How Free Are Free Trials? The Psychology of Subscription Traps

"Nothing in life is free. Everything comes with a cost, even if that cost is hidden." Warren Buffett

Let’s be honest, we’ve all signed up for a free trial, thinking we’ve figured out a clever hack. Whether it’s Netflix, Spotify, or some productivity app, that sweet little “₹0 for 30 days” offer feels like we’re getting the better end of the deal. But more often than not, we forget. The trial ends quietly, the billing begins, and we don’t even realise that our money has started disappearing, month after month.

Now here’s the thing: these trials aren’t just about generosity. They’re business strategies. Smart ones, at that. There’s actual psychology behind how they work. People are wired to love free stuff; it gives us a rush. There’s even a name for it in behavioral economics: the zero price effect. We assign more value to something just because it’s free, even if it comes with conditions or hidden catches.

And that’s exactly where companies play their game. They rely on us forgetting to cancel. Our brains are busy, we’re juggling college, classes, work, social media, and cancelling that one free trial just isn’t a priority. Before we know it, we’re billed. Even worse, cancelling it later often feels like solving a puzzle. You go through menus, settings, and confirmation emails, and still end up stuck. This delay is not random; it’s called “sludge,” a tactic used to make cancelling feel like too much effort.

And even when we do remember to cancel, a different kind of trap kicks in. By now, we might actually like the product. It’s comfortable. It’s part of our routine. So, stopping feels like losing something we’ve grown used to. That’s called loss aversion. And if you’ve paid even once, your brain will tell you, “Well, you’ve already spent money, might as well keep using it.” That’s the sunk cost fallacy; another psychological trick that keeps us spending even when we don’t want to.

Now, this doesn’t mean all subscriptions are evil. Many are useful, fair, and actually worth the money. But the way free trials are marketed and structured often makes it really easy for people to fall into a spending loop without realizing it.

So what can we do? First, set a reminder the moment you start a trial. Mark the end date on your calendar and cancel a day before. Second, use virtual cards or payment blockers if you’re just trying something temporarily. And finally, make it a habit to check your active subscriptions every month; you’ll be surprised how many you forgot about.

Free trials seem harmless at first. And sometimes, they truly are. But the next time you see “Try Premium for Free,” stop for a second and ask yourself, are you using the trial, or is the trial using you?