Guides › Faulty Goods and Refunds › Cancel an Online Course or Training Within 14 Days
Cancel an Online Course or Training Within 14 Days
If you sign up online or by phone for a course or other service, you generally have 14 days to cancel, starting the day after the contract is made. For digital content you download or stream, the right can be lost once it starts, if you agreed to that. The trader must refund you within 14 days of being told.
At a Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
Your Right to Cancel
The Cancellation Period
For goods, the 14 days run from the day after the goods come into your physical possession. For services and digital content, they run from the day after the contract is made (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30). source
What Cannot Be Cancelled
Some purchases have no right to cancel, including goods made to your specification or clearly personalised, and goods likely to spoil quickly (regulation 28 lists them all). source
Online Orders: Refund Deadline
The seller must refund you without undue delay, and within 14 days of getting the goods back or of you supplying evidence that you sent them, whichever is sooner. If nothing needs returning, within 14 days of being told you are cancelling. The refund must use the same payment method, with no fee (regulation 34). source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- 14 daysCancel a service bought online or by phoneFrom the day after the contract is made
- 14 daysRefund once agreedWithin 14 days of the seller agreeing you are entitled to one
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 5
Find the date you signed up.
Step 2 of 5
Tell the provider in writing that you are cancelling, within 14 days. Our free letter templates can write it for you.
Step 3 of 5
If you have started the course, ask what you will be charged for the part used.
Step 4 of 5
Check your refund arrives within 14 days.
Step 5 of 5
If it refuses and you paid by card, ask your card provider about chargeback or Section 75.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
The Retailer's Complaints Team
Always start here, in writing, and say which remedy you want.
Your Card or Credit Provider
If you paid by credit card or regulated buy now pay later and the shop will not put it right.
Citizens Advice Consumer Service
Free advice, and help deciding whether to start a small claim, once the seller has not put it right.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
If you ask for a course to start straight away, you may have to pay for what you used before cancelling.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 12 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/30 Checked 4 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/28 Checked 4 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/34 Checked 4 October 2026
- nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/what-do-if-problems-arise-supplied-goods Checked 12 October 2026
- fca.org.uk/consumers/buy-now-pay-later Checked 8 October 2026
- citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/small-claims/deciding-whether-to-make-a-small-claim Checked 8 October 2026