How to Cancel a Supplement Free Trial and Get a Refund
No affiliate links. This guide uses official consumer advice from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It’s general information, not legal advice.
A “free trial” of a diet pill or supplement that turns into a monthly charge is common enough that consumer regulators in all five countries warn about it, and some have fined the companies involved. In 2021, a Canadian company was fined $15 million for deceptive free trial offers for health and dietary supplements. According to Canada’s Competition Bureau, it signed consumers up “for subscriptions with more than $100 in monthly fees.”
How the trap works
Canada’s Competition Bureau describes it in three steps:
- The bait: “free” or “low-cost” trials of a product.
- The hook: once you enter card details to pay for shipping, “you are unknowingly locked into a monthly subscription.”
- The trap: “Delivery and billing can then be difficult—if not almost impossible—to stop.”
Australia’s ACCC lists the same warning signs: costs that aren’t made clear up front, terms hidden “in hard to read grey text or fine print,” restrictions on cancelling, and “pre-checked boxes that require consumers to actively opt out.”
Step 1: Cancel with the seller, in writing
Start by cancelling directly with the company, and keep a record. In the US, the FTC says “Before businesses get your credit card information, they have to tell you how to cancel,” and “Businesses must make canceling simple for you. It’s the law.” Keep copies of your cancellation request and notes of any calls.
If you bought through ClickBank
Some online supplements are sold through ClickBank, and the charge can show on your card statement under the ClickBank name. ClickBank’s policy says it “will, at its discretion, allow for the return or replacement of any product within 60 days from the date of purchase.” After 60 days, ClickBank sends customers to the seller. You can find your order and contact ClickBank through its customer support site.
Step 2: Stop the payments through your bank or card
| Country | What the official advice says |
|---|---|
| United States | If a company won’t stop charging you after you cancel, the FTC says to file a dispute with your credit or debit card, online or by phone, then follow up in writing to the address for billing disputes. |
| United Kingdom | Tell your card issuer to stop the recurring card payment. Citizens Advice says your card issuer “has no right to insist that you ask the company taking the payment first,” and must stop the payments if you ask, up to the end of the business day before the payment is due. If they let a payment through after that, you’re entitled to your money back. |
| Canada | The Competition Bureau’s advice for anyone caught in a subscription trap: contact your credit card provider and your local consumer protection organization, and report it to the Bureau. |
| Australia | The ACCC has taken companies to court over subscription traps. Contact your bank or card provider to stop further payments, and ask whether a chargeback is possible. |
| New Zealand | The Commerce Commission says businesses must tell customers how long a contract runs and how to cancel it. In October 2025, HelloFresh New Zealand was fined $845,000 for misleading people into reactivating cancelled subscriptions. |
Before you sign up for any “free trial”
- Find the cancellation terms first. The Competition Bureau’s advice: “Don’t sign up if you can’t find or understand the terms and conditions.”
- Watch for pre-ticked boxes and “just pay shipping” offers.
- Set a reminder to cancel before the trial ends. The FTC notes that if you don’t cancel on time, you’ll probably be charged.
- Check your statements every month for charges you don’t recognize.
- Keep everything: receipts, emails, order numbers and notes of calls.
Before buying any supplement, it’s also worth checking whether it’s licensed or assessed where you live: see our guide to checking a supplement in your country.
How we checked
We read each regulator’s and consumer body’s own pages, listed below, on September 30, 2026. Consumer rules differ by country and change over time. If something here is out of date, tell us at jakemitchell@toptierfind.com.
Sources
- Competition Bureau Canada, Subscription traps
- Competition Bureau Canada, Canadian company fined $15 million for subscription trap scam, January 28, 2021
- ACCC, ACCC warns consumers to beware of subscription traps
- ACCC, HelloFresh and Youfoodz in court over alleged subscription traps
- FTC Consumer Advice, Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions, September 2024
- ClickBank, Return and Subscription Cancellation Policy
- Citizens Advice, Stopping a future payment on your debit or credit card
- Commerce Commission, Subscriptions and automatic rollovers and HelloFresh guilty of misleading subscriptions