Buy software or a subscription this Black Friday? Put it in your calendar or you might regret it

Quick Summary

There are often great deals on subscription services and software during Black Friday, but be careful not to get stung when they auto-renew.

Follow our advice and note the end date in your diary.

I like Black Friday dealsand every year I get a voucher Black Friday offer on my PlayStation Plus subscription – 30% off for a year of online games and tons of games.

However, I also have to be careful, because otherwise my existing discounted subscription will automatically renew at full price – even if a new one Black Friday the offer on the same subscription is about to be discontinued.

SonyThis is pretty good and lets me know in advance when the renewal is coming so I can decide what to do. AppleIt’s pretty good too. But not all software and other subscription providers are so user-friendly.

Two years ago, my discounted subscription for very expensive software automatically renewed without warning – a renewal I didn’t want and at a price I absolutely couldn’t afford. And when I tried to cancel it, the company told me “all sales are final.”

I finally received a refund, but it took weeks. And it taught me a valuable Black Friday lesson: mark expiration dates in your calendar to make sure you never miss them.

Don’t forget the renewal dates

There are two main reasons why you should monitor renewal dates.

The first is that companies have usually obtained your card details (and this also applies to free trial periods, most of which now ask for card details up front so they can charge automatically at the end of the free period).

The second reason is that when you buy from foreign companies – and most software companies are foreign – you have virtually no returns because you have virtually no consumer rights.

I managed to get my money back from the American software company by being a huge pain in the ass, but if the company had chosen to stick to its guns, I would have been screwed, legally speaking.

If you buy from a UK business when you live in the UK, you have various rights, including a 14-day right to cancel on most purchases, including digital purchases. But those rights don’t apply when you buy from Detroit Dave’s Software ‘n’ Stuff or some faraway mega-corporation.

That’s not to say that Black Friday deals are bad. The most legitimate ones will save you tons of money. Just be sure to note the renewal date in your calendar. You will thank me this time next year.