The Pros and Cons of Free Trials
Many companies offer new customers a free trial of their products or services. It’s a popular marketing tool, used to bring new customers in, before impressing them and hooking them in for the long-term. From a business point of view, a small freebie or a short-term free trial is well worth it if a customer ends up buying far more or subscribing to a service for much longer. But while we see free trials all over, you might often find yourself wondering what the catch is.
Well, there isn’t one. As long as you find the right free online trials and read the contract carefully, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons.
Pro – You Get Something for Nothing – What’s Not to Love?
It’s that simple, really. A free trial literally gives you something for nothing. Yes, the company will be hoping that you will become a long-term customer, but you are under no obligation ever to spend a penny.
Pro – You Might Find a New Product or Service That You Love
Finding services that you really love, and that offer you everything that you need, or even that live up to the hype, can be difficult. So, start trying before you buy. If you love it great; if not, what have you lost?
Pro – The Chance to Try New Things without Risk
The problem with online shopping or online services is that you don’t always know what you are getting until you’ve paid. It’s not the same as going into a shop and using your senses. You get a description and some reviews. This can be a big risk. Free trials give you a chance to try new things without any financial risk.
Con – Some Free Trials are Hard to Cancel
Most free trials will offer you an easy out. But not all. Some will take your bank details when you sign up, and then make it as hard as possible for you to cancel. This is becoming quite rare, but it does still happen.
Con – You Might Forget to Cancel
Of course, you might just forget, even if cancelling is easy. Most of us have, at some point, found ourselves paying for an extra month of something we don’t use, simply because we’ve forgotten to cancel after the trial.
Con – You Might Fall in Love with Something You Can’t Afford
One risk of a free trial is that you’ll absolutely love the service and be upset when you have to cancel because of your current financial situation.
Some free trials won’t ask for any payment details. These are great; you’ve got an easy out, and they’ve got no way to add you to a longer subscription without your knowledge. But most don’t. If you’ve entered payment details, a great tip is to cancel straight away if possible, and just enjoy the free trial until it runs out, or to set an alarm on your phone, reminding you to cancel before the end of the free period. Either way, you should be able to enjoy all of the free trials that you can find without having to worry about future payments.
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