Hong Kong to introduce cooling-off period for prepaid beauty and fitness contracts in 2027

The Hong Kong government will table a bill at the Legislative Council in the first half of 2027 to introduce a statutory cooling-off period for prepaid beauty and fitness contracts, the commerce chief has said.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah revealed the timeline on Saturday, two weeks after the government concluded a two-month consultation on the policy proposal to address limitations of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance on August 31.

“We hope to table the amendment bill in the first half of 2027 and queue to amend the ordinance,” he told a radio show.

“However, its schedule is subject to whether the government has other bill amendments. We hope to move forward as quickly as possible.”

The administration suggested rolling out a statutory seven-day cooling-off period and a 14-day refund window for prepaid beauty and fitness contracts. It also proposed exempting lower-value contracts to minimise disruptions, with the threshold ranging from HK$3,000 (US$542) to HK$15,000 or above.

Yau said that while the two industries supported a seven-day cooling period, which referenced other economies, representatives from both sectors held different views on the contract threshold.