# I keep paying for free trials I meant to cancel. What can help? > Keep paying for free trials you meant to cancel? Save the cancellation deadline, set an earlier reminder, and check the confirmation. Try WhatsApp examples. To remember to cancel a free trial, set the reminder as soon as you sign up. Save the service's name, its cancellation deadline, and where to cancel. Choose a reminder time before that deadline, then check the cancellation confirmation when you finish. A calendar or your phone's reminder app can do this. Poko is another option if you want the reminder to arrive on WhatsApp. The useful habit is giving yourself a time to act while the trial details are still in front of you. ## Save three things when you start the trial Before closing the signup screen, take a moment to save the details in one note you can find again. Keep the confirmation email or a screenshot of the offer with it. 1. **The service and the account you used** Write which trial you started and where you signed up. A subscription bought through an app store may be managed there, while one bought directly may be managed on the service's website. Save a way to identify the account so you can find the right subscription later. 2. **The deadline and the first payment** Check the stated cancellation cutoff, including any time or timezone shown. Also note the amount and billing period that would start afterwards. Use the terms for your actual offer instead of calculating a deadline from a remembered trial length. 3. **The place where you will cancel** Save the subscription settings link or the provider's cancellation instructions. Check whether you can complete it yourself or need to contact support. Leave time for those steps when choosing your reminder. ## Set the reminder before the cancellation cutoff Give yourself time to find the account, decide whether to keep the service, and finish cancelling. You could choose a few days before the stated cutoff for a longer trial. For a short trial, choose an earlier time that fits its actual terms. The last day of access may be later than the deadline to cancel. Apple, for example, tells customers to cancel free or discounted trial subscriptions at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Check the provider's instructions for your own subscription and schedule your reminder with time to spare. The example below opens Poko with a reminder already typed. Replace “my streaming trial” with the service's name and change tomorrow at 10am to your chosen date and time before pressing Send. Read Poko's confirmation. This example does not know when your trial ends. Poko has a 7-day free trial, with no card required. If your cancellation reminder is due after your Poko trial ends, you need an active paid subscription for it to run. You can also use your phone's built-in reminder app or calendar. [Remind me tomorrow at 10am to cancel my streaming trial](https://wa.me/917722891195?text=Remind%20me%20tomorrow%20at%2010am%20to%20cancel%20my%20streaming%20trial) (opens WhatsApp; review and press Send) - [Apple's cancellation instructions and trial deadline](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428): Check the guidance for subscriptions billed by Apple. - [Check Poko's plans](https://www.pokobot.com/pricing.md): Make sure your reminder service will be active on the date you need it. ## Can you cancel immediately after signing up? Check what the cancellation screen says will happen to your access. If it lets you keep the trial until its end date and you already know you do not want to renew, cancelling now removes a task from later. If the screen says access ends immediately and you still want to try the service, choose an earlier cancellation reminder that fits its terms. Read the details for this particular offer before deciding when to cancel. ## Cancel through the company that bills you For a subscription billed by Apple, its iPhone instructions start in Settings: tap your name, open Subscriptions, choose the subscription, and select Cancel Subscription. If you cannot find it, check the account and billing provider on the receipt. For a subscription billed through Google Play, open your subscriptions in Google Play, select the service, choose Cancel subscription, and finish the instructions. Google explicitly notes that uninstalling an app does not cancel its subscription. If you subscribed directly on a website or through another provider, use that provider's instructions. Keep going until the cancellation is confirmed; opening the settings page is only the start. - [Cancel a subscription billed by Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428): Official instructions for Apple devices, the web, and finding a missing subscription. - [Cancel a subscription billed through Google Play](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7018481?hl=en): Official cancellation steps and what happens afterwards. ## Check the confirmation before calling it done Look for a confirmation email or a subscription status showing that renewal has stopped. Save the confirmation and any access end date it shows. If the status is unclear, follow up with the provider while you still have time before the cutoff. A second reminder can prompt you to check the result of a cancellation request. Choose a time before your deadline. The example below is a time to edit, and Poko cannot check the status for you. [Remind me tomorrow at 6pm to check that my streaming trial is cancelled](https://wa.me/917722891195?text=Remind%20me%20tomorrow%20at%206pm%20to%20check%20that%20my%20streaming%20trial%20is%20cancelled) (opens WhatsApp; review and press Send) ## If you have already been charged Check the receipt and subscription status to see which service and account were charged. If you no longer want the subscription, follow its cancellation process and check when that takes effect. If you want to ask about a refund, use the billing provider's refund process. A cancellation and a refund request are separate steps. Eligibility depends on the purchase and the provider's policy; submitting a request does not guarantee a refund. - [Apple: request a refund for an app or subscription](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118223): How to submit a request and find the purchase on your account. - [Google Play: refund policies for apps and subscriptions](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/15574908): Eligibility and where to request help with a purchase. ## Keep one list if you have several subscriptions Keep a short list with each service, its next decision date, the amount, and whether you have cancelled it. Give each trial its own reminder before its cutoff. A monthly review can help you revisit subscriptions you chose to keep. A monthly review will not catch every short trial in time, so keep those individual deadline reminders. If you use the recurring example below, it runs on its schedule while your Poko trial or subscription is active, until you cancel it. [Remind me every month on the 1st at 6pm to review my subscriptions](https://wa.me/917722891195?text=Remind%20me%20every%20month%20on%20the%201st%20at%206pm%20to%20review%20my%20subscriptions) (opens WhatsApp; review and press Send) - [Set reminders for the payments you want to keep](https://www.pokobot.com/whatsapp-bill-reminders.md): Examples for regular bills and upcoming renewal dates. ## Try a reminder to check one trial today Open the two-minute example, press Send, and check Poko's confirmation. When the reminder arrives, open the trial's account page and find its cancellation deadline. You can then set a specific reminder for the service and time you chose. Check the timezone in Poko's welcome message and the date and time in its confirmation. You can send “timezone” followed by your city to change the timezone. Keep WhatsApp notifications enabled and the Poko chat unmuted if you want an alert. Poko sends the reminders you ask for. It cannot discover subscriptions, look up trial end dates, cancel services, or request refunds. Once you have cancelled a trial, send “list” in Poko's chat and use “cancel N” with the number of any pending reminder you no longer need. [Remind me in 2 minutes to check my free trial cancellation date](https://wa.me/917722891195?text=Remind%20me%20in%202%20minutes%20to%20check%20my%20free%20trial%20cancellation%20date) (opens WhatsApp; review and press Send) - [How to set and manage WhatsApp reminders](https://www.pokobot.com/how-to-set-reminders-on-whatsapp.md): The request, confirmation, and reminder arriving in your chat. ## FAQ **How do I remember to cancel free trials before I am charged?** Save the cancellation deadline and set an earlier reminder as soon as you sign up. Include the service's name and where to cancel. When you finish cancelling, check and save the confirmation. Use a separate reminder for each trial with its own deadline. **When should I set a free-trial cancellation reminder?** Choose a time before the provider's cancellation cutoff that leaves enough room to finish the process or contact support. Use the deadline in your actual offer. Apple, for example, instructs customers to cancel free or discounted trial subscriptions at least 24 hours before the trial ends. **Can I cancel a trial immediately and keep using it?** Check what your offer and cancellation screen say about access. If cancelling keeps access until the trial's end, you can cancel earlier if you do not want to renew. If access ends immediately, decide whether to cancel now or set a reminder before the stated cutoff. **Can Poko cancel a free trial for me?** No. Poko sends a reminder at the time you choose. You cancel through the service or billing provider and check the confirmation yourself. Poko cannot detect subscriptions, find their end dates, or check whether a cancellation succeeded. **Will my reminder run after Poko's free trial ends?** A reminder due after Poko's 7-day free trial needs an active paid subscription to run. Check that your Poko access covers the date you need. You can use your phone's built-in reminder app or calendar instead. No card is required to start Poko's trial. ## Start with one trial you meant to cancel. Start with one trial. Find its cancellation deadline and choose a reminder time before it. ## Try it Open WhatsApp and [message Pokobot](https://wa.me/917722891195?text=Remind%20me%20in%202%20minutes%20to%20check%20my%20free%20trial%20cancellation%20date). The first message can be a real reminder: - `Remind me in 2 minutes to check my free trial cancellation date` First 7 days free. No app, no account, no card.