Redlinethe fine print, decoded

Contract trap · Subscription

No refund for unused time

All sales final; payments non-refundable; cancellation takes effect only at the end of the paid period with no pro-rata refund of an annual plan; the user 'expressly consents to immediate performance and acknowledges losing the right of withdrawal'; refunds only as service credit or 'at our sole discretion'.

Severity
Expensive
How often it turns up
Almost always
Holds up?
Depends where you are
Clause phrases
22

What it looks like in a contract

Redline matches these phrases against your document verbatim. Drafters rarely invent new wording — they copy it, which is why the same sentences turn up across unrelated contracts.

In English-language contracts

  • all sales are final
  • nonrefundable
  • no refunds or credits for partial months
  • no refunds for unused portions
  • cancellation will become effective at the end of your current subscription period
  • you will not receive a refund of any prepaid fees
  • you expressly consent to immediate performance and acknowledge that you will lose your right of withdrawal
  • refunds at our sole discretion
  • refunds are issued only as service credit
  • no prorated refunds

In Russian-language contracts

  • денежные средства не возвращаются
  • уплаченные денежные средства возврату не подлежат
  • оплата за неиспользованный период не возвращается
  • при отказе от Услуги после ее оказания не возвращаются
  • услуги считаются оказанными
  • стоимость абонемента возврату не подлежит
  • подписка действует до конца оплаченного периода
  • Пользователь соглашается с началом оказания услуг до истечения срока отказа
  • возврат осуществляется только бонусами
  • возврат осуществляется только на баланс аккаунта
  • по усмотрению Администрации
  • денежные средства за предыдущие расчетные периоды не возвращаются, так как Услуги уже оказаны

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Why it bites

An accidental annual renewal costs the full year even if you cancel the next day; EU/UK consumers lose the 14-day cooling-off via a buried checkbox; RU consumers are told 'no refund' although the law guarantees refund minus actual costs.

Is it enforceable where you are

The same clause can be routine in one country and void in another. What follows is what the law says where you are — not advice on your particular contract.

In the US, ROSCA and state automatic-renewal laws such as California's ARL apply; in the EU, Directive 93/13 Annex 1(h) and national reminder rules (Germany §309 Nr. 9 BGB, France's loi Chatel) govern renewal.

United States

Generally enforceable if disclosed; no federal cooling-off for online purchases; ARLs (CA) require honoring cancellation and some state gym laws mandate pro-rata refunds; FTC settlements require refunds where consent was defective; app-store refund policies apply.

  • Cited
  • FTC

European Union

CRD Art 9: 14-day withdrawal on distance contracts; Art 16(m): the right is lost for digital content only with prior express consent plus acknowledgment (and confirmation after Omnibus Directive 2019/2161); partial refund for services already started; UCTD Annex 1(d)/(e) can void total forfeiture; DE/NL monthly cancellation limits exposure.

  • Cited
  • CRD Art 9
  • Directive 2019/216
  • UCTD

United Kingdom

CCRs 2013 reg 37 and 14-day cancellation right; CMA principle 7 recommends pro-rata refunds after renewal; DMCC subscription regime: 14-day renewal cooling-off with full or proportionate refund after trials and 12-month+ renewals (expected 2027).

  • Cited
  • CMA

Russia

Void as to future periods: ст. 32 ЗоЗПП / ст. 782 ГК — отказ в любое время с оплатой только фактически понесённых расходов, бремя доказывания их размера лежит на исполнителе; условие о невозврате ничтожно (ст. 16 п. 2 пп. 3); ст. 31 — возврат в 10 дней; from 1 Mar 2026 charges after refusal are refundable except the used period (ст. 16.1).

  • Cited
  • ст. 16 п. 2 пп. 3
  • ст. 16.1
  • ст. 31
  • ст. 32 ЗоЗПП
  • ст. 782 ГК

Where this has actually happened

Regulator actions, court rulings and the contracts they were fought over.

  • SiriusXM Customer Agreement ('no refunds or credits will be given' after the 7/30-day window)
  • Иви (ivi.tv), Пользовательское соглашение — 'денежные средства за Подписку за предыдущие расчетные периоды Пользователю не возвращаются, так как Услуги уже оказаны'
  • Steam Subscriber Agreement — no refund of subscription fees or unused Wallet funds on termination for violations
  • Роспотребнадзор (26.rospotrebnadzor.ru): условие об отсутствии права на возврат при отказе от абонемента недействительно

What to do

In order, from the thing that takes a minute to the thing that takes a letter.

  1. Cancel within any stated grace window (SiriusXM 7/30 days
  2. DMCC UK 14 days post-renewal from 2027)
  3. Check whether the withdrawal acknowledgment at checkout was explicit — if not, the 14-day right survives (EU/UK)
  4. RU: сошлитесь на ст. 32 ЗоЗПП и требуйте возврат за неиспользованный период в 10-дневный срок (ст. 31)
  5. US: use app-store refund policies and chargeback for non-delivery.

Check your own document

Traps that travel with it

Drafters who use one of these usually use several.

79 traps · 1789 verbatim clause phrases