LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s paid subscription service that unlocks additional features beyond the free LinkedIn account. One of the main benefits of LinkedIn Premium is that it allows you to message anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected. Other key features include seeing who’s viewed your profile, expanded search filters, unlimited InMail messages, and access to online courses.
When you first sign up for LinkedIn Premium, you get access to a free trial period. This allows you to test out the Premium features before committing to a paid subscription. So how long does the LinkedIn Premium free trial last?
Length of the LinkedIn Premium Free Trial
The LinkedIn Premium free trial lasts for 30 days from the date you first sign up. During this 30 day trial, you’ll have full access to all the Premium features, just like a paying subscriber.
Once the 30 days are up, your free trial will automatically end and your account will revert back to the free version of LinkedIn. At this point, you’ll lose access to capabilities like InMail messaging and seeing profile viewers unless you decide to continue with a paid Premium subscription.
So in summary:
- The LinkedIn Premium free trial is 30 days
- The 30 day countdown starts as soon as you initially sign up
- You’ll have access to all Premium features during the free trial
- The account reverts back to free after 30 days unless you pay for Premium
This 30 day timeframe gives you plenty of time to evaluate if a Premium subscription is worthwhile for your needs. You can test out Premium messaging, courses, and insights before deciding if you want to pay to keep access.
Signing Up for the Free Trial
Signing up for the 30 day free Premium trial is simple. Here are the steps to get started:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and login to your account
- Click on the “Work” dropdown menu and select “Premium”
- Click the “Start your free trial” button
- Select between monthly or annual Premium billing
- Enter your payment information (this will not be charged during trial period)
- Click “Start free trial”
Once you complete these steps, your 30 day free trial will be activated. You’ll immediately have access to Premium features.
LinkedIn will send you an email confirming the start of your free trial with the exact expiration date. This helps you keep track of when the 30 days are ending.
As the trial nears expiration, LinkedIn will send reminders letting you know the free period is almost over. This gives you a heads up so you can decide whether to continue with a paid membership.
Cost of LinkedIn Premium After the Free Trial
If you want to continue accessing Premium features after the 30 day trial, you’ll need to pay for a subscription. Here are the current LinkedIn Premium pricing options:
Subscription | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
Premium Career | $29.99 per month | $239.88 per year (equivalent to $19.99 per month) |
Premium Business | $44.99 per month | $359.88 per year (equivalent to $29.99 per month) |
Premium Sales | $64.99 per month | $519.88 per year (equivalent to $43.32 per month) |
As you can see, Premium Career is the most affordable option at $19.99 per month with annual billing. Premium Sales has the most features but comes at $64.99 per month.
The annual subscriptions can save you around 20% compared to paying month-to-month. You’ll want to consider which option makes sense for your budget and needs after the 30 day trial.
Taxes may also be added to the above pricing depending on your location. But the free trial gives you 30 days to experience Premium before paying anything.
What Happens When the Free Trial Ends?
Once your 30 day free trial expires, your LinkedIn account will automatically revert back to the free experience. Here are some key things that will happen:
- You’ll lose the ability to send InMail messages. These are the direct messages you can send to anyone, even if you’re not connected.
- Seeing who’s viewed your profile will no longer be visible
- Advanced search filters will be more limited
- Access to LinkedIn Learning online courses will end
- You won’t be able to read articles marked as Premium only
Essentially, all the Premium features will be disabled even if you don’t cancel your account. Your profile and network will remain intact. But you’ll be transitioned back to the unpaid version.
If you want to avoid losing access to any Premium features, you’ll need to pay for a subscription before the 30 day trial runs out.
Can You Extend the Free Trial?
Unfortunately, there is no way to extend the LinkedIn Premium free trial beyond 30 days. The trial length is fixed at one month.
Even if you cancel and try resigning up, LinkedIn’s systems will recognize you already had a free trial. So you won’t be eligible for a second round.
The only way to continue the Premium experience past 30 days is to pay for a membership. LinkedIn does not offer any extensions or exceptions to the one month timeframe.
Some users have contacted LinkedIn’s customer support to ask for an extended free trial. But they do not accommodate individual requests to prolong the trial. The standard response is to encourage the user to purchase a paid plan.
So while you can try asking for a longer trial, chances are low LinkedIn would grant additional free premium access beyond the initial 30 days. Don’t count on being able to extend the timeframe.
Can You Get a Refund After Purchasing?
If you do decide to purchase a paid Premium subscription after the trial, you may be wondering about LinkedIn’s refund policy.
The good news is that LinkedIn does offer full refunds on paid subscriptions within the first 30 days. So if you pay for a year of Premium after the trial and change your mind, you can get a refund within the first month of paying.
To request the refund, you’ll need to contact LinkedIn customer support. There should be an option to “cancel Premium and request refund.”
As long as it’s within 30 days of first purchasing, you can receive your money back minus any taxes. LinkedIn will cancel and prorate the remaining time.
After the initial 30 day window from first payment, refunds are no longer available. So if you want to request a refund, be sure to do it within 30 days of starting a paid membership.
What Are the Key Premium Features?
To help you decide if Premium is worthwhile, here is an overview of the key features included:
InMail Messaging
InMail allows you to message any LinkedIn member, even if you’re not directly connected. This opens up messaging capabilities beyond just your 1st degree network.
Profile View Insights
See data on who’s been looking at your profile and how you rank against peers. See what types of members are interested in you.
Expanded Search Filters
Premium includes more filters for searching profiles, companies, groups, jobs, content, and more. You can fine tune searches with Premium.
Online Courses
Get access to LinkedIn Learning with over 15,000 online courses in business, technology, design, and more. Study at your own pace.
Premium Articles
Some long form posts are gated for Premium members only, along with offline reading capabilities.
Overall, Premium unlocks LinkedIn’s full power for building connections, learning, and gaining insights. The free trial lets you evaluate the features at no cost before deciding to continue.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn Premium free trial allows 30 days to experience all of the Premium features and determine whether a paid subscription makes sense for your goals. To get started with the trial, simply visit the Premium signup page and enter your billing details – you won’t be charged until after the 30 days.
Take advantage of capabilities like InMail messaging, profile analytics, expanded search, and online learning courses during the trial. At the end, you can choose to purchase Premium or revert back to the free account. And if you do purchase but change your mind, refunds are available within the first 30 days.
So in summary, the LinkedIn Premium trial lasts for 30 days exactly. This gives you plenty of time to evaluate the benefits before you decide to invest in a subscription. Take advantage of the trial to see how Premium can take your LinkedIn presence to the next level.