Billing cycle and payment due date displayed before commitment
Why it matters
The FTC Click-to-Cancel rule (effective 2024) requires that subscription terms — billing cycle, first charge date, renewal schedule — be disclosed clearly before the user submits payment. Reg Z (TILA) 12 CFR 1026.6(b) extends this requirement to open-end credit plans by mandating periodic payment disclosures. A checkout screen that shows only "$9.99/month" without specifying when the first charge fires or when it renews is not a billing disclosure — it is a price tag. Users who discover unexpected timing (e.g., charged immediately on free-trial signup) dispute the charge, generating chargebacks and triggering payment processor scrutiny.
Severity rationale
High because incomplete billing disclosures violate FTC Click-to-Cancel regulations and Reg Z 12 CFR 1026.6(b), directly causing chargebacks and enabling regulatory action under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
Remediation
Render all three required billing details on the checkout page — frequency, first charge timing, and renewal date — before the user submits payment. In app/checkout/page.tsx:
// app/checkout/page.tsx
<div className="billing-disclosure">
<strong>Billing Summary</strong>
<ul>
<li>Plan: Premium — $9.99/month</li>
<li>First charge: Today upon confirmation</li>
<li>Renewal: Monthly on the same calendar date</li>
<li>Cancel anytime — no early termination fee</li>
</ul>
</div>
Place this block above the payment form's submit button, not below it. For annual plans, also show the per-month equivalent and the exact annual charge amount.
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the Regulatory Disclosure Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
External references
- external · ftc-click-to-cancel — FTC Negative Option Rule / Click-to-Cancel — billing terms pre-commitment
- external · reg-z-tila-1026-6b — Regulation Z (TILA) — 12 CFR §1026.6(b), periodic billing disclosures
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from finserv-disclosure·automated