Do Not Pay founder launches anti-subscription app in the UK
An app that automatically cancels subscriptions when the free trial period comes to an end has launched in the UK, with thousands of Brits signing up each day.
Free Trial Surfing is not linked to customers’ bank accounts or credit cards but uses Visa cards in partnership with a major bank to stop people getting stung by unexpected charges.
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Joshua Browder, who developed an algorithm called Do Not Pay to automate the process of fighting parking fines before building this app, said he was inspired to take action after he was charged for a gym membership he forgot to cancel.
“I’m not the most organised person and I never set reminders on my phone to cancel these things,” Browder told City PM
“Money was just being sucked out of my bank account.”
Many people seem to feel the same way: the US version of Free Trial Surfing saw 10,000 people sign up in the six weeks since its launch, according to Browder, while the first day of the UK launch beat the US for sign-up numbers.
The app monitors card payments in real time to allow small transactions companies use to confirm card details for a free trial period are legitimate, but blocks bigger payments when that period ends.
“The card itself isn’t linked to people’s identities so we are on the hook, not them,” Browder explained.
Browder admitted that he started issuing the cards without his banking partner’s knowledge, and it has expressed concerns about the cards’ high decline rates.
“Our pitch to them is eventually there will be legitimate charges on these cards,” he added, saying customers could eventually sign up to manage subscriptions via Free Trial Surfing.
Browder will then consider offering a subscription service for his unsubscribing tool, for around $2 (£1.60) per month.
So far a fightback from the likes of major subscription-reliant companies like Netflix has not affected Free Trial Surfing, thanks to the wide range of bank identification numbers (Bins) offered by his banking partner.
Companies would have to block a huge number of cards with matching bins – the first four to six numbers on a credit card – to blunt Free Trial Surfing, something that could hurt their subscription base.
“The only way to stop us is to exclude 10 per cent of their customer base,” Browder said. “They would basically have to end their free trial programmes.”
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“I’m not against free trials but the best should be about showing you the value of the service and shouldn’t require payment information,” he added.
Free Trial Surfing is available as an iOS app on the App Store and will be available on Android and the web by the end of the month.