CancelTrap

Stop unwanted renewals before they cost you more. Get to the right cancellation page without digging through menus

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Inspiration

My mom called me, worried.

Her bank statement showed a charge every month. Months earlier, she'd signed up for a "free trial" to convert one document. She never used it again, but the money kept leaving.

When she tried to cancel, she got lost in confusing menus and retention questions, scared that one wrong click would cost her more.

I'm a software engineer. It still took me almost 5 minutes of hidden settings and misleading buttons to cancel it for her.

If a developer struggles, what chance does everyone else have?

So I built CancelTrap.

I built CancelTrap so no mother, student, or family ever has to feel helpless against deceptive companies stealing their hard-earned money.

What it does

CancelTrap is a simple shield that stops unwanted subscriptions before you get charged.

Direct cancellation in seconds: search any service or paste a link, and skip the maze to the real cancel page Live web verification: finds current cancellation pages for global brands and local services. It's built to avoid made-up links, and it tells you honestly when it can't verify one Reveals the traps: warns you before you click, like buttons that only "pause" billing or say "Manage" instead of "Cancel" Free software detection: spots 100% free tools like Blender and Wikipedia, so you know you'll never be charged One-click calendar reminder: a reminder on your phone 48 hours before a trial ends Stress into a smile: a cartoon stick fighter hunts down the cancel button and celebrates your win with confetti

How we built it

  • Next.js & React: a calming, oceanic glass design that feels clean, trustworthy, and simple on both phone and desktop
  • Live web search layer (Brave Search API): looks up the real, current cancellation pages for new and regional services, so results aren't guesses
  • Google Gemini AI: reads those live results, verifies the exact steps, and rejects fake queries instead of inventing broken links
  • Domain verification: checks live domain records before any link is shown, so you never land on a made-up page
  • Handcrafted animations: lightweight stick figure animations built with pure code, smooth on any device

Challenges we ran into

  • Stopping AI guesswork: AI loves to guess plausible-sounding links when it doesn't know the answer. That's dangerous when someone is trying to stop a charge. So I made Gemini work only from real, live web results (Brave Search API), and I check live domain records before any link is shown. If a service can't be verified, CancelTrap tells you honestly instead of making something up.

  • Designing for real people, not techies: it's easy to build a complex dashboard. It's hard to build something simple enough for a non-technical parent. So I cut the jargon and kept the whole experience to two clicks: search and cancel.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Mom-proof simplicity: I built an experience so clear that my mom can cancel a service herself in under 30 seconds. If she can do it, anyone can.

  • Built to avoid fake links: every result is checked against real, live web data before it's shown. If a service can't be verified, CancelTrap tells you honestly instead of sending you to a dead end.

No sign-ups. No passwords. Calendar reminders are created directly on your phone, so there's no account to make and nothing to remember.

What we learned

Technology should protect people, not trick them. Building CancelTrap taught us that the most powerful applications aren't the ones with the most features, but the ones built with deep empathy for the people who need them most.

What's next for CancelTrap

CancelTrap fixes cancelling. Next, I want to stop people from falling into the trap in the first place.

Browser extension

  • Trap alerts at checkout: warns you the moment you land on a free trial or checkout page with deceptive cancellation terms
  • One-click trial reminder: set the reminder right on the page, before you sign up
  • Cancel shortcut: open any subscription's settings page and CancelTrap shows you the exact route and the traps to avoid

Connectors (optional, read-only, you stay in control)

  • Email connector: spots trial and receipt emails so CancelTrap can list the subscriptions you forgot about
  • Calendar connector: adds renewal reminders straight to your calendar, no download needed
  • Bank & mobile money alerts: gently flags subscriptions you haven't used in two months

Community protection board

Everyday people warn each other about newly discovered subscription traps, so every report makes the cancel paths better for everyone.

The goal: nobody's mom ever has to make that phone call.

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Updates

posted an update —

We've ALL fallen into the free trial trap Sign up for a 7-day trial, forget about it, and boom, you're charged. So we end up blocking our Visa cards just to escape. CancelTrap finds the exact cancel page, warns you about the decoy buttons, and even sets a reminder before the trial ends. No more blocking your card Simple idea, massive impact!

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Submission history