If you like freebies the way the RetailMeNot team likes freebies (not to mention our love of free samples), welcome to the golden age of free trials! The internet abounds with amazing streaming services and shopping and educational plans that promise to make your life easier, your food arrive faster, your entertainment more entertaining, your abs more toned and so on. But before you dive into membership, take a free test spin. The following 15 companies offer amazing free trials that are yours for the (temporary) taking, with minimal effort.
Table of Contents
Read on to see the whole list with advice on how to sign up, what you get and how to unsubscribe before you’re billed.
Featured
DIRECTV Premium Channels
What you get: DIRECTV premium networks include Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and MGM+. This is a $160 value! Watch some of the most talked about shows like “Yellowjackets” or the “Sex and the City” spinoff entitled “And Just Like That.” Plus, you have all of the popular channels that come with your new DIRECTV package itself to enjoy.
How to sign up: Go to DIRECTV.com and select the ENTERTAINMENT, CHOICE or ULTIMATE package to get started. (The PREMIER package already includes all of the premium channels.)
How long does it last? 3 months
New customers selecting new service (currently min. $64.99/mo. for 24 mos. plus taxes and fees. Price subject to change.) Autopay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. extra & applies. Regional Sports Fee up to $13.99/mo. extra & applies to CHOICE Pkg or higher.
Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, MGM+ and Cinemax are included for 3 months and auto-renew monthly thereafter at then prevailing rates (currently $14.99/mo. for Max ($15.99/mo. effective 8/20/23), $11/mo. each for Cinemax, SHOWTIME and STARZ and $6/mo. for MGM+), unless canceled. Req’s you to select offers. Visit directv.com for full details.
Access Max only through Max app or max.com. Online account registration may be required. Offer not available to DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers switching to DIRECTV via Internet. Cancel online or by phone. Offer subj. to change.
How to cancel: Contact DIRECTV to change or cancel before the 3 month mark to avoid auto-renewal.
Access Max only through Max app or max.com. Online account registration may be required. Offer not available to DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers switching to DIRECTV via Internet. Offer subj. to change.
Visit directv.com for full details.
Streaming Service Free Trials
Max Free Trial
What you get: Though Max (formerly HBO Max) doesn’t offer a free trial, there is a workaround. If you are either a Hulu or Amazon Prime subscriber, you can get a free one-week Max trial through those memberships so you can watch popular HBO shows for adults (“The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Insecure”, “And Just Like That,” “The Gilded Age,” “About Last Night”) and kids (“Sesame Street,” “Ben 10”), movies from the oldies (“Beetlejuice”) to the newest releases (“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “The Menu,” “Lizzo: Live in Concert”) and so much more.
How to sign up:
- Through HULU: Register for a free Max trial through your Hulu account and then go to the Premium Add-Ons section to choose HBOMax.
- Through Amazon Prime: Register for a free Max trial through your Amazon Prime account, confirm your details, and you’re good to go.
How long is the free trial? 1 week
How to cancel: For both Hulu and Amazon, you will need to cancel before your subscription automatically renews to avoid being charged. To do so:
- Head to Hulu to unsubscribe from this and any other add-on service. Otherwise you’ll be charged $14.99 per month going forward.
- As for Amazon, go to your Prime video accounts & setting page to unsubscribe. Amazon’s current HBO Max rate is $15.99 per month.
There are also other ways to get HBO Max free. For example, certain AT&T mobile plans offer Max and some Cricket Wireless users get Max free, too.
See how to get discounts and free trials for all the top streaming services
Hulu Free Trial
What you get: Wait, don’t have Hulu in the first place? Sign up for a free trial of Hulu to see if the service, with its blend of original programming and access to shows from other networks, sports and more suits your needs.
How to sign up: Go to Hulu.com and click on Start Your Free Trial.
How long is the free trial? One month for ad-supported Hulu or no-ad Hulu. Unfortunately, if you want the Hulu + LiveTV plan, there is currently no free trial offer, though in the past we’ve seen 7-day free trials for this membership tier.
How to cancel: Cancel your free Hulu trial by signing into your Hulu account, going to your Account page, then go to the Your Subscription section where you can cancel. Want to stick with Hulu? Hulu has a range of plans, from the basic Hulu service that’s $7.99/month to a Hulu + LiveTV plan for cord-cutters that’s $69.99/month. You can also bundle it with Disney + ESPN to make life even more convenient. (More on that below.)
Sling TV Free Trial
What you get: Sling TV is a customizable streaming service that tries to offer something for everyone, from entertainment channels like AMC and Bravo, Hallmark Channel, History Channel; cooking and lifestyle networks including HGTV, Magnolia Network and Food Network; plus movies from Cinefest, EPIX Drive-In; not to mention tons of news and sports networks. The brand says it’s “the first app-based TV service,” and you use the internet to watch your favorite live or on-demand shows, both at home and away.
How to sign up: Right now, there is no free trial available for Sling TV, but if you’re interested in trying it out, you can give it a one-month spin for a discount. Sign up for your Sling TV discounted trial period here.
How long is the free trial? Offers change. Sometimes, you get a free trial, other times you’ll see a discount off your first month. At press time, the discount is for a half-off savings for your first month.
How to cancel: Cancel your one-month trial through your Sling TV dashboard. Want to get Sling TV? Sign up for a Sling Orange (best for families and sports fans) or Sling Blue (entertainment and news-oriented viewers). Each plan is $40 a month or bundle Orange & Blue together for $55/month total. Go a la carte with additional extras, like DVR Plus or more sports or comedy networks to really make this plan work for your household.
YouTube TV Free Trial
What you get: YouTube TV is another fantastic option for cord cutters, allowing you to watch live TV from over 85 channels. There’s no annual contract, and you have unlimited cloud DVR storage so you can watch when you want. In case you’re wondering, it is not the same as YouTube Premium.
How to sign up: Go to https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/ to sign up.
How long is the free trial? 10 days (this tends to change, but it was most recently 10 days).
How to cancel: Cancel before your free trial period ends by going to tv.youtube.com and going to your profile. Then under settings > membership > manage click Cancel Membership. Even easier: This Google page has all the details and a link to cancel YouTube TV now.
Want to stay with YouTube TV? Right now, the service is only $64.99 for your first 3 months, and $72.99/mo thereafter for the YouTube Base plan. Or choose the Spanish plan, which offers you 34 Spanish networks (including shows, sports, and more). The Spanish plan is $34.99 a month (and has a seven-day free trial).
Paramount+ Free Trial
What you get: Paramount+ is a budget-friendly streaming service where you can stream popular shows from tons of networks including Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS and BET — plus original series like “Tulsa King,” “1923,” “Wolf Pack” and “Star Trek: Picard” and NFL, UEFA and NCAA games.
How to sign up: Visit the Paramount+ website to choose your plan and receive your free trial.
Other ways to get Paramount+ free:
- If you’re a Walmart+ subscriber, you get a free subscription to Paramount+ (the Essential plan) included with your membership.
- We’ve seen offers for a free year via Sprint and T-Mobile in the past, but there’s no offer currently active.
How long is the free trial? It’s currently seven days. Go here for the latest free trial offerings.
How to cancel: Cancel anytime by going to your account at paramountplus.com/account and clicking “Cancel Subscription.” Want to keep Paramount+? It’s a reasonable $5.99/month for the Essential plan or $11.99/month for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (which gets you ad-free streaming and access to SHOWTIME originally programming).
ESPN+ Free Trial
What you get: Sports fans can get in on all the action with a subscription to ESPN+. However, there’s currently no free trial available for ESPN+, so your only option right now is to give it a test run (unless you’re a Verizon customer — more on that below).
How to sign up: The cheapest workaround is to opt into the Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ bundle for $12.99/month to get all three services, or add ESPN+ only through HULU for $9.99/month, then cancel anytime if you decide it’s not right for you.
Verizon customers get the three services — HULU, Disney+, ESPN+ — for free if they have either the 5G Get More or 5G Play More plans.
How long is the free trial? Sorry sports fans, but it’s pay for play here. No ESPN+ freebies at press time. You can cancel anytime, from your HULU account page, whether you decide to ditch all three services or just want to remove ESPN+ from your HULU account.
How to cancel: If you don’t want to try out the bundle via HULU and you’re not a Verizon customer, sign up for ESPN+ only for $9.99/month or $99.99/year and cancel anytime.
Shopping Service Free Trials
Walmart+ Free Trial
What you get: Walmart+ customers receive free delivery, often same-day, of groceries and other items from their local Walmart store so long as they spend at least $35. They also receive free shipping on all purchases from Walmart.com, savings on gas and prescriptions and access to special members-only deals and savings, like a recent Walmart+-only exclusive access event on Xbox and Playstation restocks.
How to sign up: Go here to choose whether you’d like the $98 annual plan or the $12.95 per month option instead. You will not be charged until after your 30-day trial ends.
How long is the free trial? 30 days
How to cancel: You can cancel before your free trial ends and avoid being charged by visiting your account page or contacting customer care at 1-800-WALMART.
Amazon Prime Free Trial
What you get: No doubt you’re familiar with the massive retailer Amazon. Its Prime membership confers many benefits on its members, from free shipping to access to free streaming of many a movie or TV show, a monthly free Amazon Prime read as well the ability to borrow other e-books and discounts at Whole Foods and Amazon Grocery.
Amazon’s trial offers have varied recently, from free to a discounted trial.
How to sign up: Go here and see which free trial or discounted trial is being offered. Note that if you’re not eligible for a free trial (i.e., you’ve already claimed the free trial offer in the past 12 months), this option might not display if you’re logged in. A nice bonus is that unlike other free trials, which are only available to first-time users, anyone who has not been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months can take advantage of this generous offer.
How long is the free trial? We’ve seen 30 days for a free trial in the past. Most recently, we saw a week trial for $1.99.
How to cancel: How to cancel: If you don’t want to keep your Prime membership, cancel or otherwise manage your membership by visiting https://www.amazon.com/gp/primecentral. Otherwise, thanks to Amazon’s recent rate increase, membership now costs $14.99/month or $139/year. Note that students can pay for a Prime Student Monthly membership for $7.49 per month after your free trial ends, and the price for Qualified Government Assistance is $6.99/month after your free trial ends.
Digital Subscription Free Trials
Adobe Creative Cloud Free Trial
What you get: With Adobe Creative Cloud free trial you get a suite of programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects, so you can design and create all sorts of amazing and beautiful stuff, whether for personal or professional purposes or both.
How to sign up: Visit Adobe Cloud and choose your plan and get your free trial. If you’re a student or educator, you can save up to 60% on the service.
How long is the free trial? 7 days
How to cancel: Cancel by going to https://account.adobe.com/plans and select Manage Plan. Or keep it. The cost for Adobe Creative Cloud membership is $54.99/month, and for students and teachers it’s $19.99/month.
Ancestry Free Trial
What you get: With an Ancestry free trial, you can learn all about your own unique story, your family’s journey and discover more about relatives from around the world.
How to sign up: Go here to register for your Ancestry free trial.
How long is the free trial? 14 days.
How to cancel: Cancel any time by calling 1-800-ANCESTRY (7 days a week, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. ET). Otherwise, membership ranges from $24.99/month or $21.99/month if you opt in for a six month membership up to $59.99/month or $44.99/month for a six-month membership.
Apple Music Free Trial
What you get: Particularly wonderful if you’re an Apple household, but cool nonetheless for all music fans, Apple Music offers easy audio streaming of over 90 million songs and 30,000+ playlists, live radio and downloadable content so you can listen anytime.
How to sign up: It’s easy, as all things Apple tend to be. Go to https://www.apple.com/apple-music/ enter your details and start listening.
How long is the free trial? Generally one month, but we’ve spotted three-month offers in the past. Some owners of AirPods, HomePod mini or Beats can get a 6-month free Apple Music membership. Target Circle members can also get a free Apple Music trial (three or four months, based on what we’ve seen in the past).
How to cancel: Cancel your Apple Music subscription at music.apple.com by signing in, then under Manage Subscriptions choose the Cancel Subscription option. Like what you hear? Sign up for the music service for $10.99/month for individuals, $16.99/month for families, and $5.99/month for students.
Rosetta Stone Free Trial
What you get: Rosetta Stone is an online learning platform to pick up another language. Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or a proficient student looking to improve, this wonderful tool takes a multifaceted approach to educating their users, with a mix of live lessons, on-demand classes, pronunciation help and even practice sessions with tutors.
How to sign up: Currently, there is no offer for a Rosetta Stone free trial. However, you are able to try Rosetta Stone out for 30 days, and if you’re not happy, you can get a full refund. Go here to try out the service.
How long is the free trial? Though there is no free trial right now, you can try it out for 30 days. Not happy? The company offers a 100% satisfaction, 30-day money-back guarantee if you signed up via RosettaStone.com directly.
How to cancel: Cancel your Rosetta Stone account by going to your account then choosing the Turn Off Auto Renewal. Loving your learning? Sign up for three months of Rosetta Stone for $11.99/month, 12 months at $7.99/month or a lifetime membership for only $179. Rosetta Stone offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not happy with membership so it’s quite fool-proof.
Fitness and Workout Free Trials
obé Fitness free trial
What you get: obé (pronounced “obey” and short for “our body electric”) is where you get into shape anywhere you happen to be. obé has 20 live classes offered daily and another 7,000+ on-demand options accessible via app or web, so whether you’re looking for cardio boxing, pilates, meditation, yoga, HIIT or even a class to do with kids, you can find one, like Tazi did when she tried out the service. There’s also an active community for gym buddies and motivation.
How to sign up: Sign up for your free trial here.
How long is the free trial? 7 days
How to cancel: Go to your subscription settings at www.obefitness.com and click on Manage Subscription. (You cannot unsubscribe via the obé Fitness app, btw.) After that, plans are $24.99/month or the annual plan for $169.99 (which works out to only $14.17/month).
Daily Burn Free Trial
What you get: With a free Daily Burn trial, you have a wonderful way to get your sweat on at home. The service has both on-demand and live classes — think cardio, barre or pilates, and designed for a range of skill levels. If you provide Daily Burn with some details about you, they’ll even give you customized suggestions for workouts and a nutrition plan.
How to sign up: Visit https://dailyburn.com/register
How long is the free trial? 30 days via the Daily Burn website. (Amazon Prime also has a 7-day Daily Burn free trial if you like to bundle all your subscriptions via your Amazon account.)
How to cancel: Cancel Daily Burn by logging into the site, clicking on your profile name, then choosing Account Settings to Manage Subscription. If you decide you want to stick with Daily Burn, it’s $19.95/month.
Barre 3 Free Trial
What you get: Though Barre 3 focuses on barre classes, this online fitness service also offers top-notch instructors teaching strength training, stretching, breath work and pre- and post-natal workouts. Try Barre3 for free for on-demand classes and even downloadable workouts so you can exercise wherever you are. If you happen to live near one of the 170+ Barre3 studios, new members receive a discount — your first three in-person classes are three for $50).
How to sign up: Visit https://barre3.com/subscription.
How long is the free trial? 14 days.
How to cancel: Before your 14-day free trial ends, you can cancel your online Barre3 free trial by logging in, going to the Account Settings page and then choosing the Manage link in the My Subscription section. After that, a monthly membership is $29.99/month, three months for $24.99/month, or sign up for an annual membership for $19.99/month.
The post 15 Free Trials to Totally Take Advantage Of in 2023 appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
