negative option

American  

[neg-uh-tiv op-shuhn] / ˈnɛg ə tɪv ˈɒp ʃən /

noun

1. a clause in a sales contract, such as for a series of books or records, that provides that merchandise will be sent periodically to subscribers unless they notify the company in writing that it is not wanted.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• negative-option
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of negative option

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

“They use the words ‘credit repair,’ but what’s really happening here is a negative option that extracts fees from people with the assumption that most people wanted this.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

This tactic is sometimes called a negative option, meaning that a consumer’s failure to say no to receiving a good or service amounts to consent to being charged for it.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

In 2019, the FTC began working on expanding its 1973 regulation of book clubs to cover all forms of negative option marketing and published a final rule last November.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

Industry could hardly be unaware that the rule was under consideration; businesses had mobilized to protect negative option marketing starting at least in 2019, and they hardly lacked for resources to “dissuade” the commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

The FTC acknowledged in 2019 that its current rule addressing negative-option plans is too narrow to “reach most modern negative option marketing.”

From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2021