Question 1
You sign up for a free trial and the merchant asks for a card "to secure your account." This is a staple move: merchants rely on inertia and forgetfulness to convert trials into recurring subscriptions. Behavioral research shows that small friction (having to remember to cancel) plus positive initial experience make people tolerate small recurring charges later. Many consumers assume "I'll cancel if I don't like it," but life gets busy and the default wins — subscription after subscription stacks up. A quick audit often reveals several tiny charges that add up. The best defenses are intentional: set calendar reminders the day before a trial ends, use a dedicated card for trials, or use a virtual card that expires. This question checks whether you recognize the practical step that prevents being quietly charged after a trial. Think less about the guilt of signing up and more about the small procedural guardrails that stop automatic billing from sneaking into your daily ledger.
What's the single most reliable prevention step to stop a free trial from auto-renewing you into a subscription?
Did You Also Know...
By Wise Wallet
Health Savings Accounts provide tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical costs.