Free Trials are always fun- you get to try out a service and see if it’s for you. Sometimes it is…sometimes it’s not. Here are my top 10 tips for avoiding paying for a service that just isn’t for you.
- All good things come to an end. That free trial isn’t endless- there is a time when they are going to charge you for it. (Aren’t you glad that MSM isn’t a “FREE TRIAL” but is {and always will be} a free service for you!). Know when that end point it. Set an alert in your phone’s calendar for 3 days prior to that. I include the account number and contact info in my phone for when I need to cancel. Then my calendar alerts me within plenty of time to cancel.
- Read the fine print. When I share a free trial offer here on MSM I try to give you ALL the info available to me. Sometimes I try a service before sharing it but that isn’t always possible. But always be sure to read the fine print of any offer yourself before accepting it. Know the terms of cancellation especially for offers that send monthly shipments, etc.
- Know what you are getting and the cost. Many “free” offers have some cost associated with them. They may not charge you for the product, but shipping & handling may not be free. Know what you will be paying and what you will be getting.
- Know the red flags: If a company asks for your social security number it’s probably a red flag. They don’t need that to bill your credit card. Name, Address, telephone number, email, credit card number are all commonly needed to process the free trial and subsequent services. Social Security numbers are not usually necessary (an exception to this is a credit monitoring service such as Manilla or Credit Sesame both of which are reliable and reputable services) to process a free trial of a movie subscription.
- Go Prepaid whenever possible. I keep a prepaid credit card near my desk for free trial offers I am just not sure about. It might be a company I am not familiar with or one whose terms are murky. This keeps their hands away from my bank account. I keep less than $10 on that prepaid card. Not all free trial offers will accept a prepaid card but it never hurts to try!
- If not repaid- go credit. It’s rare that I recommend placing items on a credit card (that’s a whole different type of trap!) I would prefer to fight with my credit card company over unauthorized charges than have someone drain my cash out of my bank account through my debit card.
- Check your statements. It’s so easy just to pay a bill when it comes in or quickly glance at a bank statement. Check it each and every month line by line. Check on any charges you don’t recognize.
- Get it in writing. When cancelling get a confirmation number as well as ask the company to confirm via email or USPS mail. Keep this until at least 2 or 3 statements check out clear.
- Know where to complain: Hopefully all your free trials will run smoothy & you may even find some great new services. But if your free trial just didn’t work out for you- know where to complain. Start with the company. If they don’t give a satisfactory response (such as cancelling the service and ensuring you are not charged) you can report it to your local consumer protection agency. You can also contact the FTC if you were wrongly charged for what was supposed to be a free trial or file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
- Know the old saying “If It’s too good to be true….” it probably is. A free trial of a movie service for 30 days from a reputable company is something that is reasonable. A two year free trial for lawn mowing…probably not true. Again, here at MSM I try to only share offers that are true and valid. Most offers have been vetted by organizations I work with however I simply share offers and can not make any guarantee to their customer service. It’s always a good idea to follow the tips above to avoid getting a shocking bill for a free trial offer.
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