California auto-renewal reminders: what to send and when

California's Automatic Renewal Law asks subscription businesses to send a notice before a free trial or promotional price longer than 31 days ends (3 to 21 days before), before an initial term of a year or more renews (15 to 45 days before), and before a price change takes effect (7 to 30 days before). It also requires a reminder at least once a year that names the product, the amount and frequency of the charges, and how to cancel.

That's the short version. Below is what each notice covers, what it has to say, and a simple way to set it up for a Stripe subscription business. All of it comes from Business and Professions Code § 17602, as amended by AB 2863. The amended rules apply to contracts entered into, amended or extended on or after 1 July 2025.

The four notices at a glance

Situation	When to send it	Section
Free trial or promotional price that lasts more than 31 days	At least 3 and at most 21 days before the trial or promo period ends	§ 17602(b)(1)
Initial term of one year or longer that renews automatically	At least 15 and at most 45 days before it renews	§ 17602(b)(2)
A change in the fee on an existing subscription	At least 7 and at most 30 days before the new fee takes effect	§ 17602(g)(2)
Annual reminder	At least once a year (the law sets no exact date)	§ 17602(h)

If one subscription would need both the trial notice and the yearly-term notice, the law says only the yearly-term notice is required.

1. Before a long free trial or promo price ends

This applies when someone accepted a free trial, or a promotional or discounted price, that lasts more than 31 days. A 14-day or 30-day trial doesn't trigger it; a 60-day trial or a "first three months at half price" offer does.

Send the notice at least 3 and no more than 21 days before the trial or promotional period ends. There is a narrow exemption for customers who didn't sign up electronically and for whom you hold no email address, phone number or other electronic way to reach them. If they signed up on your website, assume it applies.

2. Before a yearly (or longer) plan renews

If the initial term is one year or longer and it renews automatically, send a notice at least 15 and no more than 45 days before the renewal. For an annual plan billed through Stripe, that means sometime between 45 and 15 days before the next renewal date.

What those two notices must say

The trial notice and the yearly-term notice both follow § 17602(a)(8). Each one should clearly state:

• that the subscription will renew automatically unless the customer cancels;
• the length of the renewal period and any other renewal terms;
• the amount (or range) they'll be charged and, if it applies, how often;
• at least one way to cancel;
• if the notice is sent electronically, a link to the cancellation process (or another easy electronic route to it if no link exists);
• your business's contact information.

A plain email works well. Put the renewal date and amount near the top, then the cancel link, then how to reach you.

3. Before a price change

When the fee on an existing subscription changes, send a clear notice of the change, plus information on how to cancel that the customer can keep, no less than 7 and no more than 30 days before the new fee takes effect. This applies even if the customer agreed to the change as part of their existing plan, for example a scheduled step-up after an introductory year.

For other material changes to the renewal terms, the law also asks for a clear notice of the change and how to cancel, sent before the change takes effect.

4. The annual reminder

AB 2863 added a reminder that has to go out at least once a year. It must name:

• the product or service that renews;
• the frequency and amount of the charges;
• how to cancel.

Send it in the same medium the customer used to sign up, or the one they usually use with you. For an online signup, that's typically email.

The statute describes this reminder for customers "under an annual automatic renewal agreement or continuous service agreement," and it doesn't say what date in the year to send it. A cautious reading treats it as covering every ongoing subscription, monthly plans included, with the reminder sent around the sign-up anniversary. That's how PlainRenew schedules it, and it costs one email a year per customer. Check with your own counsel if you're unsure how it applies to you.

A simple setup for Stripe subscriptions

Your Stripe subscriptions already hold the dates these notices hang on: when a trial ends, when the current period renews, and how long the billing interval is. A workable routine looks like this:

1. Sort your plans. Note which plans have trials or promo prices longer than 31 days, which bill yearly or longer, and which are monthly.
2. Pick a send day inside each window. For example, 7 days before a long trial ends and 30 days before a yearly renewal. Landing in the middle of a window leaves room for delays.
3. Use one template per notice with the items listed above, and always include a working cancel link.
4. Add price changes to your launch checklist. Before any price change, schedule notices that land 7 to 30 days ahead.
5. Keep a copy of what you sent and when. It helps answer customer questions and shows your process later.

Why it's worth doing well

Reminders are a trust moment. A customer who knows a charge is coming and can see how to cancel is less likely to feel surprised, and more likely to stay because they chose to.

The cancel link in those emails matters too. When we checked the public pages of 27 subscription sites on 21 October 2026 with PlainRenew's checker, 11 of them (41%) had no cancel or manage-billing link we could find on the pages it read. That's a text match on public pages only, so the link may exist behind a login. Reminder emails are an easy place to make that path obvious. (Whether those sites send reminders at all can't be seen without an account, so we didn't measure it.)

Quick FAQ

Do monthly plans with a 7-day trial need a trial notice in California? Not under § 17602(b)(1): it applies only to trials or promotional prices lasting more than 31 days. The price-change notice still applies, and under the cautious reading above, so does the annual reminder.

Can the notice be an email? Yes. If it's sent electronically, it has to include a link to the cancellation process (or another easy electronic route to it).

Does this replace telling customers the terms at sign-up? No. The law separately requires clear terms next to the consent request, express consent, and an acknowledgment the customer can keep. Reminders come on top of those.

If you want to see how your public pages read before you set up reminders, the free checker at the top of this page takes about a minute.