The withdrawal button: what has changed
A consumer who buys something online may withdraw from the purchase within the withdrawal period. That is not new. What is new is how: since 19 June 2026 an online shop must have a withdrawal function on its site for it, commonly called the withdrawal button. The rule comes from Directive (EU) 2023/2673, which adds to the European rules for distance selling. The directive applies from 19 June 2026; in the Netherlands the rule has been in the Civil Code (article 6:230oa) since 25 June 2026.
The idea behind it is simple: withdrawing must be as easy as ordering. A form the customer has to print, or an email address somewhere in the terms, is no longer enough.
What the rule asks exactly
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| The function itself | A button or link on your site labelled 'Withdraw from contract here' or words that are just as clear |
| Easy to find | Clearly visible and easy to reach, for the whole withdrawal period |
| The statement | The consumer enters: their name, the contract they withdraw from (or the part of it) and the email address for the confirmation |
| Sending | With a button 'Confirm withdrawal' or words that are just as clear |
| Acknowledgement of receipt | Without undue delay, on a durable medium such as email, with the content of the statement and the date and time of receipt |
This article summarises the rule as it is in the directive. How it works out in your situation depends on your products, your terms and the exceptions to the right of withdrawal. Put that to a lawyer.
Who it applies to
The rule applies to contracts a consumer concludes through a website or app. Those are ordinary orders, and subscriptions as well. If you only sell to businesses, the consumer right of withdrawal is not about your customers.
The existing exceptions to the right of withdrawal remain, for example for goods that spoil quickly or that are sealed for hygiene reasons and were opened after delivery. The withdrawal function changes nothing about when a customer may withdraw; it only governs how the customer does it.
Right of withdrawal for subscriptions
For a subscription to goods the withdrawal period starts with the first delivery. A customer who withdraws in that period wants out of the whole subscription, or sometimes of one delivery only. Two things matter in practice:
- No new charge should go through while you are still looking at the withdrawal.
- Withdrawing is not the same as cancelling. Cancelling stops the subscription for the future; withdrawing reverses the purchase and you refund what the customer paid.
For the refund the period that already existed applies: at the latest 14 days after you received the withdrawal. You may wait until the products are back or the customer proves they sent them.
A withdrawal button in Shopify: how to set it up
Shopify has no built-in withdrawal function. You need a page with the form, a confirmation email that contains the content and the time, and a place where you find the withdrawals. With Loyalo it works like this:
- The page is readyLoyalo puts a withdrawal page in your store, in the look of your theme and without the customer having to log in. The customer enters name, email address and order or subscription number and clicks 'Confirm withdrawal'.
- You put the link in your footerIn Shopify under Online Store › Navigation, labelled 'Withdraw from contract here'. In the customer portal Loyalo adds the link by itself.
- The customer gets a confirmation right awayAn email in the name of your store with what they sent and the date and time of receipt.
- A running subscription is pausedWhen a logged-in customer withdraws from their subscription, Loyalo pauses it until you have decided. No charge goes through in the meantime.
- You handle it in the dashboardYou see every withdrawal with the last date for the refund, and choose: accept or reject, stop or resume the subscription. You refund from the order in Shopify.
Checklist
- There is a link 'Withdraw from contract here' on every page of your store, for example in the footer
- The link works without logging in
- The form asks for a name, the contract and an email address, and no more than needed
- The button to send is labelled 'Confirm withdrawal'
- The customer immediately gets an email with the content and the time of receipt
- Your terms and your model withdrawal form are up to date
- Someone in your team knows where withdrawals come in and by when you refund
Frequently asked questions
What is the withdrawal button?
A button or link on your online shop with which a consumer withdraws online from a contract concluded online. They enter their name, the contract and an email address, confirm the withdrawal and get an acknowledgement of receipt with the date and time.
Does the button have to say exactly 'Withdraw from contract here'?
The directive names those words, or words that are just as clear. If you want to be sure, use the text as it is.
May I make the customer log in to withdraw?
The function must be easy to reach. A mandatory login is a hurdle, certainly for customers who ordered as a guest. Loyalo's withdrawal page therefore works without a login.
Do I always have to accept a withdrawal?
No. The function governs how a customer withdraws, not whether they may. If the withdrawal period is over or an exception applies, you may reject the withdrawal. You always have to acknowledge receipt.
Does this apply to my subscriptions too?
Yes. A subscription a consumer takes out online is a distance contract, so the withdrawal function applies to it as well.
Set up the withdrawal page
The help article walks through the steps: the link in your footer, the notice to you and handling a withdrawal.
To the help article