The Act excludes contracts that are already regulated in their own way. The categories consistently reported from the Act and the draft guidance are: financial services and insurance; telecoms services regulated by Ofcom, such as mobile, broadband and pay TV from a telecoms provider; gas, electricity and water; healthcare and prescription medicines; package travel; childcare and school-age education; gambling; renting a home; and leisure activities on a specific date, such as a ticket.
After the 2025 consultation the government also said it would exclude certain memberships of charitable, cultural and heritage organisations, for example a membership that lets you visit a charity's sites or collections.
Free services, and services you pay for only with your data, are not covered because the rules require a payment. A one-off purchase or pay-as-you-go arrangement is not a subscription either.
No minimum price threshold has been reported, so a £1-a-month app subscription is covered in the same way as a £100-a-month one. Check the official exclusion list on legislation.gov.uk before relying on this page for a borderline case.