't say how to cancel (for example o'"
      }
    ],
    "url": null,
    "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T19:35:05+00:00",
    "disclaimer": "Automated keyword screening of the offer text supplied against California's Automatic..."
  },
  {
    "itemNo": 2,
    "offerId": "EXAMPLE-GYM",
    "title": "Example gym membership",
    "recurringOfferDetected": true,
    "trialDetected": false,
    "elementsFound": {
      "continuesUntilCancelled": true,
      "cancellationPolicy": true,
      "recurringChargeAmount": true,
      "renewalLengthOrFrequency": true,
      "onlineCancellation": false
    },
    "riskLevel": "high",
    "issueCount": 1,
    "categoriesFlagged": [
      "offline_only_cancellation"
    ],
    "issues": [
      {
        "ruleId": "offline_only_cancellation",
        "severity": "high",
        "message": "Cancellation appears to require a phone call, mail or a visit. For offers accepted online, California requires cancellation online, at will, through a prominent link or button or a ready-made termination email (BPC 17602(d)); ROSCA requires a simple cancellation method.",
        "quote": "...renews automatically until you cancel. To cancel, call our member services line or send a letter to your club.",
        "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17602",
        "fixHint": "Offer a cancel button in the account or a prefilled termination email."
      }
    ],
    "url": null,
    "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T19:35:05+00:00",
    "disclaimer": "Automated keyword screening of the offer text supplied against California's Automatic..."
  },
  {
    "itemNo": 3,
    "offerId": "EXAMPLE-INTRO",
    "title": "Example meal kit intro offer",
    "recurringOfferDetected": true,
    "trialDetected": false,
    "elementsFound": {
      "continuesUntilCancelled": true,
      "cancellationPolicy": true,
      "recurringChargeAmount": true,
      "renewalLengthOrFrequency": true,
      "onlineCancellation": true
    },
    "riskLevel": "high",
    "issueCount": 2,
    "categoriesFlagged": [
      "prechecked_consent",
      "price_change_amount_missing"
    ],
    "issues": [
      {
        "ruleId": "price_change_amount_missing",
        "severity": "medium",
        "message": "Introductory or promotional pricing is mentioned, but only one price was found. California requires disclosing that the charge will change and the amount it will change to, if known (BPC 17601(a)(2)(C)).",
        "quote": "Example meal kit intro offer Introductory price $1 for the first 3 m...",
        "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17601.",
        "fixHint": "State the regular price that applies after the promotion."
      },
      {
        "ruleId": "prechecked_consent",
        "severity": "high",
        "message": "The consent checkbox is pre-checked. California requires the consumer's affirmative consent before charging (BPC 17602(a)(2)), and ROSCA requires express informed consent; a pre-checked box is generally not treated as affirmative consent.",
        "quote": null,
        "sourceUrl": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/8403",
        "fixHint": "Leave the consent checkbox unchecked by default."
      }
    ],
    "url": null,
    "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T19:35:05+00:00",
    "disclaimer": "Automated keyword screening of the offer text supplied against California's Automatic..."
  },
  {
    "itemNo": 4,
    "offerId": "EXAMPLE-APP",
    "title": "Example app subscription",
    "recurringOfferDetected": true,
    "trialDetected": true,
    "elementsFound": {
      "continuesUntilCancelled": true,
      "cancellationPolicy": true,
      "recurringChargeAmount": true,
      "renewalLengthOrFrequency": true,
      "onlineCancellation": true
    },
    "riskLevel": "none found",
    "issueCount": 0,
    "categoriesFlagged": [],
    "issues": [],
    "url": null,
    "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T19:35:05+00:00",
    "disclaimer": "Automated keyword screening of the offer text supplied against California's Automatic..."
  }
]

How much does it cost to check subscription offers?

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing: $0.003 per offer saved plus a $0.00005 start fee per run, plus small platform usage paid by you (a few hundredths of a cent for small runs). That's about $3.00 for 1,000 offers and $30.00 for 10,000 plus usage. With Only save rows with findings on, rows without findings aren't saved or charged. You can set a maximum cost per run in the run options.

Use it through the API, integrations or AI agents

• Run it and get results in one call: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/ultimatemc~auto-renewal-disclosure-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items
• Use it from AI agents through the Apify MCP server: https://mcp.apify.com?tools=ultimatemc/auto-renewal-disclosure-checker
• Schedule it after a daily scraper run, send flagged rows to Slack or email with webhooks, or connect it to Make, Zapier, n8n or Google Sheets.
• Chain it after a website crawler by passing the crawler's dataset ID.

How it works

Checks are deterministic rules written from California Business and Professions Code 17601 and 17602, 15 U.S.C. 8403 (ROSCA) and the FTC's ROSCA page, checked on 2026-11-01. Text is matched for renewal, price, frequency, trial, cancellation and consent wording. No AI and no external calls.

Sources:

• California BPC 17601, definitions and required terms
• California BPC 17602, unlawful practices and cancellation
• 15 U.S.C. 8403, negative option marketing (LII)
• FTC: Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act

FAQ

Does it cover the FTC 'click to cancel' rule?

No. That rule was vacated by a federal court in July 2025, so the checker uses ROSCA and California's law.

Does it cover other states?

Not yet. Many states have similar laws; California's is one of the strictest, so it's a useful baseline.

Why is phone-only cancellation flagged?

California requires that consumers who sign up online can cancel online, and ROSCA requires a simple way to stop recurring charges.

Can it check the actual checkout flow?

No. It reads the text you supply. Crawl the pages first, or paste the offer and consent text.

Is it AI?

No. It's a fixed set of rules, so the same input always gives the same result.

Limitations

• It can't judge prominence, placement or font size, which the law also requires.
• Text-only: it doesn't test cancellation flows.
• Federal ROSCA and California only.

Other tools by Ultimate Foresight

• Amazon Listing Policy Checker for Titles & Bullets: flags pesticide, FDA and disease claims and Amazon title and bullet rule breaks in bulk, with policy links and fixes.
• Fair Housing Listing Checker for Real Estate Ads: flags rental and sale listing wording that may raise Fair Housing Act issues, with HUD sources and rewrite tips (screening aid only).
• Ad Copy Policy Checker for Meta, Google & TikTok: checks ad text against Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads and TikTok ad policies before you submit.
• H-1B Visa Sponsor Checker & Score for Job Listings: adds Department of Labor H-1B sponsorship history and a 0-100 score to company names or job listings.
• Chain vs Independent Labeler for Google Maps Leads: labels local businesses as chain, franchise or independent.
• YouTube Monetization Checker for Scripts & Titles: pre-checks titles, descriptions and scripts for wording that leads to limited or no ads.
• Etsy & eBay Listing Policy & Banned Item Checker: pre-checks marketplace listings for prohibited items, counterfeit wording and off-platform contact.
• Job Scam Detector & Trust Score for Job Postings: scores job postings 0-100 for scam and ghost-job signals.
• SAM.gov Amendment & Opportunity Change Tracker: shows what changed between versions of a SAM.gov notice: deadlines, set-asides, NAICS and attachments.
• Product Recall Checker for Brands, UPCs & Products: matches your brands, products, UPCs or model numbers against CPSC, FDA and NHTSA recalls.
• App Store & Google Play Listing Policy Checker: pre-checks app names, subtitles and descriptions against Apple and Google Play metadata rules.
• Company Name Normalizer & Deduplicator for CRM: cleans company names (Inc, LLC, d/b/a, aliases) and groups duplicates in CRM, lead or vendor lists.
• FCC Covered List & Section 889 Bulk Screener: screens FCC IDs and brand names against the public FCC Covered List, with sources and timestamps (screening aid only).
• Green Claims Checker: EU Greenwashing Ban & FTC: flags risky eco-friendly, carbon neutral and recyclable wording under EU, FTC and UK CMA rules.
• Influencer #ad Disclosure Checker: FTC & ASA: flags influencer posts with missing or unclear #ad labels under FTC, ASA/CAP and CMA rules.
• Job Title to SOC Code Mapper with O*NET Data: maps job titles to SOC and O*NET-SOC codes in bulk, with seniority and tech skills found in the posting.
• Shrinkflation Detector for Grocery Price Data: finds smaller packs at the same or higher price by comparing two runs of a grocery scraper, with unit price before and after.
• Job Ad Discrimination Checker for Job Posts (US): flags age, sex, national origin, citizenship and other discriminatory wording in job posts, with EEOC and DOJ sources (screening aid only).
• Walmart Listing Policy Checker for Titles & Copy: flags promotional phrases, retailer names, URLs, long titles and pesticide or FDA claims in Walmart Marketplace listings, with policy links and fixes.
• TikTok Shop Listing Policy Checker for Products: flags off-platform links, dupe wording, weight-loss, disease and FDA claims and title rule breaks in TikTok Shop listings.
• Supplement & Cosmetic Claims Checker: FDA & FTC: flags disease, drug and 'FDA approved' claims and missing supplement disclaimers in supplement and beauty product copy, with FDA and FTC sources (screening aid only).
• Rental Listing Scam Checker for Craigslist & FB: scores rental listings 0-100 for FTC-listed scam signs like wire or gift card payment, deposit before viewing and rent far below similar listings.
• GTIN, UPC & EAN Barcode Validator (Check Digit): checks UPC, EAN, GTIN-14 and ISBN codes for wrong check digits, lost leading zeros, scientific notation, restricted prefixes and duplicates before a feed upload.
• Fake Review Checker: Incentivized & Duplicates: screens scraped reviews for incentivized or insider wording, copied text, rating bursts and rating/text mismatches named in the FTC 2024 fake-review rule.
• Facebook Marketplace Listing Policy Checker: flags Marketplace listings that may break Meta's Commerce Policies (weapons, vapes, Rx, animals, gift cards, services, counterfeits and more), with policy links.
• Fake Discount Checker: EU 30-Day Prior Price: checks 'was' and strikethrough prices against your own price history for 30-day prior-price, raise-then-discount and wrong-badge issues.
• SMS Marketing Message Checker: STOP & 10DLC: pre-checks SMS marketing texts for segment count, STOP opt-out wording, URL shorteners, SHAFT content and quiet hours.
• Hidden Fee Checker: Hotel, Rental & Ticket Prices: flags headline prices that leave out mandatory resort, service or booking fees under the FTC junk fees rule (16 CFR 464), with sources per finding.
• EU GPSR Listing Checker for Amazon, eBay & Shops: checks listings for the EU GPSR Article 19 online-sale details: manufacturer, EU responsible person, product identifier, picture and warnings.
• Food Allergen Label Checker: US, EU & AU: compares ingredient lists with the 'Contains' statement for US 9, EU/UK 14 and Australian PEAL allergens and flags gaps and conflicting free-from claims.
• Toy Choking Hazard Warning Checker (CPSC): flags toy listings missing the CPSC choking-hazard warnings for small parts, balloons, small balls and marbles, with age-grade checks.
• Textile Fiber Label Checker: Bamboo & Origin: flags 'bamboo' claims that should say rayon, fiber percentages that don't add up, mismatched silk or cashmere titles and missing Made in USA/Imported.
• Prop 65 Warning Checker for Product Listings: flags Prop 65 safe-harbor warnings missing 'WARNING', the P65Warnings.ca.gov link or a chemical name, old short forms, and listed chemicals mentioned with no warning.
• Unit Price Checker for Grocery & Retail Listings: parses pack sizes, recomputes the price per kg, litre or item, and flags missing or wrong unit prices in grocery and retail data.
• Made in USA Claim Checker for Product Listings: flags unqualified 'Made in USA' claims next to imported or foreign-origin details under the FTC rule (16 CFR 323), with sources per finding.
• Email CAN-SPAM Checker & Unsubscribe Header Test: pre-checks marketing emails for missing unsubscribe links or postal address, misleading subjects and Google/Yahoo one-click unsubscribe headers.

Found a false positive? Open an issue on the Issues tab with the offer text and what you expected, and we'll review the rule.