How to cancel a free trial before it charges you
Free trials are easy to forget. Here is a simple routine to cancel in time, where to cancel on iPhone and Android, and what to do if you were already charged.
A free trial is a good deal if you actually decide. It becomes a surprise bill when you forget. Most trials are set up to convert to a paid plan automatically at the end, so the only way to avoid the charge is to cancel before the trial finishes.
Here is a routine that works.
1. Cancel the moment you sign up
This sounds strange, but on many services you can cancel the renewal right away and still use the trial until its end date. That way, forgetting costs you nothing. Check the service's own wording to be sure it works this way for your trial, because it is not true everywhere.
2. Write down the end date, not the start date
The date that matters is when the trial converts to a paid plan. Put that date, and the price you will be charged, somewhere you will see them. Then add two reminders:
- Three days before, so there is time to decide.
- The day before, as a last call.
Tools like Traqeet's free-trial guard are designed for exactly this, with reminders three days before, one day before and on the morning of the date. You can also just use your phone's calendar.
3. Know where to cancel
Where you cancel depends on where you signed up.
If you subscribed through your iPhone: open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, choose the service and tap Cancel Subscription.
If you subscribed through Google Play on Android: open the Google Play app, tap your profile picture, choose Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions, pick the service and tap Cancel subscription.
If you signed up on the company's website with a card or mobile wallet: sign in on the website, find Account, Billing or Membership, and look for a cancel option. If it is hard to find, search the help pages for "cancel subscription".
If you signed up through your mobile network or a TV provider: the cancellation usually goes through them, not the app.
Cancel at least a day before the trial ends. Stores typically ask for cancellation some time before the renewal, so do not leave it to the last hour.
4. Keep the confirmation
After you cancel, look for a confirmation email or an updated status that says the subscription will not renew. Take a screenshot. If you are charged anyway, that evidence makes your case easier.
5. If you were charged by mistake
Do not panic. Try these in order:
- Cancel straight away so it does not charge you again.
- Contact the service, say that you forgot to cancel the trial, and ask for a refund. Many will help the first time if you ask politely and quickly.
- If you paid through the App Store or Google Play, refunds follow the store's own policy, so request one through the store.
- If you paid by card and the service ignores you, you can ask your bank about the charge. Banks have their own rules, so ask them what is possible.
Refund rules differ between companies and countries, and nothing here is a guarantee.
Make forgetting harder
Before you start a trial, ask: will I really use this in the next week? If not, skip it. If yes, set the reminders first, then sign up. And once a month, use the subscription cost calculator to see what your regular subscriptions add up to, so a new one does not slip in unnoticed.
Want a reminder system that does this for you? Join the Traqeet waitlist and we will tell you when it is ready.