The broadband free trial that quietly cost extra
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a broadband advert this month for exactly the kind of thing that catches people out at checkout: a broadband free trial that wasn’t quite as free as it looked once the small print unwound.
The advert, for provider Onestream, promoted an 80Mbps package at £22.99 a month. Bundled into checkout were two extras, each with its own broadband free trial period, that auto-renewed into paid subscriptions afterwards: a Priority Plus add-on at £7.95 a month, and a McAfee security package at £34.95 a year. Neither cost was made clear enough in the ad itself, and the ASA agreed.
How does a broadband free trial actually work?
A broadband free trial on an add-on service typically means you’re opted in by default when you check out, get a set number of days for nothing, and then start paying automatically unless you actively remove it. The tricky part isn’t the trial itself, it’s how easy providers make it to miss the box that adds it in the first place.
In this case, the ASA found the broadband free trial details sat in a small text box during checkout, with a “remove” option present but easy to overlook. Onestream’s defence was that customers could cancel before the trial ended. The regulator’s view was that the terms needed to be clearer up front, not just technically present somewhere on the page.
The core package itself wasn’t the problem. The advert was for an 80Mbps deal at £22.99 a month, rising to £25.74 from April 2027, plus a £14.95 one-off activation charge, all disclosed clearly enough on their own. It was the two extras riding alongside it, easy to miss and each with its own broadband free trial, that tipped the ad into misleading territory.
Why a broadband free trial is worth checking before you sign up
The headline price on any broadband deal is rarely the whole story. A £22.99 monthly plan with two auto-renewing extras can quietly become a much higher direct debit a month or two later, once the free periods run out and nobody’s gone back to cancel them.
This isn’t unique to one provider. Auto-renewing add-ons, security software, priority support, insurance-style extras, are common across broadband checkouts. A broadband free trial is a completely normal thing to be offered. The problem only starts when you don’t notice you’ve accepted one.
Regulators are watching this more closely across the board, not just in broadband. The ASA has been tightening its guidance on free trial and subscription-style promotions generally, which is worth knowing if you’ve noticed similar boxes popping up when you buy insurance, streaming services, or anything else online with a checkout flow that resembles this one.
Key takeaways
- The ASA banned a Onestream ad in September 2026 for unclear broadband free trial terms.
- Two add-ons, worth £7.95 a month and £34.95 a year, auto-renewed after a free period.
- Auto-renewing extras at checkout are common across broadband providers, not just one.
- Read the checkout page fully, not just the headline monthly price.
- Set a reminder to cancel or review anything free-trial-only before it converts to paid.
3 checks to avoid a broadband free trial catching you out
Roo’s advice: treat checkout like reading the whole menu, not just the special of the day.
First, scroll the entire checkout page before you confirm anything. Any broadband free trial extras are usually listed separately from the core package, often lower down or in a smaller box than the headline price.
Second, actively remove anything you didn’t ask for. Ticked-by-default boxes are the norm, not the exception, so assume you need to opt out rather than assuming you’re automatically excluded.
Third, note the date any broadband free trial ends and put a reminder in your calendar. It costs nothing to check back in, and it’s the single easiest way to avoid paying for something you meant to cancel. Our guide on claiming broadband cashback deals covers a similar small-print habit worth building.
What to do if you’ve already been charged
Contact your provider directly first and ask them to cancel the add-on and refund any charges taken after you believed you’d removed it. Most providers will do this without much fuss for a recent, genuine mistake, especially if you can point to the confusing checkout screen as the reason.
Keep a screenshot or note of what the checkout page actually showed you at the time, if you still have access to it. It makes the conversation with customer service faster, since you’re not relying on memory alone. If that goes nowhere within eight weeks, our broadband ombudsman guide covers the free, formal route to a resolution.
Frequently asked questions about a broadband free trial
- What happened with the Onestream broadband advert?
- The ASA banned it for not clearly disclosing that two add-ons had a broadband free trial that auto-renewed into paid subscriptions.
- Is a broadband free trial always a bad thing?
- No, it’s a normal offer. The issue is only when the auto-renewal terms aren’t made clear enough before you check out.
- How do I check what I’ve signed up for?
- Log into your account with your provider and look for an add-ons or subscriptions section, or check your most recent bill line by line.
- Can I get a refund if I was charged without realising?
- Often yes, especially soon after the charge. Contact your provider directly and ask them to cancel and refund the add-on.
- Does this only affect Onestream customers?
- No. Auto-renewing checkout extras appear across the broadband market, so it’s worth checking your own provider’s checkout terms regardless of who you’re with.
