By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.

TV Answer Man, I was thinking of getting the free trial for DIRECTV Stream. Any tips on what I should be looking out for during the free trial? — Heidi, Dallas.

Heidi, if you have signed up for a free trial for any TV-related service, I urge you to consider cancelling immediately. Yes, cancel! (Maybe. Let me explain.)

I’m not saying the free trial isn’t any good or that the TV service isn’t any good. But many people forget to cancel prior to the end of the free trial and they get billed for the first month of service when they didn’t want it. Then they complain to the service which is actually justified in billing them. The fine print of every free trial says you will be billed for the first month if you don’t cancel prior to the end of the free trial period, whatever it is.

So if you cancel immediately after signing up for the free trial, you will be able to enjoy using the service during the free trial period without having to worry about cancelling later. And many streaming services, and other online services, will allow you to continue with your free trial for the entire term even if you cancel immediately after signing up. (Note: Check with your individual provider to make sure your free trial will not expire upon cancellation. Fubo is one streamer where the free trial will expire if you cancel at the Fubo web site. However, it may not expire if you signed up for the Fubo free trial using another source such as Roku. See this for more on Fubo’s free trial cancellation process. Hulu is another that says the free trial will end.)

Heidi, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.