It’s either you’re all in or you’re all out with Netflix as the streaming giant has removed their free trial.
As first spotted by Phil Swann, the streamer is no longer giving users a chance to try the service for free. Instead, you have to sign-up for one of their plans, though you are not contractually bound and can cancel the service at any time.
According to the Netflix Help Center, “Free trials are not available, but you can still sign up and take advantage of all Netflix has to offer. There are no contracts, no cancellation fees, and no commitments. You have the freedom to change your plan or cancel online at any time if you decide Netflix isn’t for you.”
It seems the company started drawing back on free trials last year. In certain countries, Netflix removed the 30-day free trial option as early as March 2019, but then restored the offer with only 14-day free trials in May. In countries such as Spain, the option hasn’t been available since at least the beginning of this month. Currently, the option isn’t available across all markets.
In July, the streaming giant reached nearly 193 million global subscribers, up over 25 million from the beginning of the year. Given such rapid growth in the first half of the year, they seem to be willing to try out removing the free trial to see its impact.
It looks like this may be a new trend surfacing amongst the big streamers. In June, Disney+ also axed their seven-day free trial option. When new subscribers navigate through the sign-up process now, they are prompted to immediately begin paying for the $6.99 per month service (which is heavily marketed as part of a $12.99 bundle with Hulu and ESPN+).
For streamers, while free trials are a great way to acquire customers, it sometimes makes it too easy to just try it, binge, and cancel.