Almost every free trial is set-up with an opt out at the end. And if we fail to cancel, the charge happens automatically. If we forget...it’s on us. In this scenario no one wins. The company doesn’t understand the true intention of the buyer nor are they any closer to knowing if people find enough value in what’s on offer to pay for it. But they do get to capitalize on forgetfulness.
Alternatively, if the strategy is to delight people by giving them a taste before they make a commitment, the only course is to offer them to stay in. Send a helpful reminder or two about the end of the trial period and if they choose to, if they believe what’s on offer has value, they can continue with the paid version. Otherwise, even if they forget, they get to leave.
A free trial isn’t free if it comes with a gotcha at the end. If our goal is to make people happy, and we truly want to offer something risk free for the buyer, we should take on the burden of the risk and doing the work to make something worth paying for.
Would we be missed if we were gone? One way to find out is to ask.