A free trial is a fair deal when you decide how it ends. It's a trap when the service decides for you. These five habits keep the decision yours.
1. Write the end date the moment you sign up
The end date is the most important detail, and it's easiest to capture while you're on the sign-up page. Check the confirmation screen or email for the exact date and the price the trial converts to.
2. Add it to your list straight away
Add the trial to your subscriptions with the date it converts and the price it will charge. In Suboptima you add it like any other subscription, with the trial's end date as the renewal date, so it shows up in your upcoming renewals.
3. Set a reminder two days before
Cancel before the end date so there's room for something to go wrong. Many services let you keep using the trial until the day it ends even after you cancel.
4. Test the thing you signed up for
Decide in advance what you want to find out. Does it do the one job I need? Do I actually open it? Use it for exactly that in the first week. If it isn't doing the job by day seven, cancel then.
5. Know the tricks and limits
- Some services ask for a card to start a trial and some don't. When you're unsure, prefer the ones that don't.
- Some banks let you create a separate card number for online trials that you can freeze afterwards. Check whether yours does.
- Signing up again with a new email to stretch a trial usually breaks the terms, so don't count on it.
If you decide to keep the service, start on the monthly plan. Moving to the yearly plan after a few months of real use is safer than prepaying for a year on day one.