Money-saving app could claw back £640 a year by cancelling subscriptions when free trials finish

19 September 2019, 14:49

DoNotPay releases brand new feature 'Free Trial Surfing' which automatically scraps unwanted monthly costs.

A savvy app could save shoppers hundreds of pounds by automatically cancelling subscriptions when their free trials end.

DoNotPay has released an innovative new feature that could claw back hundreds of pounds by instantly getting rid of unwanted payments caused by long-forgotten sign-ups.

Citizens Advice found the average Brit spends around £640 a year on subscriptions they don't actually use or want, with many people simply forgetting to cancel after the complimentary first few days or weeks.

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The money-saving release called Free Trial Surfing works by providing its users with a virtual credit card and a false name.

When you're asked to sign up for the preliminary cost-free period on sites such as Spotify or Netflix, it gives you the option to use this digital profile and card, which means you don't have to share any of your real information.

If an emails are sent from the provider, DoNotPay will forward them to your personal address meaning you won't miss out on any communication from the company.

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When the free trial is over, a clever algorithm will automatically cancel the subscription, meaning no more forgotten charges chipping away at your bank balance every month.

You can't use the online credit card to purchase any items, it's been created solely for this purpose.

The service, which became an instant success when it was rolled out in the USA just six weeks ago and banked a whopping 10,000 sign-ups, is available to purchase in the UK on the App Store if you use an iPhone.

It's currently unavailable on Android, but British founder Joshua Browder has big plans to release more versions – including a web-friendly one – in the future.

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Finance expert at Moneyfacts, Rachel Springall, told The Sun: "This new app is an exciting and innovative addition to the market and could well be the answer to cancelling subscriptions with little effort.

"The everyday consumer may not have the time to keep up with the multiple services that they can sign up for free, and before they know it, they automatically roll onto the paid for subscription.

"As with anything newly launched onto the market, its early days yet for there to be consumer feedback – so some may want to wait and see how it’s working for others first.”

If you are having issues downloading or using the app, Mr Browder explained to The Sun that it could be because of its current popularity.