The short version
- Paying for something useful is fine. The problem is not being told until it's too late.
- An honest website shows the price before you start. Be wary if it only appears when you press Download or Save.
- "Free trial" usually means it will start charging unless you cancel in time.
- Something truly free shouldn't need your card details.
- Already paying for something you didn't mean to? You can cancel, and your bank can stop the payments.
1 Know the three kinds of "free"
Always freeFree to use, with no catch. For example, the scanner already on your phone, or the help and information on gov.uk.
Free to try, or free up to a limitSmall jobs are free, and bigger ones cost money. That's fair, as long as the limit and the price are clear before you start.
Free trialFree for a few days or weeks, then it starts charging, often every week, month or year, unless you remember to cancel. Read the small print before you agree.
2 Spot the warning signs
- The price appears only at the end. You've typed out a whole form or uploaded your photos, and only then does it ask you to pay to download. Honest sites tell you first.
- It asks for card details "just to check" for something it says is free.
- Small print under a big "Free" button, like "then £9.99 a week".
- Hurry-up messages, such as a countdown clock, "only 2 left" or "offer ends in 10 minutes". They're there to stop you thinking.
- It's hard to find out how to cancel.
- It wants you to download a program or add something to your browser just to change a file from one type to another. In March 2025 the FBI in the United States warned that some "free" file converter websites do convert your file, but also install harmful software or collect personal details.
- It charges for something the official site does for free, such as some government forms.
3 Check before you start
- Is there a Prices or Pricing page? Read what's free and what isn't.
- Does it say clearly how much you can do for free?
- Does the free part ask for a card, an account or your email? If so, ask yourself why.
- Is it a one-off payment, or does it keep charging (a subscription)?
- Search for the website's name with the word "reviews" or "cancel" and see what other people say.
- Could something already on your phone or computer do the job? (See step 6.)
4 Asked to pay partway through?
You don't have to. It's annoying to lose your work, but it's fine to close the page and find another way. If you do decide to pay, check whether it's a one-off payment or a subscription before you type your card details.
5 Already paying for something you didn't mean to?
- Cancel an app subscription on an iPhone
- Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. Tap the one you want to stop, then Cancel Subscription.
- Cancel an app subscription on Android
- Open the Play Store, tap your picture (top right), then Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions, then the one you want to stop, then Cancel subscription.
- Cancel on a website
- Sign in and look in Account, Settings or Billing. Keep the confirmation email.
- Can't cancel, or they won't stop?
- Phone your bank or card provider (the number is on the back of your card) and ask them to stop the recurring payments. The Financial Conduct Authority says they must stop them if you ask, even if you haven't contacted the business. Ask before the end of the working day before the next payment. Stopping the payments doesn't always end any agreement you signed, so keep any letters or emails.
Think you've been scammed? Phone your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card. Then report it to Report Fraud (it replaced Action Fraud in December 2025) at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040, if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, phone Police Scotland on 101.
6 Free help with no catch
- Your phone's own scanner turns letters into PDFs for free. Here's how.
- Your computer can save almost anything as a PDF. On Windows, choose Print, then the printer called Microsoft Print to PDF. On a Mac, choose Print, then Save as PDF.
- Government services on gov.uk, such as renewing a driving licence, never charge more than the official fee. Start there rather than from an advert in search results.
- Local libraries often offer free help with computers, forms and printing.
A note about Pocket Change
Pocket Change is free while the site is new, until April 2027. After that, small jobs stay free and bigger ones cost £1.
Pocket Change has free tools, and some that cost £1 for bigger jobs.
We've tried to follow this guide ourselves: the price is shown before you start, the free part never asks for your card or email, every payment is one-off (never a subscription, nothing renews), there are no countdowns, and refunds are easy, with no questions asked. You can judge us by it.
What the words mean
- Subscription
- A payment that keeps coming out, every week, month or year, until you cancel it.
- Free trial
- A free start to a subscription. If you don't cancel in time, the payments begin.
- Recurring card payment
- When a business keeps taking money from your card without asking each time. Your bank may call it a continuous payment authority.
- Browser extension
- A small extra program added to your web browser. Only add ones you trust, because they can see the pages you visit.
- Harmful software (malware)
- A program that does something you didn't ask for, such as collecting your details.
Stuck?
That's completely normal, and being careful is never silly. If you're unsure about a website, ask a family member or friend to look at it with you before you pay.
Updated October 2026. Sources: the Financial Conduct Authority (stopping recurring card payments), City of London Police (Report Fraud) and Malwarebytes on the FBI's file converter warning.