Pillar Guide · Updated July 2026
UK Distance Selling Rules: A Practical Guide for 2026/27
Almost every online, phone or mail-order purchase in the UK is protected by the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 — best known for the 14-day cooling-off right to change your mind. This pillar guide explains what counts as a distance contract, what information a trader must give you before you buy, how the cooling-off right and refund process work, the key exceptions, and how distance selling rights differ from your separate rights for faulty goods.
What a Distance Contract Is
A distance contract is any purchase agreement made without the trader and consumer being physically together at the point of sale — the vast majority of online shopping, as well as phone orders, mail-order catalogues, and TV or teleshopping purchases. The governing legislation is the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, which implemented an EU consumer rights directive and remains in force as UK domestic law post-Brexit.
A related but distinct category is the “off-premises contract” — a sale agreed away from the trader's normal business premises, such as a doorstep sale or a sale made at a pop-up event or in the consumer's own home. Off-premises contracts are covered by broadly the same cooling-off and information rules as distance contracts under the same 2013 Regulations.
In-store purchases, where the consumer physically selects and buys an item on the trader's premises, are not covered by these Regulations at all — the cooling-off right specifically exists because distance and off-premises purchases deny the consumer the chance to inspect goods in person before committing to buy.
Pre-Contract Information Duties
Before a distance contract is concluded, the trader must give the consumer clear information, including: the main characteristics of the goods, services or digital content; the total price inclusive of taxes, and any additional delivery, freight or postal charges; the trader's identity, geographical address and contact details; the arrangements for payment, delivery and performance, and the time by which the trader undertakes to deliver; the existence of the right to cancel, the conditions, time limit and procedures for exercising it, and a model cancellation form; and, where relevant, details of any after-sales service and commercial guarantees.
This information must generally be given in a clear and comprehensible way and must be confirmed on a durable medium (such as an order confirmation email) within a reasonable time after the contract is made, and no later than delivery of the goods. Failing to give complete cancellation-right information has a specific and significant consequence for the trader, covered below.
The 14-Day Cooling-Off Right
For most goods bought at a distance, the consumer has 14 days from the day the goods are received (or, where an order is delivered in instalments, from receipt of the last instalment) to cancel the contract without giving any reason. For services and digital content, the 14 days run from the day the contract is agreed. This is a genuine “change of mind” right, independent of whether anything is wrong with the item.
After giving notice of cancellation within the 14-day window, the consumer has a further 14 days to actually send the goods back to the trader (or hand them over if the trader has agreed to collect them). The consumer is responsible for the direct cost of returning goods, unless the trader has agreed to bear it or failed to tell the consumer they would have to pay for the return.
Where the trader fails to give the required cancellation-right information at all, the cooling-off period is extended — by up to 12 months from the point it would otherwise have expired — giving consumers substantially longer to cancel where the trader has not complied with its disclosure obligations.
Refunds and Deductions
Where the cooling-off right is properly exercised, the trader must refund the full price paid, including the standard delivery charge (the trader only needs to refund the cheapest delivery option they offered — if the consumer chose and paid for a more expensive premium delivery, the difference need not be refunded). The refund must be made within 14 days of the trader receiving the goods back, or of receiving evidence they have been returned, whichever is earlier, and using the same payment method the consumer originally used unless they expressly agree otherwise.
A trader can make a deduction from the refund if the value of the goods has been diminished by handling beyond what would be reasonable to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods — broadly, the same handling you would be allowed in a physical shop. Using an item extensively, damaging packaging that affects resale value beyond reasonable inspection, or wearing clothing outside before returning it can all justify a deduction.
Exceptions to the Cooling-Off Right
A significant list of goods and services are excluded from the cooling-off right, or lose it once a specific event occurs:
- Bespoke or personalised goods made to the consumer's specification
- Goods that deteriorate or expire rapidly, such as fresh food or flowers
- Sealed goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons, once unsealed after delivery (such as cosmetics, earrings, or underwear)
- Sealed audio or video recordings or software, once unsealed after delivery
- Newspapers, periodicals and magazines (except ongoing subscriptions)
- Goods inseparably mixed with other items after delivery
- Digital content supplied on a durable medium is fully covered, but digital content downloaded or streamed with express consent typically loses the cancellation right once download or streaming begins
- Accommodation, transport, car hire, catering or leisure services booked for a specific date or period
- Urgent repairs or maintenance requested by the consumer during a trader's visit
Traders must still clearly disclose where an exception applies before the purchase is made — silence on the point does not automatically preserve the exception if the consumer was not properly informed.
Digital Content and Streaming
Downloadable or streamed digital content — an app purchase, an e-book, a game download, or access to a specific streamed film or show — typically loses its cancellation right the moment performance begins, provided the trader obtained the consumer's prior express consent and acknowledgement that they will lose the right to cancel once downloading or streaming starts. This is usually presented as a checkbox at checkout.
If the trader fails to obtain this acknowledgement before supply begins, the standard cooling-off right (and its extension for non-disclosure of cancellation-right information) continues to apply, meaning the consumer could in principle cancel and claim a refund even after starting to consume the content — a strong incentive for digital content sellers to get the checkout consent step right.
Distance Selling vs Faulty Goods Rights
The 14-day cooling-off right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 is completely separate from the statutory rights that apply when goods are faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Faulty goods rights apply to any purchase — in-store, online or by phone — and last considerably longer: a 30-day short-term right to reject for a full refund, followed by a right to one repair or replacement attempt, and a final right to reject within six months if that attempt fails, with the burden of proving the fault was not present at delivery resting on the trader during the first six months.
In practice, a consumer with a faulty item bought online has both routes potentially available depending on timing — the 14-day distance selling cooling-off right if within that window (which does not require proving a fault at all), or the Consumer Rights Act routes for a genuinely defective item at any point within the statutory windows.
How to Cancel
Cancellation can be given by any clear statement to the trader setting out the decision to cancel — an email, a letter, a phone call, or the model cancellation form the trader is required to make available. Where the trader offers an online cancellation option, they must acknowledge receipt of the cancellation without delay on a durable medium such as email.
It is the date the cancellation notice is given that matters for meeting the 14-day deadline, not the date the goods are physically returned — so keeping clear evidence of when and how notice was given (a sent email with timestamp, a tracked letter, a screenshot of an online cancellation confirmation) is the single most useful step a consumer can take to protect their position if a dispute later arises about whether they cancelled in time.