LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s subscription service that provides users with additional features beyond the basic free account. One way to try out Premium is through their free trial, which gives you access to Premium benefits for a limited time before you have to start paying.
A common question for those doing the free trial is whether they can cancel before the trial ends without getting charged. The short answer is yes, you can cancel before the free trial ends and not pay anything. However, there are some caveats to be aware of.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about canceling a LinkedIn Premium free trial, including:
- How does the LinkedIn Premium free trial work?
- When can I cancel my LinkedIn Premium free trial?
- How do I cancel LinkedIn Premium on desktop?
- How do I cancel LinkedIn Premium on mobile?
- What happens when I cancel LinkedIn Premium free trial?
- Can I reactivate Premium after canceling the free trial?
- What are the benefits of LinkedIn Premium?
Whether you’re unsure about committing to a paid subscription or you simply signed up to test out the features, this guide will walk you through how to properly cancel your free trial and avoid surprise charges.
How does the LinkedIn Premium free trial work?
LinkedIn offers all new users a 1-month free trial of their Premium service. This allows you to test out features like these:
- See who’s viewed your profile
- Unlimited InMail messages
- Ad-free browsing experience
- Get exclusive news and insights
- Expanded profile views
The free trial gives you full access to all of LinkedIn Premium’s benefits. The catch is that you need to cancel before the 1 month is up to avoid being charged.
LinkedIn will require you to enter a payment method when signing up for the trial. This is because if you don’t cancel, you’ll automatically be billed once the 1 month free period ends and your paid subscription begins.
However, as long as you cancel before the deadline, you won’t pay anything even though you entered your payment info. LinkedIn also promises to send reminders before charging you so you have a chance to cancel.
Here are the steps for starting a Premium free trial:
- Go to the LinkedIn Premium upgrade page and click “Start free trial”
- Select the Premium monthly plan you want to try
- Enter your payment info (required for the free trial)
- Agree to the Premium Subscription Agreement
- Confirm the start of your 1 month free trial
Once signed up, you’ll have 30 days to try out all of the Premium features risk-free before you have to pay. As long as you cancel within that timeframe, you can enjoy the perks without spending a dime.
When can I cancel my LinkedIn Premium free trial?
You can cancel your LinkedIn Premium free trial anytime within the 1 month trial period and you will not be charged.
To ensure you are not charged, you must cancel before the trial end date passes. As long as you cancel before the deadline, you won’t pay anything.
LinkedIn will send you an email reminder a few days before your free trial ends. This gives you a heads up to cancel your trial if you don’t want to continue with a paid subscription.
However, it’s a good idea not to wait until the last minute. You can cancel as soon as you sign up or anytime before the 1 month is over. The sooner you cancel, the better to prevent forgetting and unintentionally being charged.
Here are some points on when you can cancel:
- You can cancel immediately after signing up – you don’t have to wait a certain period.
- You can cancel at any time during the 1 month free trial, whether that’s a few days in or towards the end.
- To avoid being charged, you must cancel before the trial period ends.
- LinkedIn will send an email reminder to cancel a few days before you get charged.
So in summary, you have the full 1 month trial period to decide if you want to keep Premium. Cancel anytime within that month and you won’t pay a cent!
How do I cancel LinkedIn Premium on desktop?
If you signed up for the Premium trial on a desktop, canceling is quick and easy to do through the LinkedIn website:
- Login to your LinkedIn account and go to your homepage.
- Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your homepage.
- Next click “Settings & Privacy” in the dropdown menu.
- On the Account page, click “Premium” on the left side column.
- Finally, click the blue “Cancel premium” button at the bottom and confirm cancellation.
Following these steps will immediately cancel your LinkedIn Premium trial membership. You’ll revert to the free account features once the current billing period ends.
Here are some visuals to guide you through canceling Premium on a desktop:
As you can see, the cancellation process takes less than a minute when you follow the steps outlined above. This prevents you from forgetting and accidentally continuing the paid subscription.
How do I cancel LinkedIn Premium on mobile?
If you signed up for the free Premium trial through LinkedIn’s mobile app, you can also cancel the trial through the app:
- Open the LinkedIn app on your iPhone or Android.
- Tap your profile picture icon in the top left corner.
- Go to the Accounts page under Settings.
- Tap “Premium” to go to yourPremium details page.
- Scroll down and tap “Cancel premium” to confirm cancellation.
Similar to the desktop cancellation, following these mobile steps will immediately cancel future Premium charges once the current billing period is over.
Here is a visual guide to canceling your free Premium trial on mobile:
As you can see, the process is very quick and straightforward right through the LinkedIn app. Now you know how to cancel and avoid surprise charges.
What happens when I cancel LinkedIn Premium free trial?
When you cancel your LinkedIn Premium trial, here’s what happens:
- You immediately stop accessing Premium features when you cancel.
- Any unused portion of the 1 month free trial is forfeited.
- You will not be charged any subscription fees.
- Your account reverts to the free basic access.
- Your profile and data are unaffected by canceling.
- You can reactivate Premium later if you choose (see next section).
In other words, canceling ends the trial early, but since it was free you aren’t paying for any unused days. Your account simply goes back to being a regular free LinkedIn member.
Nothing bad happens if you need to cancel Premium during the trial period. You can always restart it later on if you change your mind. But if you cancel during the trial, you definitely won’t be charged anything.
Can I reactivate Premium after canceling the free trial?
Yes, you can restart your LinkedIn Premium membership at anytime after canceling the free trial if you want access again.
You have a few options to reactivate Premium:
- Restart your free trial – You can actually get another 1 month free trial if it’s been awhile since you had Premium.
- Pay monthly – Subscribe on a monthly basis at $29.99/month.
- Pay annually – Get an annual subscription for $239.88/year (best value).
To restart Premium, go to your LinkedIn account settings and look for the Premium tab. You can choose to begin a new trial or purchase one of the paid monthly/annual plans.
Even if you canceled the trial, your payment information stays on file in case you want to subscribe again later on. So reactivating is a quick process.
Having the ability to easily restart Premium gives you flexibility. You can cancel and come back anytime based on your needs.
What are the benefits of LinkedIn Premium?
Now that you know how to cancel a free trial properly, you may be wondering – is LinkedIn Premium worth keeping?
While only you can decide if the paid subscription is valuable for your needs, here is an overview of the top benefits:
1. See Who’s Viewed Your Profile
One of LinkedIn Premium’s most popular features is the ability to see who’s recently viewed your profile. This gives you insight into who’s snooping and companies that may be checking you out.
2. Unlimited InMail Messages
Premium lets you send unlimited 1:1 messages to any LinkedIn member, even if you’re not connected. This facilitates networking and contacting recruiters.
3. Ad-Free Browsing
Premium removes all advertisements from LinkedIn’s website and mobile apps. This provides a clean, distraction-free experience.
4. Premium Insights and News
You get exclusive news digests, business insights, and personalized recommendations tailored to your interests and career.
5. Larger Profile Viewer List
See more than just the last 5 visitors to your profile. Monitor up to 500 of the most recent profile visitors.
Those are just a few of the key perks unlocked with a Premium subscription. The free trial lets you test drive all of these benefits firsthand.
While Premium costs money, for active LinkedIn users the features may provide enough value to justify the monthly or annual fees. But you can always cancel and return to free access if you change your mind later on.
Conclusion
Canceling a LinkedIn Premium free trial before it ends is simple and avoids being charged subscription fees. You can cancel anytime within the 1 month trial period on either desktop or mobile.
Upon cancellation, your account reverts to free access. And you can restart Premium later if you choose. Just be sure to cancel before the trial deadline if you don’t want to continue with a paid membership.
With this definitive guide, you can preview LinkedIn Premium through the free trial without worry. Now you know exactly how to cancel your trial subscription the right way.
