Prepaid card for free trials

On this page:

▸ Why do you need to add your card details for a free trial?

▸ Can you get free trials without a credit card?

▸ What is a prepaid card?

▸ Types of free trials you can sign up for with a prepaid card

▸ Why use a prepaid card for free trials?

Free trials are an excellent way to test something before making a more permanent commitment. You may want to try a specific piece of software to decide whether it’s right for your company long-term. Or a home meal delivery service to see whether it’s worth taking out a subscription.

But as with anything, free trials are not without risk. The majority require you to enter your card details before you are given access to them. While this does mean that you won’t need to do anything if you want to continue using the product or service on offer, you’ll need to remember to cancel the trial within the specified time frame if you decide the product or service is not for you. Otherwise, you’ll be charged and signed up for a full subscription.

And as anyone who’s been hit with an unwanted subscription charge will know, it’s frustrating. The last thing you need is a free trial accidentally racking up charges on your card without you knowing. But there is a way to protect yourself from unwanted charges while still getting the benefits of free trials: sign up using a prepaid virtual card.

In this article, we’ll explain what a prepaid virtual card is and the benefits of using one for free trials. We’ll also cover how to use a prepaid card to sign up for free trials. Let’s get started!

Why do you need to add your card details for a free trial?

The most common belief is that companies are simply trying to increase revenue and are counting on individuals forgetting to cancel subscriptions to achieve this. While this may be true for some companies, it’s more likely that companies ask for payment details for other reasons.

This is because customers who have been accidentally charged for a subscription or have forgotten to cancel within the trial period often inundate customer service channels out of frustration. Not only does this cause an issue for the company internally, but also it can damage its brand reputation. As a result, it’s more beneficial for companies to remind customers when their trial ends.

So why else would you need to add your card details for a free trial? There are several other reasons why companies may ask for payment details before granting users access to free trials. These include:

• Gaining feedback from consumers: when a user signs up for a free trial period with their card details, they’ll need to go through a process to unsubscribe from future payments. This provides companies with the opportunity to include a feedback form where consumers can highlight any issues they’ve encountered during the trial. Such information is valuable to both the company and customers as it can be used to improve the user experience. In particular, it may help the company understand how to increase the number of users who continue using the product.
• Streamlining the customer experience: asking for payment details at the start of a free trial means that customers that decide to stay on and take out subscriptions don’t need to do anything further.
• Preventing users from abusing the service: without the need for card details, users may be able to sign up for multiple free trials by using different email addresses and names. This creates a loss for the company and allows users to abuse the system to get more free trials. Requiring users to enter their card details reduces the number of repeat accounts that can be made.
• Decreasing server overload: lots of potential customers is usually a good thing. However, companies offering online services that rely on servers can run into difficulties if too many individuals sign up for free trials at once. The reason is that an influx of new customers can overload servers and cause systems to slow down or even break. Asking for payment information can help overcome this. It deters people who aren’t serious about the online service, making space for those who are.

It’s also worth noting that there are alternative methods of verifying accounts for free trials, such as taking a phone number and sending a code to be entered. However, taking card details generally makes the most sense for the company as they are more useful in the long run. Also, if a customer decides to carry on with the product, neither party needs to take any further action.

Can you get free trials without a credit card?

You’d be hard-pressed to find a free trial that doesn’t require you to fill in debit or credit card details. But that doesn’t mean you have to pass up on the opportunity to try before you buy. You can still sign up for free trials if you don’t have a credit or debit card, or you don’t want to enter your personal card details for free trials. You can use a prepaid debit card instead.

Getsby prepaid virtual cards allow you to access free trials (and more) without having to share your personal bank account details. They offer you more control as you can choose how much to load onto the card. Once the funds on the card have been spent, no further payments can be taken, making it impossible to end up with negative credit. This means you don’t have to worry about being charged when the free trial expires.

However, if you do decide you want to continue with a subscription, you can top up the balance on the card when needed.

Signing up for free trials with a prepaid virtual card is quick and easy. When prompted to enter your card details, simply choose the Mastercard option and enter the details of the virtual card instead of your personal card.

What is a prepaid card?

A prepaid card is a physical or virtual card that can be loaded with money and then used to make ATM withdrawals or purchases online or in-store. Some prepaid cards are limited in what they can be used for. For example, a prepaid gift card may only be accepted for online purchases with specific merchants.

However, Getsby prepaid cards work in the same way as regular debit Mastercards, so you are not as limited with where you can use them. The key difference is that a Getsby card is not linked to a bank account. Instead, you choose the amount that is loaded onto the card. You can then only spend the funds available, meaning you can’t be overcharged by merchants. It’s also impossible to end up with negative credit. But, if you do decide you want to carry on using your prepaid card once the funds have been spent, you can top it up — provided it’s reloadable.

Where can you use a prepaid card?

There are plenty of places to spend your Getsby prepaid card. Our virtual Mastercards can be used with any merchant that accepts Mastercard as a payment method. This means you can use your Getsby virtual debit card online or in-store at over 36 million retailers.

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Types of free trials you can sign up for with a prepaid card

Some free trials require you to specifically have access to a credit card in order to sign up. Understandably, this is an issue if you do not own a credit card or you do not want to hand over your card details.

However, Getsby prepaid Mastercards allow you to sign up for free trials without needing a credit card — or even a debit card, for that matter. You can use a Getsby virtual card to sign up for any trial that accepts Mastercard as a payment method. This massively opens up the options for free trials, from online streaming services like Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Student to computer software such as Adobe Photoshop.

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When it comes to trialling products and services, there are a few different types of trials you can sign up for, including:

• Full access trials: gain access to the full features of a product or service within a specified amount of time.
• Restricted access trials: gain restricted access to a product or service during a trial period. Typically, you’ll be granted access to basic features and will have to upgrade and pay to have full access.
• Opt-in free trials: a less common model where you don’t need to enter card details to gain full access to a product.
• Opt-out free trials: this model requires you to enter your card details to gain access to the free trial. If decide the product is not right for you, you’ll need to opt out of the free trial, or else you will be signed up for a subscription and charged.

There is also the freemium model, which works slightly differently from a free trial, as users can access a free restricted version of a product or service for an unlimited amount of time. However, with the freemium model, users don’t usually need to enter card details unless they want to upgrade to a full-access version of the product.

Why use a prepaid card for free trials?

Signing up for free trials with a Getsby prepaid virtual card means you can still enjoy the benefits of trying a product or service but without the risks associated with entering your own card details. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the benefits of using prepaid cards for free trials.

More privacy and security

Prepaid cards are not connected to your bank account, giving you an additional layer of security. This is particularly beneficial as it protects your personal bank account from risks such as data breaches. It also means you can’t spend more than is on the card, reducing the number of unauthorised payments that can be made.

Also, using a prepaid card means your purchases won’t show up on your bank statements. As a result, you can benefit from more privacy and anonymity when shopping.

Secure payments

Rest assured that all transactions you make are safe and secure. Payments made with a Getsby prepaid card are verified using biometric verification, 3D secure for Mastercard, or your laptop or mobile phone password. Furthermore, tokenization is used for contactless payments made through Apple Pay and Google Pay. This means that only the necessary information is used for the transaction. Plus, the card number of your Getsby prepaid card is converted into a Token ID and is, therefore, untraceable.

Control your spending

You set the amount of money that is added to the card each time which allows you to set strict budgets and stick to them. You also cannot spend more than is on the card, making prepaid cards an excellent choice if you want to protect your finances and your credit score.

Keep track of subscriptions

You can use prepaid cards to track and manage all the subscriptions you have. Reloadable prepaid cards, such as the Getsby Virtual Green Card, are a great way to make life easier by keeping all your ongoing subscriptions connected to one card. When the funds on the card run out, simply top it up when needed.

Alternatively, disposable prepaid cards allow you to sign up for different free trials without needing to worry about cancelling future subscription payments. Specifically, the Getsby Virtual Black card automatically blocks direct debits if there are insufficient funds, meaning you can’t be charged once your trial period ends. With this type of card, you can create up to 5 cards a day and up to 50 a month. This gives you the freedom to sign up for multiple free trials at a time while protecting your personal bank account.

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How to sign up for free trials without using a credit or debit card

If you don’t have a credit or debit card to use for gaining access to free trials, the best alternative is to use a prepaid card. This is also the case if you don’t want to use your personal bank details.

Once topped up with funds, a Getsby prepaid card can be used in the same way as a standard debit card. When you’re ready to use your Getsby card online for free trials, simply choose the ‘Mastercard’ option when filling out your bank details. Then, enter the virtual card’s Mastercard number, the expiry date, and the 3-digit CVV. To finish the transaction, click ‘Pay’ and type in your ePIN.

Summary

Prepaid cards are an excellent alternative to using credit or debit cards to get access to free trials. Not only do they provide an extra layer of security as they’re not connected to your bank account, but they also reduce the risk of unwanted payments being taken — something that is a common issue with free trials.

Getsby prepaid cards help you to budget and take control of your money whilst also providing you with the opportunity to shop safely at over 36 million merchants worldwide. You’ll never have to miss out on free trials again!

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