Beware of emails from Ancestry.com

[Pam Downes]

Peter Calver in the latest edition of the Lost Cousins newsletter warns of emails purporting to be from Ancestry.com offering a 14-day trial.
The truth is (as Peter says) that there are usually free 14-day trials available on Ancestry (and FMP) without you having to click on dubious links in emails.
http://
lostcousins.com/newsletters2/may15news.htm#AncestryScam

Pam

[David Tuson]

Hi Pam

I ignore the 14-day free trials on Ancestry these days because they ask for credit card details in case you want to continue with a subscription.
As we get older time flies by so quickly that 14 days go in flash and it is very easy to forget to cancel the free subscription. And then your credit card gets debited.
It happened to me many years ago and used an AMEX card on the Ancestry application. When I emailed Ancestry to cancel my subscription that request was ignored and they kept debiting the card even after I had closed my AMEX account. The Ancestry charge kept on resurrecting my AMEX account and I kept getting bills. Took me six months to get both AMEX and Ancestry sorted out.

[Pam Downes]

Hi David,

Thank you for the reminder about making sure that if you take out a free trial with Ancestry or FMP to cancel your 'renewal' before the fourteen days are up.
I'm not very technically-minded but I don't think the companies allow you unlimited 14-day trials, though you are allowed access to any records they flag up as 'free this day/weekend' to mark special occasions or anniversaries. (When, to the best of my knowledge, they don't ask you for credit card details.)

Pam

[David Tuson]

Hi David,

Thank you for the reminder about making sure that if you take out a free trial with Ancestry or FMP to cancel your 'renewal' before the fourteen days are up.
I'm not very technically-minded but I don't think the companies allow you unlimited 14-day trials, though you are allowed access to any records they flag up as 'free this day/weekend' to mark special occasions or anniversaries. (When, to the best of my knowledge, they don't ask you for credit card details.)

Pam

Hello Pam

You are correct that you do not need to give any credit card details when they have the "free for day/weekend" - that is now my preferred way of accessing Ancestry.
I use the "Buy Credits for 12 months" option on FMP. That way I am in control of my expenditure.

David