PSA: That "free" financial coaching app cost me $600 in fees I didn't see coming

Signed up for this app called SmartDollar through my employer last March. They pitched it as a free benefit to help with budgeting. What they didn't say was they'd auto-enroll me into their premium plan after 30 days with a $50 monthly charge. Didn't catch it until my credit card statement showed $600 gone over 12 months. Called to cancel and they only refunded 2 months. Has anyone else gotten trapped by these "free trial" finance tools that flip to paid without a clear warning?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora1842d ago

My friend got hit with the same hidden fee on that SmartDollar app and it took her months to notice too.

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kelly.parker2d ago

You mentioned it took "months to notice" but honestly that's kind of on her for not checking her bank statements regularly. Hidden fees are annoying for sure, but most of these apps have the charges listed in the fine print somewhere. Shouldn't people be looking closer at what they're signing up for?