A new account gets 3 free days with 2 books to make. The trial starts at the card step while you set up your account, and nothing is charged until it ends. If you cancel before then, you pay nothing at all.
What the trial includes
| What | During the free days |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 days, or longer with a code |
| Plan | Sprout, paid monthly |
| Books | 2 in all, shared by your readers |
| Readers | 2, as on Sprout |
| Charges | None until the free days end |
A picture book uses 1 of your books and a chapter book uses 2, so a reader aged 7 or over, whose books are chapter books, uses 2 of the 2 with each one. Trial books you do not use are not carried over. Your first paid month starts with the plan's whole allowance instead.
While the trial runs, Plan and books says "It is free until (date). If you cancel before then, nothing is charged."
Why it is always Sprout, monthly
The card step starts the same trial for everybody: Sprout, paid monthly. That is true even if you arrived from "Start with Grove" on the pricing page. You can add an extra reader during the free days, and it is charged with the plan when they end.
You get one free trial, ever. A trial you canceled still counts, so a plan you choose later is paid for from its first day.
Changing plan during the trial
Usually, the plan buttons on Plan and books, such as "Change to Grove", open our payment provider's page, the same one "Manage your plan" opens. If you change plan or switch to paying yearly there during the free days, the free days end and the new plan is charged then. If you would like Grove but want to keep your free days, wait until they end and change plan then.
If you pay for an extra reader, plan changes happen on Plan and books itself instead. There, the free days carry on, and the page says "Nothing is charged until your free days end." before you confirm. See Change your plan.
When the free days end
- Three days before the end, we email you "Your free trial ends on (date)". In those last three days, Home also shows it under "Needs your attention".
- When the free days end, your plan starts and your card is charged for Sprout, monthly, unless you changed plan. The month's books arrive in full.
- If there is no card on the plan by then, the plan is canceled rather than charged.
- If there is a card but the payment does not go through, we email you "Your payment did not go through". Your monthly books cannot be used until the card works, but any extra books you bought separately still can. See When a payment does not go through.
Canceling before you are charged
- Open Plan and books.
- Press "Manage your plan" and cancel on our payment provider's page.
Nothing is charged. The plan stops when the free days would have ended, and the books your child has already made stay readable for as long as your account is open. After that, you can choose a plan on Plan and books whenever you like, or buy books without one. See Cancel your plan.
Codes that add free days
Some codes we hand out add days to a trial that has not started yet.
- Sign in and open Use a code. You can also reach it from Settings > "Use a code", or from Plan and books > "Codes, gifts and friends".
- Type the code in "Your code" and press "Use the code".
- The page says how many days the code adds and how long your trial will now last. The button on the card step shows the new length too.
A code like this only works before your trial starts. Once a trial or a plan has started, it is refused with a message saying so. These codes add days, never trial books. Each code works once on your account, and a trial cannot be longer than 730 days in all. See Use a code.