How to read the notice period in your contract
A notice period tells you how long before the end of the contract your cancellation has to have reached the provider. If your contract says “three months before the end of the term” and the minimum term ends on 31 March, your cancellation has to reach the provider by 31 December before that at the latest.
What matters is not when you send it, but when it arrives. So allow a few days’ buffer – especially with letters by post and around public holidays.
You almost always need three details: the end of the minimum term, what happens after that (renewal) and the notice period itself. You’ll find them in the order confirmation, in the terms and conditions or in your customer account with the provider.
Minimum term, renewal, notice period – what is what?
The minimum term is the time during which you cannot cancel in the ordinary way, for example 12 or 24 months. After that, the renewal rule decides: some contracts end on their own, many renew automatically – either for a fixed number of months or for an indefinite period.
If a contract renews for an indefinite period, you can usually cancel it at any time with the agreed notice. If it renews for a fixed number of months, there is again a fixed end date – and the notice period is counted back from that end.
Example: gym, minimum term until 31 March 2027, then cancellable monthly with one month’s notice. If you cancel by 28 February 2027, the contract ends on 31 March 2027. If you cancel later, it ends one month after your cancellation is received.
What applies in Germany
In Germany, the following applies to many consumer contracts for recurring services concluded since 1 March 2022: if they renew tacitly, they may only renew for an indefinite period – and you can then cancel at any time with no more than one month’s notice (§ 309 Nr. 9 BGB). There are exceptions, for example for insurance.
In Germany, mobile phone and internet contracts may have an initial term of no more than 24 months; after that, they can be cancelled monthly (§ 56 TKG). Insurance has its own rules under the Insurance Contract Act, for example § 11 VVG.
If you concluded a contract online in Germany, the provider also has to let you cancel on its website using a cancellation button (§ 312k BGB).
Austria and Switzerland have their own rules. That is why the calculator assumes nothing and works with the details from your contract.
Common pitfalls
Missed the deadline: the contract then usually renews according to the renewal rule. In that case, the calculator shows you the next possible date.
Wrong end date: many terms start with activation or delivery, not with signing. If in doubt, check your customer account or ask the provider briefly.
No proof: keep the provider’s confirmation or a proof of sending. If no confirmation arrives, ask for one.
Weekends and public holidays: if the last day of the notice period falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline for a cancellation is usually not extended. Plan so that your cancellation arrives a few working days earlier.
After the calculation: cancel or keep it on purpose
Not every contract has to go. Often it is enough to make a conscious decision once a year. If you want to cancel, our free cancellation letter helps you. If you want to keep it, you can note down the next date – or save it in Wealthbliss and let Plus remind you in good time.