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I think the right fix for subscriptions is probably to require an affirmative renewal rather than a passive renewal. Since customers are too lazy to affirmative

I think the right fix for subscriptions is probably to require an affirmative renewal rather than a passive renewal. Since customers are too lazy to affirmatively cancel subscriptions they aren't using, a passive renewal means they keep spending money on it. If you require affirmative renewal then there is no need to offer a "cancel my subscription" option at all because the way to cancel a subscription would be to just not renew it after it expires. I think passive renewal is reasonable for utility services because obviously you want to continue your electric service and the cost of a momentary lapse in service would be potentially catastrophic. But your subscription to a music streaming app can lapse without anything bad happening and be renewed whenever you decide to use the app again. And that means that people who stopped using it but forgot to cancel aren't being billed for it.

xur17 3y ago
It would be nice if that were offered, but tbh I would find the volume of "affirmative renewal" messages annoying. I wonder if subscription payments could be handled at the payment provider level. Ideally when I use a payment method at a merchant, I would be able to choose between one time payment, and recurring payment. If I choose recurring payment, a token is generated, and I can revoke / cancel the token from my payment provider's website / app.
- themoonisachees 3y ago
  To be entirely fair, such volume would only come because everything has become a subscription. Maybe this would drive it back to buy a product and you now have it?
  - xur17 3y ago
    Fair point, and this is actually something I was thinking about last night. I am more likely to spend $500 on a product than I am to signup for a $10 / month subscription.
- jbombadil 3y ago
  I agree. This is essentially how Apple handles subscriptions. If you created a subscription using Apple Pay, you can go to settings and cancel it from there. It’s one of the reasons I value Apple Pay.
- zbirkenbuel 3y ago
  That's one of the things I appreciate about BazQux as an RSS service. I get a reminder that my year "subscription" is coming up and if I'd like to continue I need to purchase another year. Perhaps it's because of their billing platform but I'm happy its a pattern.

xur17 3y ago

It would be nice if that were offered, but tbh I would find the volume of "affirmative renewal" messages annoying. I wonder if subscription payments could be handled at the payment provider level. Ideally when I use a payment method at a merchant, I would be able to choose between one time payment, and recurring payment. If I choose recurring payment, a token is generated, and I can revoke / cancel the token from my payment provider's website / app.

themoonisachees 3y ago
To be entirely fair, such volume would only come because everything has become a subscription. Maybe this would drive it back to buy a product and you now have it?
- xur17 3y ago
  Fair point, and this is actually something I was thinking about last night. I am more likely to spend $500 on a product than I am to signup for a $10 / month subscription.
jbombadil 3y ago
I agree. This is essentially how Apple handles subscriptions. If you created a subscription using Apple Pay, you can go to settings and cancel it from there. It’s one of the reasons I value Apple Pay.
zbirkenbuel 3y ago
That's one of the things I appreciate about BazQux as an RSS service. I get a reminder that my year "subscription" is coming up and if I'd like to continue I need to purchase another year. Perhaps it's because of their billing platform but I'm happy its a pattern.