Charged for free trial

Question

Why was I charged for a free trial of office 365 family when I have a month free trial for subscription

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

The free trial automatically renews at the end of the 30‑day trial period.

If you see a charge immediately, it may be a temporary authorization or hold on your payment method. This is normal, and the pending charge should disappear within a day or two, and your bank will release the funds.

For refunds,

You can sign in with your Microsoft account on the Services & Subscriptions page here to check and cancel your subscription. The refund will be issued to your original payment method within 3-5 working days after the successful cancellation.

https://account.microsoft.com/services

Let me know if you still need more help.

Answer 2

A Microsoft 365 Family “free trial” can still result in a charge in these common situations, all of which are consistent with how trials work in the provided context:

1. Recurring billing wasn’t turned off
   For both home and business trials, recurring billing is turned on by default. The trial is free for one month, but if recurring billing remains on, the subscription automatically converts to a paid one and the applicable subscription fee is charged after the free month ends.
   • For Microsoft 365 Family (home): the trial can be canceled within 30 days and no charge is made if it is canceled in time.
   • For Microsoft 365 for business trials: guidance explicitly states that after the one‑month free trial ends, the paid subscription begins and the payment method is automatically charged unless recurring billing is turned off.
2. The trial already ended and the charge is for the first paid period
   If the “Expires on” date has passed and recurring billing was on, the charge seen is the first regular subscription payment, not a charge for the trial itself.
3. The trial had no payment method vs. one with a payment method
   If the trial subscription has no payment method associated, it simply expires at the end of the trial and no charge is made.
   If a payment method was added, the subscription continues as paid unless recurring billing is turned off before the trial ends.

To avoid future charges:

1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the Microsoft account used for the trial.
2. Under the Microsoft 365 subscription:
   • If a Cancel link appears, select Cancel to stop the subscription and future charges.
   • If Turn on recurring billing appears, recurring billing is already off and no further charges will be made after the “Expires on” date.
   • If Paid with: None appears, there is no payment method and the trial will simply expire.

If the charge appears incorrect (for example, charged even though recurring billing was turned off in time or charged more than once), use the billing tools and support options:

1. Review charges and subscriptions at https://account.microsoft.com/services.
2. If the charge is still not clear, use the guidance in the billing investigation article to investigate the charge and, if needed, request a refund or contact support.

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References:

• Cancel your free trial of Microsoft 365 Family
• How to sign up for a Microsoft 365 for business plan - Admin Help
• Cancel your subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center
• How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft
• overcharged for microsoft 365 family classic - Microsoft Q&A
• I need a refund on the Microsoft 360 - was just charged for it, and the instructions are unclear on how to get a refund. - Microsoft Q&A
• refund please - Microsoft Q&A
• How to Cancel Microsoft 365 subscription if you do not have account info? Or get anyone to help? - Microsoft Q&A