You get one withdrawal window, not two — unless they never told you

In Sofatutor (5 October 2023), the CJEU interpreted Article 9(1) of the Consumer Rights Directive. Where a contract starts with a free trial period and then renews automatically into a paid subscription, the consumer has one right of withdrawal — exercisable at the start — and not a fresh one when the trial converts or when the subscription later renews.

So the 14 days run from when you signed up for the trial. By the time the first invoice arrives, they are usually long gone.

The ruling is conditional. It applies only where the consumer was informed, in a clear, comprehensible and explicit manner, that the subscription becomes paid after the free period.

If that information was not given properly, the withdrawal right is not used up at sign-up — you keep it when the contract turns into a paid one.

This is worth taking seriously, because the standard is high. The directive separately requires traders to give precise, unambiguous information about duration, renewal and termination before you commit. A price buried in a footnote, a renewal date never stated, a trial length mentioned only in an email — none of that obviously clears the bar.

• The sign-up screen as you saw it. Not the current version of the page — the one you actually agreed to.
• The confirmation email. Under the directive, the trader must confirm the contract on a durable medium. What it says, and does not say, about the post-trial price is the whole argument.
• The date you signed up, which is when your 14 days ran, not the date you were charged.

Treat sign-up as the moment of decision, not the end of the trial. Set the reminder on day one.

And note the contrast if you also buy from UK traders: the UK's DMCCA regime deliberately diverges and gives two cooling-off periods — one on entering the contract, one after a free or discounted trial ends. Same-looking service, different rights, depending on where the trader sits.

General information, not legal advice.