What should I do if I was charged for a free trial from the App Store?

A Free Trial can only be used once, so if you attempt to use multiple free trials, you will be charged immediately. The offer most likely said that New Subscribers were eligible for a free trial. The same is true for Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and even Apple TV. You were not being targeting as an eligible person, it is the same offer available for all services. The same is true for the Free Trial of Apple Music with the purchase of AirPods. The trial is only for new subscribers and if you already used a trial, you are not eligible. You will see in this example it specifically states New Subscribers.

You can try to request a refund here:

Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support

It really does. I literally just got refunded by Apple for exactly this.

it’s called a right of withdrawal done through: https://reportaproblem.apple.com

This is not the first time I have done this either. And in fact this time I choose just refund as did not mean to buy and they refunded me.

go to settings and then click your name at top. This will take you to a menu and then select subscriptions. You can cancel there. Apple won’t cancel subscription for you. You have to do it

Same thing happened to me. My homepage advertised that I was eligible for a free trial. I signed up and was charged. I understand now that I'm not eligible because I used a free trial in the past, but I assumed it wouldn't advertise it again or would mention it if it's NOT a free trial that I'm signing up for when I start by clicking a link for a free trial. I saw CJC4747 below say they filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. I'm going to do the same and encourage others to as well

I suspect the advertisement you saw did not say you were eligible, but was simply an advertisement for a service that had a free trial. Most ads have the eligibility rules listed in the ad or seen by a link. Apple does not give out any of your purchase history or personal information to advertisers, so they have no idea if you had used a previous trial.

When you clicked the link for the free trial, were you taken to the developers web site? In this case the subscription/free trial is being directly billed to you from the developer without any involvement from Apple. The only subscriptions that are managed by Apple are the ones you make with an in-app purchase inside of the app, not on a website. The in-app purchase will show if the free trial is available along with the subscription price and start date before you double click the side button to authorize the transaction.

This happened to me too! The app DID NOT mention new users. It said “Try 1 Month Free”. It’s baiting without listed terms and conditions and its basically telling users that there’s nothing we can do about it. I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

gooner007 wrote:

if you have done that quickly they have no right to refuse your refund so long as you have not used it.

That makes no difference. The intent and contractual agreement to pay is authorized after the user double clicks the side button with the amount showing on the screen. It is not something that is done by accident. Forgetting to cancel a free trial is not a valid reason to get a refund. That is the users responsibility.

In a related matter, I am subscribed to HBO/Max and did not watch any content on their service last month, do you think they would refund me since I did not use the service. The answer is no, and the resolution is the same, pay for the service you agreed to and cancel if you wish to avoid any future charges.

Willardtes wrote:

Mac Jim ID, the advertisement I saw (within the app) said you are eligible for a free trial, which is why I went ahead with it despite knowing I'd had a free trial in the past. At no point did anything say I was ineligible. And no, when I clicked the link within the Apple News app I was not redirected to any website. The menu for purchasing the app (apple trial, fingerprint ID, double click to approve) came up while I was still in the Apple News app, and nowhere did it say the free trial was not available (I was specifically aware of this because I knew I'd had a free trial and thought it was odd that I'd be eligible again, but it said you're eligible and then nothing else about eligibility so I went ahead). I think that's why every person on this thread has come here with this same problem. I immediately cancelled it to ensure I wouldn't be charged after the trial, as I do with any free trial. Then I saw that I'd been charged for the month. I know it's probably not unusual for people to miss those details, but I was actively aware of this and nowhere after "you're eligible for a free trial" did it say I was not. Deceptive.

Thanks for the update. I am familiar with this prompt that will come up and I can see where some may just tap Confirm where the charge would occur.

jonniecrossley wrote:

Yes I think so (although I’d never used it) but I would expect the system to know if I’d already had one and was only due one! The confusing thing here is that because I have had various new devices I have had numerous free trial offers on Apple TV and Apple Music so didn’t really think this was unusual.)

For future reference, if you had used the Free Trial before, you would not see it shown in the details of the charge before you double click the side button. It would only show the subscription price. When the free trial is available, it will show the length of the free trial, then the subscription price and when it would start.

No one can buy something accidentally. The App Store shows you the sale details, as shown in Mac Jim's comment. You see what you are getting and have to double-click the side button to approve the sale. If you have already used the free trial for that app or service, on the purchase page, it would not say "free trial".

Have you already used a free trial for this app in the past?

If so, that would be why you were charged as soon as you tried to get a second free trial.

Was it a 3rd party App?

M1 Mac mini, macOS 15.0.1;  Watch, series 10 GPS-only, watchOS 11.0.1; iPhone 16, iOS 18.0.1; TV 4th Gen, tvOS 18.0.1; HomePods, audioOS 18.0.1 and Airport Express w/ Airplay 2

No it was the native apple news app. They say the terms and conditions protect them, but that’s not true. There’s a reason several industries are forced to highlight key items in terms and conditions. I had a lot of respect for Apple but now not so much. It’s hard to defend intentionally baiting and charging people, and then using a completely separate terms and conditions as an excuse. It’s pretty poor judgement from their team, and I would expect more from Apple. It makes me question how long they’ll continue to be relevant.

Yes I think so (although I’d never used it) but I would expect the system to know if I’d already had one and was only due one! The confusing thing here is that because I have had various new devices I have had numerous free trial offers on Apple TV and Apple Music so didn’t really think this was unusual.)

That’s unacceptable. Don’t flash “try for free” if you’re going to charge someone. Adjust your ads based on the customer’s purchase history. It’s baiting and then pointing the finger at the customer with something that’s OBVIOUSLY mislead several people. The fact that Apple remains oblivious is just another true showing of character.