A free trial gives buyers full access for a set number of days before their first charge. They enter their card details at checkout as normal, but nothing is charged until the trial ends — and if they cancel before then, they are never billed.
Free trials work on recurring plans only — monthly, quarterly, or yearly. A one-time payment plan cannot have a trial, because there is no future charge to delay.
Add a free trial to a plan
Open your space and go to Manage → General settings → Privacy and payment settings.
Set the space to Paid if it isn't already, and connect Stripe.
Click an existing plan to edit it, or add a new one.
Set the plan's Frequency to Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly. The trial field only appears once you do.
Enter a number in Free trial (days) — for example 7, 14, or 30. Leave it at 0 for no trial.
Save the plan.
How the trial affects billing
The buyer gets full access to the space from the moment they check out.
Their card is collected at checkout but not charged. The first charge happens on the day the trial ends.
If you set a Billing limit — a fixed number of payments — the count starts when the trial ends, not at checkout. A 14-day trial with 6 monthly payments means six charges over six months, beginning two weeks after signup.
A coupon applies to the charges that follow the trial, not to the trial itself.
You can set up to 730 days, though most programs use somewhere between 7 and 30.
Tell buyers what to expect
The plan editor has a description field that shows on the checkout page. Use it to say plainly when the first charge lands — for example: "Your 7-day free trial starts today. You won't be charged until it ends, and you can cancel any time before then." Buyers who understand the billing date are much less likely to ask for a refund.
Troubleshooting
You can't see the Free trial field — the plan's frequency is set to One time. Change it to Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly and the field appears.
You want a trial without taking card details — that isn't what a trial does; Sutra collects the card at checkout so the subscription can start automatically. To give access with no payment method at all, use a free invitation or a coupon instead.
A member wants to leave before the trial ends — cancelling the subscription during the trial means no charge is ever taken. See the article on cancelling a member subscription.
You changed the trial length and existing members didn't change — trial length is fixed at the moment someone checks out. Editing the plan only affects people who buy from then on.
What's next
Set up an automation to send a check-in email a few days into the trial, so people have used the space before their first charge. You can also review your payment settings to confirm your plans and billing limits are set the way you expect.