The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned businesses against offering unclear and misleading ‘free trials’ to consumers, as part of a wider crackdown on dodgy online deals.
In order to help businesses steer clear of such infractions, the ASA has published a rough set of guidelines on how free trials (a common feature of most streaming platforms) should be marketed and operated to best preserve transparency for the consumer.
Crucially, the ‘free’ trial must be entirely and unequivocally free. Only the “genuine, un-inflated cost of postage” may be charged if there is a delivery element to the trial – and such charges have to be made clear to the customer on sign-up.
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The ASA stresses that any charges for processes such as packing, packaging, handling, or admin fees are expressly forbidden, and that their inclusion would negate the free trial.
Any ads for the free trial must clearly display the Ts&Cs or link directly to them. Within the Ts&Cs, brands must state:
- What a consumer needs to do to take up the free trial
- Whether a paid subscription starts automatically (after the trial) unless cancelled
- How and when to cancel
- The extent of the financial commitment if the subscription is not cancelled during the trial
The advertiser must also make any other ‘significant conditions’ clear, for example: the end date for starting the “free trial” or limitations on who can take up the “free trial” such as new customers only.
