Free trials offer an opportunity to try a product or service for a limited time before you buy it.
Often, the trial period will convince the user to become a paid customer.
However, in others, the user will not be interested in continuing using the product or service and will want to use his right to cancel the relationship with the company – just as promised.

Needless to say, if you’re one of the people who want to cancel their trial membership, it’s important to do so before the trial ends.
Why? Because many subscription programs (especially those who require credit card information at sign up), include an auto-payment component, which means the system will automatically bill you for a monthly or yearly subscription once the trial period expires.

Some service providers offer the ability to disable the automatic renewal feature in the first place, to avoid customer stress and unwanted credit card charges.
Others do not provide such a mechanism, which means the user has to rely on himself and remember to terminate his account before the end of the evaluation period.

Usually, legitimate companies offer easy ways to cancel a trial and their websites present detailed instructions on how to do so.
Each company has its own policy and procedure, but many offer the ability to do it from their websites or apps, either by filling a simple form or by adjusting the subscription management settings after logging in to the account.

So how can you find these instructions?
Simply look at the Help, FAQ or Customer Support section of the vendor’s website.
The full instructions are supposed to be presented there.

However, some websites make it more difficult for consumers to end their trial subscription and discontinue their membership.
Doing so may require more effort and time, in the form of an email or even calling the company by phone.

What to Do If You Fail to Cancel?

If you feel the service provider is treating you and your cancelation request poorly or unfairly – or worse, if you believe you have fallen victim to a scam, here are the things you can do:

• Contact the business directly by email and phone and demand to cancel the trial immediately. If it doesn’t work – move on to the next steps.
• File a complaint with the FTC.
• File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
• Contact your State Consumer Protection Office.
• Report the case to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• Contact your credit card company, explain the situation and try to dispute the charge.
• Tell your bank you did not authorize the transaction, and you would like to reverse the charge.