--- title: That 'Free Trial' Isn't Free If You Forget This description: Signing up for a free trial can feel like it comes with no risk. But if you don't make this one move, you could end up paying in the future. authors: - name: Marc Guberti url: https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/ bio: Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations. at_money_since: 2024 articles: 437 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2026-06-05T13:00:12.000Z' section: Personal Finance word_count: 497 canonical: https://money.com/free-trial-auto-renewal-trap/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** Money may earn a commission when you click on the products and services below. Opinions are our own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how they appear. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/) about how we make money. ![Close-up hands of unrecognizable man holding and using smartphone standing on city street, browsing internet, checking social media, using mobile application.](https://img.money.com/2026/06/Explainer-Free-Trial-Warning.jpg) That free trial you just signed up for may actually cost you money in the long run. Fitness apps, streaming platforms and other companies often provide a free trial for a set period of time, such as one month, to get customers to sign up. But if you forget to cancel the service, you’ll get charged when it renews. ## Why free trials are so easy to forget Free trials rely on automatic renewals, so customers must remember when that renewal is coming up to avoid being charged. While the lack of an upfront cost can make signing up feel low-risk, you can end up paying for subscriptions for several months even if you never use a product or service. These plans tend to require you to enter your payment information and often convert to paid plans immediately when the free trial period concludes. Gym memberships, software tools, dating apps and cloud storage are some of the businesses that rely on free trials. These subscriptions are designed to be frictionless to encourage more sign-ups. And while some companies send reminder emails about the free trial period concluding, it can be easy to miss those messages or forget to act on them. ## The one thing to do the minute you start a free trial The moment you start a free trial, set a cancellation reminder. That way, you can give yourself a few days to cancel the subscription before making your first payment. Setting the reminder before the last day gives you time to cancel the subscription and avoid billing cutoffs and weekend customer service delays. You can set an automatic reminder on your smartphone or put it in your calendar. Some budgeting apps and task managers can also send you notifications when it is time to unsubscribe from a plan. Some services let you cancel your subscription plan immediately after signing up for a free trial. Those platforms often let you keep your plan until the free trial concludes. However, some free trials end the moment you cancel, so it’s good to check the terms first. Some platforms will let you know the last date of your plan right before you cancel. ## What to do if you already got charged If you have already been charged, immediately cancel your plan so you are not charged again in the future. It’s often easy to cancel on a company’s website, and you can also check any welcome emails you received when you signed up for where you can cancel. Some companies offer refunds for recent renewals, so it is a good idea to check with customer support. You can dispute a charge with your card issuer and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if it appears deceptive, unauthorized or fraudulent. If it is impossible to cancel the plan, that also gives you grounds to notify the FTC. 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