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State Duma passes law to protect rights of online subscription users.
The document was initiated by a group of deputies from various factions. Amendments are proposed to the Law “On the protection of consumer rights."
The law prohibits using bank card details abandoned by the buyer for online subscriptions by digital subscription sellers. After the user deletes their bank card from their personal account, the platform will no longer be able to automatically debit the card.
Digital subscription sellers are required to accept the consumer's refusal to use saved bank account details or electronic payment data for payments, including the refusals submitted electronically.
The first reading of the document stipulated that information about goods (works, services) must include information about the subscription agreement term, the amount of the recurring payment, the procedure for determining it, the due date for the next payment, and the website page where the terms of the agreement can be waived. For the time of second reading of the bill, the relevant committee on industry and trade decided to remove these provisions.
If passed, the law will become effective from March 1, 2026.
As member of the State Duma Committee on SMB Alexey Govyrin (United Russia) explained, the adopted document directly refers to everyone who uses online subscriptions. “This refers to a situation familiar to many: a user cancels a subscription or requests that their card no longer be charged, but the service continues attempts to charge the card using the old details. This approach will now be expressly prohibited,” he said. The law introduces a new provision: if a consumer has declared their refusal to use previously saved bank account details or electronic payment information, the service provider may not use them anymore for recurring payments, the deputy explained.