This may have already happened to you, when booking a plane ticket online, to quickly check the travel insurance box without reading the conditions. Or, on an e-commerce site that you discover, to accept payment in several installments without checking the total cost of the credit. These situations, which have become commonplace with the rise of online shopping, sometimes lead to hasty decisions, taken without fully measuring the risks or cost of commitment.
The rules will change soon. After establishing the termination in “three clicks” in 2023 to facilitate the termination of current contracts, the legislator is this time tackling withdrawal just after the purchase. An order published at the beginning of January 2026, as part of the transposition of a European directive, will change the remote marketing of financial services (insurance, credit, savings, payment, etc.). Most of the measures will come into force on June 19, 2026.
One button for easy retraction
This is the most visible measure: sites offering financial services will have to set up a “retract button”clear, easily accessible and free of charge throughout the legal period. Remember that when it comes to financial services, the consumer most often has 14 days to reconsider their decision, and up to 30 days for life insurance. However, in reality, exercising this right is often an obstacle course: forms untraceable, request to be sent by registered mail, information that is difficult to understand… From June 2026, if you change your mind, all you need to do is to a few clicks to withdrawas simply as when subscribing.
Another major change: before any subscription, the company must clearly detail the contract characteristicsher real costTHE associated costsTHE withdrawal terms and the consequences of non-payment. The objective: to prevent you from signing with your eyes closed.
Manipulative digital practices, known as “dark patterns” in digital jargon, are also in the viewfinder. Sites will no longer be able to use pre-checked boxespose ambiguous questionsdisplay fake emergency messages to push you to decide quickly, nor hide important information in the middle of long pages of general conditions. The subscription paths must be neutral and transparent to enable a “free and informed” decision.
More supervised telephone canvassing
Another measure, which will come into force in August 2026: telephone canvassing, often a source of disputes, will be more strictly regulated. From the start of a sales call, the interlocutor must clearly indicate their identifyTHE purpose of the approach and his connection with the company that he represents. Furthermore, a two-step validation will be mandatory from January 2027: after the call, you will receive an email or paper letter to confirm your agreement. A step which aims to avoid hasty or poorly understood subscriptions during a purely oral exchange.
No need to wait until this date to worry about it. Our advice: before any purchase, check insurance or guarantees that you already have. If you check an option, take the time to read the contract carefully, even after the fact. And if you realize that this guarantee is useless, duplicated or that the costs are higher than expected, you will soon no longer have an excuse not to use the new withdrawal button.
