Buyer Beware: Free Magazine Trials

This blog post is about the benefits and dangers of magazine subscriptions that are sold for a one-time fee.

For as little as $2.99, magazines allow you to pay for an entire month's worth of magazines without having to worry about purchasing them every month or reading them on your phone. Most of these services also offer up a trial period, which typically lasts  for a few weeks to one year and gives users ample time to try their first magazine subscription out before deciding whether or not it's right for them.

However, there are tons of shady free trial offers out there that could end up giving you another person's bill or even harm your credit score.

Two of the biggest red flags are that you get charged for magazines before you've even read any of them, and you're paying for magazines that you simply can't access. In other words, the magazine is not available to you when it comes time to cancel your subscription.

The Subscription Issue

Desperate to get your hands on the latest issue of Playboy? Or how about a free trial of Popular Science? Of course, you can usually find these types of offers popping up in your email inbox every day. The free trial is enticing and who wouldn't want to get $2.99 off your first purchase?

There are lots of other similar offers out there, including free magazines for pregnancy, golfing, parenting, fashion and more.

The problem with these offers is that they appear to be a one-time charge but they actually set you up with a recurring monthly subscription. The only way to stop the magazines from being shipped to you is to cancel your subscription before it renews.

What happens if you forget? You'll be charged every single month until you catch the charges on your statement.

These magazines are coming directly from the publisher and not from a third party. Though companies like MyGiftCardsPlus.com help facilitate these offers, they don't have any control over whether or not you get a good company to handle the subscriptions for you. There's always a risk when dealing with these offers because some providers can lose their trust with the publisher and get blacklisted, which means you won't be able to access it anymore.

Possible Scams to Watch Out For

Some free trial websites are just bait for phishing attempts and fake credit card scams. In fact, some of them even use scare tactics by claiming that your credit card will be charged immediately after your free trial offer expires. Unfortunately, some free trial websites also sell your credit card data to others.

If you've ever received an email claiming that you've been approved for a free trial with a magazine, but you didn't sign up for any subscription, there's a good chance it was just a scam.

Read Also: The Great Saver's 7 Tips to Save $1,100 Annually and Live a Happier Life

The Best Ways to Avoid Getting Scammed by Free Trial Offers

When it comes time to figure out how much future charges could be on your credit card statement, be sure that the offer is from the proper company. If you're not sure, try looking up the company's website or call their customer service department. The phone number is usually found in the fine print of the email.

Also, check out what they say in their cancellation policy. In most cases, you cancel within the first 30 days without any charges to your credit card. If you find that your account was charged after the trial period ended, it should be credited back to your account immediately.

However, this is not guaranteed, so be careful! The bottom line to all of the above is that you need to be very careful when signing up for free trial offers because there's always a chance you'll get charged.

What do you think? Is magazine subscription free trials a scam or worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have any questions about these types of offers, just drop us a comment and we'll do our best to answer them!

Title: Buyer Beware: Free Magazine Trials

"This blog post is about the benefits and dangers of magazine subscriptions that are sold for a one-time fee. "For as little as $2.99, magazines allow you to pay for an entire month's worth of magazines without having to worry about purchasing them every month or reading them on your phone. Most of these services also offer up a trial period, which typically lasts  for a few weeks to one year and gives users ample time to try their first magazine subscription out before deciding whether or not it's right for them."

"There are tons of shady free trial offers out there that could end up giving you another person's bill or even harm your credit score. "Two of the biggest red flags are that you get charged for magazines before you've even read any of them, and you're paying for magazines that you simply can't access. In other words, the magazine is not available to you when it comes time to cancel your subscription."

"The Subscription Issue "Desperate to get your hands on the latest issue of Playboy? Or how about a free trial of Popular Science? Of course, you can usually find these types of offers popping up in your email inbox every day. The free trial is enticing and who wouldn't want to get $2.99 off your first purchase? "The problem with these offers is that they appear to be a one-time charge but they actually set you up with a recurring monthly subscription. The only way to stop the magazines from being shipped to you is to cancel your subscription before it renews."

"What happens if you forget? You'll be charged every single month until you catch the charges on your statement."

"These magazines are coming directly from the publisher and not from a third party. Though companies like MyGiftCardsPlus.com help facilitate these offers, they don't have any control over whether or not you get a good company to handle the subscriptions for you. There's always a risk when dealing with these offers because some providers can lose their trust with the publisher and get blacklisted, which means you won't be able to access it anymore."

"Possible Scams to Watch Out For "Some free trial websites are just bait for phishing attempts and fake credit card scams. In fact, some of them even use scare tactics by claiming that your credit card will be charged immediately after your free trial offer expires. Unfortunately, some free trial websites also sell your credit card data to others.

Conclusion"If you've ever received an email claiming that you've been approved for a free trial with a magazine, but you didn't sign up for any subscription, there's a good chance it was just a scam."

"Read Also: The Great Saver's 7 Tips to Save $1,100 Annually and Live a Happier Life "The Best Ways to Avoid Getting Scammed by Free Trial Offers"What do you think? Is magazine subscription free trials a scam or worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have any questions about these types of offers, just drop us a comment and we'll do our best to answer them!"SOURCE: http://www.thegreatsaver.