Free trials are easy to start and easy to forget. You sign up to watch one show or try one feature, and a week later the first charge arrives. The fix is simple: write down the day the trial ends and get a reminder before it. This guide covers what to note when you start a trial, and how to set that reminder with Subs Cat, our subscription and bill list for iPhone and iPad.
What to note when you start a trial
Do this on the day you sign up, while the details are in front of you:
- The day the trial ends. It's usually on the sign-up screen or in the welcome email.
- What it costs after. The amount of the first charge, and whether it's monthly or yearly.
- Where you'd cancel. For subscriptions billed through Apple, that's Settings on your iPhone: tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. For others, it's usually the account page on the service's website or app.
Some services end a trial at a set time on the last day, not at midnight, so read the terms and give yourself a few days' margin.
Set a trial reminder in Subs Cat
Subs Cat doesn't know about your trials by itself: it doesn't connect to your bank, your cards or your Apple Account. You type the trial in, and it reminds you.
- Open Subs Cat and tap Add, the + button at the top right. On an empty list there's also an Add a subscription button in the middle.
- Type the name in the first field (Name, like Music or Rent).
- In Amount, type what it will cost once the trial is over.
- Under How often, pick Week, Month or Year for how it bills after the trial.
- Turn on Free trial. The date below it changes to Trial ends. Set it to the day the trial ends.
- In Remind me, pick On the day, 1 day before, 3 days before or A week before. For a trial, 3 days before or a week before leaves you time to decide. The note under it confirms the choice, like "A notification at 9:00 3 days before, from this device."
- Tap Add.
In the list, the trial's row now says Trial ends and the date, in orange, so it stands out from your regular charges.
What the reminder looks like
On the day you picked, at 9:00, your iPhone shows a notification like "Music trial ends in 3 days", with the first charge's amount and date underneath.
Subs Cat asks for permission to send notifications when you add your first item with a reminder, not when you first open it. If you say no, there are no reminders, but the list still shows each trial's end date. You can turn notifications back on later in your iPhone's Settings.
A reminder is set for 9:00 on the day you chose, so if that moment has already passed (say the trial ends tomorrow and you picked a week before), there's no reminder before this trial ends. Pick a closer one, like On the day.
The app plans its reminders again each time it starts or you change the list.
When the reminder comes
If you want to cancel: cancel with whoever bills you, or in Settings for subscriptions billed through Apple. Subs Cat can't cancel anything for you. Then open Subs Cat, tap the trial, and tap Delete. It asks first, and tells you its reminders stop too.
If you want to keep it: leave it as it is. Once the trial end date passes, the row shows the next charge like your other items, counted from that first charge, and future reminders say it "renews" instead.
If the trial was extended: tap the row, change the Trial ends date, and tap Save.
See what your trials would cost
The panel at the top of the list shows A month, what everything comes to a month, with the yearly total under it. A trial counts at the price you typed, so the total shows what you'd pay if you kept every trial. To see it on paper, tap Summary, the page button at the top left, then Print summary or Share summary PDF: trials show "Trial ends" and the date in the next charge column.
What it costs
Subs Cat is free for as many subscriptions, bills and trials as you have, with reminders, the monthly and yearly totals, and the summary to print or share. There's no account and no ads. Your list is kept on your phone and in your own backups, and leaves only when you print, share or export it.
Subs Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds categories and charts, custom icons, more currencies with their own totals, and export to CSV. Trials and reminders don't need Pro. More on the Subs Cat page.
Quick answers
Can Subs Cat cancel a free trial for me?
No. It reminds you before the trial ends. You cancel with the service, or in Settings for subscriptions billed through Apple.
Does it know when my trial ends?
No. You type the end date when you add the trial. It doesn't read your email, bank or Apple Account.
How far ahead can I be reminded?
On the day, 1 day before, 3 days before or a week before, at 9:00. You can also turn the reminder off.
Are trial reminders free?
Yes. Reminders, trials and the totals are all in the free app, with no limit on items.
What if I miss the reminder?
The row keeps saying Trial ends with the date until the day it ends, so a look at the list shows what's coming. After that it becomes a regular charge in the list.
Try Subs Cat
Try Subs Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/subs-cat