Your Which? membership

The following terms apply to anyone becoming a member of Which?

They apply in addition to our general terms.

If you have any questions, just ask our Customer Services Team and they will be happy to help.

Which? membership terms

Your membership

Introductory offer periods:

At the end of your introductory offer period, your membership will continue automatically at the standard rate unless you tell us otherwise during your introductory offer period. Soon after you register with us, we'll write to you to confirm when your introductory offer period starts and ends. Unless you tell us that you want to cancel by the end of this period, your membership will continue and you will be charged at the standard rate applicable to your membership. For information on how to cancel your membership, please refer to the "Cancelling your membership" section below.

Gift memberships:

Find out more about Which? gift subscriptions.

Paying for your membership:

If you are paying for your membership by card, we will store your card information for subscription payments and you may receive updated card account information directly from the financial institution issuing your card.

Full details of the cost and the payment dates applicable to your chosen membership will be provided to you during the registration process. You can pay using most credit and debit cards and all such payments will be subject to validation checks and authorisation by the card issuer. If the issuer of your card refuses to authorise your initial payment to us, then we will not be able to confirm your order and no contract will exist between us. We'll usually collect your membership payments by setting up a direct debit or continuous payment authority.

You'll pay for your membership monthly or annually depending on the membership you have chosen. If you're taking advantage of one of our introductory offers your membership will, unless you cancel, continue as a monthly or annual membership at the standard rate applicable to that membership when the introductory offer period ends. We will collect your payments each month or year in advance as applicable unless you cancel your membership (see the Cancelling your membership section below).

You can change your membership at any time, please contact us to discuss the most appropriate option for you.

Annual memberships will automatically renew at the end of each year that you have paid for unless you have told us that you don't want your membership to continue. We will contact you to remind you that your membership is due to renew, this reminder will usually be sent to you approximately five (5) weeks before your renewal date so that you have time to consider whether you want to end your membership before it renews. Please ensure that we always have your up to date contact details. 

Your membership details:

We will try to provide your membership details (username, password and user ID code) as soon as possible after your application has been received. Where you've chosen a specific username, we'll try to honour your choice, but this won't always be possible, and sometimes we may offer you an alternative.

Cancelling your membership

Cancelling via My Account

We're sorry you want to cancel your membership. To do this, log into My Account and follow the steps within the cancellation section. 

Cancelling via Live Chat

You can cancel a subscription by starting a conversation with our Live Chat team during opening hours, from 8.30am to 6pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday. If a member of our team are available, you'll see 'chat with an advisor' in the bottom-right corner of the page. 

Cancelling by phone

You can cancel your subscription by calling our member services team on 029 2267 0000. They're available from 8.30am to 6pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

All monthly and annual memberships:

You have an initial 14 day cancellation period in which to cancel your membership. If you are subscribing to a digital only membership this cancellation period will end 14 days after the day on which you took out your membership. If your membership includes a print magazine the cancellation period will end 14 days after the day on which you receive your first print magazine. If you cancel within the cancellation period you will be entitled to a full refund of your membership payment.

Monthly memberships: 

Once the cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you want to cancel your membership; your membership will end the day before your next payment is due.

Annual memberships: 

In the first year of your annual membership: After the cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you do not want your membership to continue beyond the year you have paid for; we will not provide a full or partial refund of your annual payment but you will continue to receive all the member benefits you have paid for up to when your membership ends and no further payments will be taken.

After the first year of your annual membership: Each time your membership renews you will again have a 14 day cancellation period in which to cancel your membership. If you are subscribing to a digital only membership this cancellation period will end 14 days after the day on which your subscription renewed. If your membership includes a print magazine the cancellation period will end 14 days after the day on which you receive your first print magazine following the renewal. If you cancel within this cancellation period you will be entitled to a full refund of the membership payment made following the relevant renewal. After this cancellation period has expired you can tell us at any time that you want to cancel your membership; your membership will end 30 days after we receive your cancellation request. We'll provide a pro-rata refund of the membership payment you have made for the year you're cancelling in, we'll base this on the number of days left on your membership for that year.

When your membership ends:

Once your membership has ended you will not be able to access digital content (if you are subscribing to a digital membership) and no further magazines will be sent to you (if your membership includes a print magazine)

Other important things you need to know

To purchase any of our Which? memberships you must be aged 18 or over.

Please keep your membership details confidential to help us maintain the security of our websites. You should not allow any other person to obtain access to Which? Online using your membership details.

Reinstating your membership

Please note that if you had previously subscribed to a Which? membership package and you wish to reinstate your membership, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide you with the same package at the same price.

If we need to change the price of your membership, we will always provide you with at least six weeks notice. If, as a result, you decide to change or cancel your membership, please let us know so we can amend your records accordingly.

What happens if you don't comply with these terms?

We will treat any non-compliance as a serious issue, and if we think you have breached any of these terms, we may take any action that we consider appropriate. This may include the temporary or permanent suspension of your access to our websites.

If we don't comply with these terms we will be happy to compensate you for any loss you suffer as a direct result of up to £100 each time.

The European online dispute resolution (ODR) platform can be accessed here: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This can be used for resolving disputes about products and services purchased online.

Terms: 1:1 buying advice & Ask Which?

The terms below apply if you have a membership that you took out before 2nd September 2020 that includes 1:1 buying advice, or a membership you took out on or after 17th November 2021 that includes Ask Which?:

Our customer service advisers can provide telephone advice to individuals relating to consumer goods for sale in the UK which have been reviewed by us, and in relation to our reviews on our website/app. For example, we may provide guidance on the washing machines to meet your budget, comparing mobile phones, or what cars have passed our safety tests.

The terms below apply if you have a membership that you took out between 2nd September 2020 and 16th November 2021 that includes 1:1 buying advice:

Our customer service advisers can provide online buying advice to individuals relating to any of the products listed below that we have reviewed:

  • Fridge freezers
  • Fridges
  • Freezers
  • Built-in ovens
  • Freestanding cookers
  • Range cookers
  • Hobs
  • Cooker hoods
  • Microwaves
  • Dishwashers
  • Washing machines
  • Tumble dryers
  • Washer dryers

The terms below apply to all 1:1 buying advice and Ask Which?:

As well as providing guidance on which product to buy we may also provide guidance on where you can purchase the product.

Guidance on where to buy relevant goods is based on the "where to buy" feeds found on our website/app.

Price information we use to provide this guidance is updated regularly, however we will not have details of all online retailers and we cannot provide advice relating to high street only retailers. We also cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide suggested retailers for every product that we have provided you with guidance on.

We reserve the right not to advise in respect of any products, and we will not provide advice in relation to products which have not already been reviewed by us. Any advice provided by us is only intended as guidance, and should not be considered a final recommendation or endorsement.

When a retailer link is followed on our website we may receive an affiliate commission, irrespective of whether a purchase is made.

1:1 buying advice and Ask Which? are available on weekdays between 8:30am and 6:00pm, excluding public holidays.

You can access one-to-one buying advice by logging into your account and selecting the 1:1 buying advice tab.

You can access Ask Which? by logging into your account and selecting the Ask Which? advice tab

Terms: Consumer Rights Advice Line

The terms below also apply if your membership includes access to the Consumer Rights Advice Line.

What we will do for you

Consumer Law Advice: Our team of qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers will provide telephone legal advice to individuals relating to general consumer issues (excluding holiday or travel related issues) arising within the UK, for example: disputes with utility companies, mobile phone contracts or problems with faulty goods.

Availability: Our qualified lawyers and specialist legal advisers will be able to advise you Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 8.30am and 6pm. We will always try to connect you directly with a lawyer or adviser, but if they are all busy when you call, we will arrange for you to be called back. We will always let you know when to expect your call back.

We are only able to advise you (or a permanent member of your household). We are unable to advise someone who telephones us on your behalf unless you have previously given us permission to do so.

Professional Conduct: Our lawyers must comply with the Law Society's Rules and Principles of Professional Conduct of Solicitors and the Bar Code of Conduct. If we think responding to your request may cause us to break these rules (for example, it may cause a conflict of interest), we will be unable to advise you. If such a situation arises, we will always explain the position to you.

What we cannot do for you

  • Large-value disputes: We are only able to advise you in relation to civil disputes that would fall within the small claims court system. In England & Wales, this means the value of your dispute must be less than £10,000 for us to help you. In Scotland the maximum value is £5,000 and in Northern Ireland it is £3,000.
  • Advice on other legal advice: We cannot advise you on any aspect of another solicitor's advice, or where another solicitor is already advising you on that issue.
  • Written advice: Our lawyers and specialist advisers are only permitted to provide telephone legal advice and will not respond to written requests for advice.
  • Try and settle disputes directly: We are unable to intervene directly with a third party to try and settle your dispute.
  • Guarantee you always speak to the same lawyer or adviser: We try and connect you directly to a lawyer or adviser when you call us.
  • Assist you to recover sums to which you are not legally entitled. For us to advise you, you must have a genuine legal case.
  • Provide legal advice other than consumer law advice (for example, we can't advise on matters such as employment, wills, probate or neighbour disputes).

Other important things you need to know

Complaints: If you are unhappy about any aspect of the Consumer Rights Advice Line, then please let us know by contacting the Manager of our legal advice service:

  • Address: Which? legal advice service,  3 Capital Quarter,  Tyndall Street, Cardiff,  CF10 4BZ 
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Phone: 029 2267 0000

We will respond to your complaint fairly and usually within five working days. If we are unable to resolve your complaint and it relates to the legal advice you have received, we will explain how you can make a complaint about a particular lawyer to their professional body.

If we can't resolve things, you could refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

You should make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of our complaints handling process finishing. The Ombudsman won't accept a complaint if:

  • More than 6 years have elapsed from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint. More than 3 years have elapsed from the time when you should have known about the complaint.
  • The date of the alleged act or omission giving rise to the complaint was before 6 October 2010.

We are required by law to provide you with details of one of the approved-alternative dispute resolution schemes. Although our Which? legal advice service is not currently signed up to its services you can find details of Ombudsman Services at ombudsman-services.org.

The European online dispute resolution (ODR) platform can be accessed here: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This can be used for resolving disputes about products and services purchased online.

What happens if you don't comply with these terms?

 We will treat any non-compliance as a serious issue, and if we think you have breached any of these terms, we may take any action that we consider appropriate. This may include the temporary or permanent suspension of your use of the Consumer Rights Advice Line.

Additional links