23andMe generally does not issue refunds for payments made, except where law requires it or under the specific sample failure protocol described in the Terms.
This analysis describes what 23andMe's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The no-refund structure defines the financial terms under which service access is provided and establishes that payment obligations are unconditional upon service delivery. This provision allocates financial risk to the user once payment is made, regardless of service utilization level.
The updated Terms now apply only to users who live outside the United States, Canada, EEA, UK, and Switzerland, or who access the Services from outside those regions. US, Canadian, EEA, UK, and Swiss users are directed to region-specific Terms instead. Additionally, when terms for a specific Service conflict with the main Terms, the specific Service terms now govern that portion of your use rather than the main Terms controlling. The mandatory arbitration provision remains in the document but is no longer prominently featured at the very beginning of the Terms.
View change record →The updated Terms of Service now apply exclusively to users in the United States, narrowing the geographic scope from the prior version that addressed users in multiple regions. The terms now contain a prominently featured mandatory arbitration provision that requires disputes to be resolved through individual arbitration on an individual basis rather than through jury trials or class action lawsuits. This means that if a user has a dispute with 23andMe, the updated terms require arbitration as the method of resolution instead of traditional litigation. Additionally, if a user purchases additional services, the main Terms of Service (including the arbitration provision) will control any conflicting terms from those additional services. You can review the complete updated Terms of Service through the link provided in the document.
View change record →The updated terms now apply only to users who live outside or access services outside the United States, Canada, EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Previously, the terms applied to US-based users. The terms also clarify that when service-specific terms conflict with the general Terms of Service, the service-specific terms will govern that particular service rather than the general terms controlling all conflicts. This means users of additional services may operate under different dispute resolution and governance procedures depending on which service they are using.
View change record →Users who purchase a 23andMe service and later decide they do not want to proceed, or who are dissatisfied with results for reasons other than sample processing failure, are not entitled to a refund under the Terms, subject to any applicable legal requirements in their jurisdiction.
How other platforms handle this
You will not have the right to receive a refund for any amounts paid to us unless otherwise required by applicable law.
If you purchase a subscription, it will automatically renew until you cancel, in accordance with the terms disclosed to you at the time of purchase. Generally, all purchases are final and nonrefundable, and there are no refunds or credits for partially used periods, except if the laws applicable in ...
All purchases are final. No Refunds: We are unable to offer refunds for digital products, including in-app purchases and subscriptions, except as described in our refund policy or as required by applicable law.
Monitoring
23andMe has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.
"No Refunds. Except as may be required by applicable law, payments are non-refundable and there are no refunds or credits for partially used services. Please refer to 23andMe's Return and Refund Policy.— Excerpt from 23andMe's 23andMe Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: State consumer protection laws, including California's consumer protection statutes and various state automatic renewal laws, may require refund rights that supersede the no-refund policy. The FTC evaluates whether no-refund policies in consumer contracts are adequately disclosed before purchase. For subscription services under the Membership Terms incorporated by reference, state automatic renewal laws may impose additional cancellation and refund obligations. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The no-refund policy is common in consumer genetic testing services, but the carve-out for applicable law requires active jurisdictional monitoring. The policy applies to partially used services, which in the context of membership or subscription services raises questions about prorated refund rights under state law. JURISDICTION FLAGS: California's automatic renewal law and consumer protection framework may require specific disclosures and refund rights for subscription services that the no-refund policy does not currently address on its face. New York and other states with specific refund disclosure requirements should be considered. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Retailers or distributors selling 23andMe kits should confirm their own return policies are consistent with 23andMe's Terms, as the no-refund policy applies to 23andMe directly and may differ from retailer return policies. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should confirm that the no-refund policy is disclosed prominently in pre-purchase flows and on product pages, not only in the Terms of Service. For subscription products, the policy should be evaluated against applicable state automatic renewal and cancellation laws.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Professional Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.
Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.
The no-refund structure defines the financial terms under which service access is provided and establishes that payment obligations are unconditional upon service delivery. This provision allocates financial risk to the user once payment is made, regardless of service utilization level.
Users who purchase a 23andMe service and later decide they do not want to proceed, or who are dissatisfied with results for reasons other than sample processing failure, are not entitled to a refund under the Terms, subject to any applicable legal requirements in their jurisdiction.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 6 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by 23andMe.