[amaccuish]

>The merchant may register a subscription or other recurring charge arrangement with the customer’s bank or card provider.

An advantage of Direct Debits in the UK is that I see them all in my banking app and can cancel them individually. A company is legally required to gain my consent again before charging again.

[Dayshine]

Of course, just because you cancel your Direct Debit doesn't mean you aren't legally on the hook for that payment.

They can still send demand letters and "send you to collections".