alt Hacker NewsThe virtual card trick is underrated as a consumer solution. Create a new card per subscription, delete it when you want to cancel. No dark patterns can survive that. The problem is it puts the burden on consumers to be technically sophisticated, which most aren't. And the average person shouldn't need a fintech workaround to cancel a gym membership.
Exactly. Virtual cards are a clever workaround, but the fact that people need a workaround at all is the problem. A consumer protection issue should not depend on whether someone knows the fintech hacks. The baseline should be simple: if it’s easy to sign up, it should be just as easy to cancel. Laws should be aimed at removing the burden from consumers, not rewarding the small slice of people who are technical enough to route around dark patterns.