The Senate endorses reform of the consumer law to avoid “surprise charges”

Néstor Jiménez and Andrea Becerril

La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, November 6, 2025, p. 8

The Senate unanimously approved the reform to the Federal Consumer Protection Law, which requires companies and platforms to clearly report the costs when contracting services or purchases through digital means, with the intention of avoiding “surprise charges” and facilitating cancellation mechanisms. It also points out that they must notify at least five days in advance of an automatic renewal of any recurring payment service.

With the endorsement of the legislative body, it was sent to the federal Executive for publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation and eventual entry into force.

When presenting the opinion, Moreno senator Cynthia López Castro, president of the Consumer Defense Commission, explained that the reform requires providers to inform in a clear and visible manner if the service involves recurring automatic charges, in addition to the amounts, frequency and date on which the charge will be made.

“In this time when everything is contracted with a click, we should also be able to cancel services with one click,” added his fellow member Manuel Huerta Ladrón de Guevara.

The approved document adds that when the automatic renewal of the service is appropriate, it must be notified at least five calendar days in advance, allowing its cancellation without penalty. It also forces them to define mechanisms that allow them to terminate the subscription or membership immediately.

Last year, the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office received more than 20 thousand complaints related to digital services and automatic subscriptions, mainly on online platforms. streaminggyms, software and mobile telephony, explained López Castro.