What happens if you forget to unsubscribe from LinkedIn Premium?

Forgetting to cancel a subscription can happen to anyone. With busy lives and many monthly expenses, it’s easy to overlook recurring charges on a credit card. LinkedIn Premium is one subscription that many professionals use at some point in their careers. If you signed up but then neglected to unsubscribe, what consequences await? Let’s explore the effects of an unused Premium account in more detail.

What is LinkedIn Premium?

LinkedIn Premium is a paid subscription plan offered by the professional networking platform LinkedIn. It provides users with additional features beyond the site’s free version. Benefits of Premium include:

• Unlimited profile visits so you can see who’s looking at your profile
• Advanced filtering and sorting capabilities when searching profiles
• Message prioritization to put your messages at the top of recipients’ inboxes
• Expanded network with access to all full profiles outside your network

Premium is marketed as a way to enhance your LinkedIn presence and get more out of the platform. There are three payment options:

• Monthly – $29.99/month
• Annually – $239.88/year (equivalent to $19.99/month)
• Annually for Sales Navigator – $79.99/month (includes Sales Navigator access)

How does the Premium free trial work?

LinkedIn offers new users a one month free trial of Premium. You can activate it on LinkedIn’s website or mobile app. During the trial, you’ll have full access to all Premium features.

One calendar month after activating the free trial, LinkedIn will automatically begin charging your selected payment method unless you manually unsubscribe. This is standard practice for most free trial offers from online services.

The Premium subscription will renew monthly or annually depending on your initial selection. To avoid being charged, you must cancel before the trial period ends.

I forgot to cancel before my trial ended. What now?

If you miss the cancellation window, you’ll be billed for 1 month or 1 year of LinkedIn Premium access. Here’s what to expect:

• Your chosen payment method on file will be charged the Premium subscription fee. LinkedIn accepts major credit cards and PayPal.
• You’ll retain use of all Premium features until your paid subscription lapses.
• LinkedIn will send you receipts and reminders about your active Premium status.
• When the paid period ends, Premium will not renew unless you authorize it.

Essentially, you pay for Premium access whether you use it or not. If you forgot about the trial, the only financial impact is an unexpected charge for a service you may not have wanted long term.

Can I get a refund if I act quickly?

LinkedIn does allow users to request a refund within 60 days of being charged for Premium:

• Refunds are prorated based on the time remaining in your billing cycle.
• You must cancel the Premium subscription first before requesting the refund.
• Refunds are credited back to the original payment method.
• Requests can be made via LinkedIn’s support contact form.

If you contact LinkedIn within a week or two of the forgotten auto-renewal, you stand a good chance of having most of the charge reversed. But longer delays reduce the potential refund amount.

What if I do nothing?

If you take no action after being charged for an unused Premium subscription, here’s what to expect:

• You’ll remain enrolled in Premium with access to all features until the paid term expires.
• At the end of the paid term, the subscription will lapse unless you opt to renew.
• No refund will be issued for the unused Premium access.
• Your LinkedIn profile and activity will be unaffected.

Essentially, LinkedIn will assume you wanted Premium access and will not proactively refund charges or cancel the subscription. To stop payments, you must manually unsubscribe.

How do I cancel LinkedIn Premium?

If you want to avoid being charged again, canceling the Premium subscription is simple:

1. Go to the Premium upgrade page and click “Manage”.
2. On the next page, click “Cancel subscription”.
3. Confirm the cancellation when prompted.

You can also cancel via the LinkedIn mobile app:

1. Tap the “Me” icon in the bottom right.
2. Go to the account tab.
3. Tap “Manage Premium” and then “Cancel subscription”.

Once canceled, your Premium access will remain active until the end of the current billing period. At that point, the subscription will lapse and revert to a free account.

Can I reactivate Premium later?

If you decide you want Premium again in the future, you can resubscribe at any time:

• Premium plans and pricing will be the same as when you initially joined.
• You’ll start a new free trial period after reactivating.
• Your profile data will still be intact regardless of subscription status.
• You can manage the subscription and cancel again as desired.

Rejoining Premium is essentially the same process as the initial sign-up. You just need to re-enter payment details when prompted.

What are the main risks of an unused Premium subscription?

While an unused Premium subscription isn’t necessarily harmful, there are some potential downsides to being aware of:

• Wasted money – Paying for an unused service provides no value. Premium costs up to $240/year.
• Credit card clutter – The unused recurring charge makes it harder to track legit expenses.
• Hassle to cancel – Forgetting to unsubscribe can be a nuisance to rectify later.
• Renewal risk – If you do nothing, Premium could auto-renew and charge you again.

The financial aspect is the main risk. The unused service is unlikely to damage your LinkedIn presence or profile. But the wasted money and billing clutter can be frustrations.

Does Premium offer enough value to warrant the price?

Whether Premium is “worth it” depends on your LinkedIn usage and career needs. Here are some key considerations:

• Casual users may not need premium features. The free account offers core networking functionality.
• Active job seekers may benefit most from premium profile visibility and searching.
• Sales professionals can gain prospecting insights from Premium tools.
• Premium costs $240-$600 per year – evaluate if the features warrant the price.

Premium provides additional functionality, but remains optional. Carefully evaluate whether your usage would justify the expense before subscribing.

What are some LinkedIn Premium alternatives?

If you want added features beyond the free version, but don’t want to pay for Premium, here are a few alternatives to consider:

• LinkedIn ProFinder – Pay-per-use expert services like profile optimization and coaching.
• LinkedIn job seeking subscriptions – Low-cost monthly options with upgrades for active job seekers.
• LinkedIn Learning – Get access to 13,000+ expert-led courses for $20-$30 per month.
• Microsoft 365 – Includes LinkedIn Premium in some subscription plans.
• Other networks – Weigh options like XING or InterNations for networking.

The free LinkedIn plan still offers significant functionality on its own as well. But if you want to upgrade, explore alternatives to avoid an expensive unused Premium subscription.

Common questions about unused LinkedIn Premium

Some common questions that arise about neglected Premium subscriptions:

Does LinkedIn offer any Premium refund exceptions?

LinkedIn generally sticks to its 60 day refund policy. But some users report success getting partial refunds beyond that if they push customer service, especially for annual plans. It depends on the agent.

Can I get a tax write off for the unused Premium fee?

Probably not. Only expenses that are “ordinary and necessary” for business purposes qualify for write offs. Paying for an unused, forgotten subscription would not meet that criteria.

What are LinkedIn’s churn and retention rates for Premium subscribers?

LinkedIn does not share detailed statistics, but the general sense is churn is high. One estimate is that only about 25% of Premium subscribers renew after 12 months. Many sign up to try it but then cancel after the trial.

Does Premium offer more contacts and expand your network?

No, Premium does not directly add more connections. It simply allows you to search beyond your existing network and view more profiles. But you still have to individually connect with people.

Is Premium worth it for students or recent grads?

Probably not. Students can access many Premium features for free through LinkedIn’s Campus subscriptions. Recent grads likely won’t need advanced networking tools early in their careers.

How do LinkedIn Premium prices and plans compare?

LinkedIn Premium has four main subscription plan tiers (see table). The Career plan is the basic Premium option focused on individual users. The Sales, Hiring, and Business plans add functionality for teams, recruiting, and sales prospecting. Prices range from $240-$960 per year.

Conclusion

Forgetting to cancel a LinkedIn Premium trial can be an easy oversight, but leaves you paying for an unused service. While not ideal, the financial impact is limited to the subscription cost itself if you act quickly to cancel renewal. With Premium offering debatable value for the price, it’s recommended to evaluate your needs closely and consider free alternatives before signing up. Be sure to proactively cancel unwanted trials to avoid wasting money.