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ARTICLE · 05 DECEMBER 2025

CMA Cracks Down On Pre-ticked Boxes: What Online Sellers Needs To Know

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

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As part of its work on online pricing claims, the CMA has issued guidance for traders when selling optional extras (like insurance or faster delivery).

United KingdomConsumer Protection
Geraint Lloyd-Taylor
Geraint Lloyd-Taylor
Brinsley Dresden
Brinsley Dresden
Jen Dinmore
Jen Dinmore
Alex Meloy
Alex Meloy
Fleur Chenevix-Trench
Fleur Chenevix-Trench
Helen Hart
Helen Hart
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As part of its work on online pricing claims, the CMA has issued guidance for traders when selling optional extras (like insurance or faster delivery). This is alongside its price transparency guidance, which, among other things, covers mandatory extras.

The key takeaway is you must not charge customers for optional extras, unless the consumer has expressly agreed to it. This requirement isn't new — it is set out in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Getting express consent

If you are offering optional extras linked to the main product you are selling, you should not charge for those extras by default.

Consumers must have genuine choice over whether to pay for an extra product or service they may or may not wish to choose. You can't use pre-ticked boxes or other forms of automatic opt-in for optional extras, if that means the customer will have to pay for them unless they take action to opt out.

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