Why You Should Opt Out of Free Trials Right After Registration
Have you ever signed up for a free trial of an app because you’re curious what it looks like, but you really don’t want to be tied to paying for it? If you’re smart, you’ll take our advice and set a cancellation reminder on your calendar shortly before your trial expires . But there is an even smarter way: undo it immediately.
I don’t mean after you dig into the app and decide if you like it or not. I mean instantly. The iOS and Android app stores have a policy that you can still access what you paid for before it expires. Therefore, if you paid for something at the beginning of each month and then canceled in the middle of the month, your subscription is still active until the end of that month.
Free trials (usually) work the same way, but somehow it didn’t occur to me until recently when I installed the app with a three-day free trial. You have to cancel 24 hours before the end of the trial period, and usually I set myself a reminder on my calendar a couple of days ahead of schedule. I was trying to think of when I should set this reminder, when I had a moment in the brain of the galaxy: what if I just cancel now ?
It worked, of course, and the rest is history. For reference, Apple says that while paid subscriptions are canceled until the next payment, you “could” lose access if you cancel your free trial sooner. Android advises that if a user cancels a subscription during the free trial, they keep their access until the end of the trial.
It’s worth trying this instant cancellation method for free trials other than apps, although terms may vary. And if that line of discussion leaves you wondering how many subscriptions you are paying for that you should have canceled already, here are instructions on how to review and massively cancel your iOS apps . (On Android, you’ll find a list of subscriptions in the Play store.) And next time, look out for those red flags so you don’t try out a scam at all.