If you subscribe to Medium's paid membership, you will be charged in advance and cannot get a refund for any unused portion — even if you cancel partway through a billing period.
This analysis describes what Medium'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 clause creates a commitment structure where subscription payments are collected in advance and designated as non-refundable, establishing Medium's payment and refund policy framework. The unilateral fee modification right allows Medium to adjust pricing terms with notification procedures but without requiring user consent prior to the change taking effect.
The updated terms expand a data collection warranty to apply to all personal information users provide to Medium, not limited to newsletter editor submissions. Users now represent and warrant that any personal information they submit has been lawfully collected and that all required notices and consents were obtained before collection. This means the warranty applies whether data is provided through newsletters, account profiles, submissions, or other Medium features. If a user provides personal information collected without proper notice or consent, they may be in breach of this representation.
View change record →The complete removal of subscription billing and refund terms eliminates explicit legal language governing membership payments, potentially relocating these protections elsewhere or eliminating specific contractual commitments.
View full change record →Paid Medium members are locked into non-refundable subscription fees with no pro-rata refund for cancellation, and Medium can unilaterally increase subscription prices with notification only by email and website posting.
How other platforms handle this
Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each subscription period unless you cancel your subscription before the renewal date. You authorize Skillshare to charge your payment method on a recurring basis for the subscription fee.
Some of our Services require payment of fees. If you sign up for a paid subscription, you agree to pay the applicable fees. Subscriptions automatically renew unless you cancel before the renewal date.
Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled before the renewal date. By subscribing to a paid plan, you authorize Midjourney to charge your payment method on a recurring basis at the then-current subscription fee. You are responsible for canceling your subscription before renewal if you do not...
Monitoring
Medium has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 25 platforms.
"Medium offers a membership program (a 'Membership'). Medium memberships are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis and are non-refundable. There will be no refunds or credits for partial months of service, upgrade/downgrade refunds, or refunds for months unused with an open account. By signing up for a Membership, you agree to pay Medium the monthly or annual subscription fees indicated for that service. Subscription fees are non-refundable. We reserve the right to change the subscription fee for the Membership program. We'll notify you via email and by posting on the site.— Excerpt from Medium's Medium Terms of Service
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates FTC Negative Option Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 425), which requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of subscription terms before purchase, simple cancellation mechanisms, and advance notice of material changes. The FTC's updated Negative Option Rule (effective 2024) imposes stricter requirements on auto-renewal disclosures. California's Automatic Renewal Law (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17600 et seq.) requires affirmative consent, clear disclosure, and acknowledgment of auto-renewal terms. Similar statutes apply in New York (General Obligations Law §5-903) and Illinois. EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) and DSA impose transparency obligations on subscription terms and cancellation rights.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Monitor: 25 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Compliance Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Compliance 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 clause creates a commitment structure where subscription payments are collected in advance and designated as non-refundable, establishing Medium's payment and refund policy framework. The unilateral fee modification right allows Medium to adjust pricing terms with notification procedures but without requiring user consent prior to the change taking effect.
Paid Medium members are locked into non-refundable subscription fees with no pro-rata refund for cancellation, and Medium can unilaterally increase subscription prices with notification only by email and website posting.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Medium.