LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 810 million members worldwide. As a platform designed to help professionals connect and advance their careers, LinkedIn offers several premium features through LinkedIn Premium subscriptions. One way to try out these premium features without commitment is through LinkedIn’s free trial offer. But how many times can you actually get a free trial from LinkedIn?
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s subscription service that unlocks additional features beyond the free basic account. With LinkedIn Premium, members can access things like:
- See who’s viewed your profile
- Send unlimited InMail messages
- View full profiles of people outside your network
- Get insights on who’s searching for you
- Take online courses through LinkedIn Learning
There are three tiers of LinkedIn Premium: Premium Career, Premium Business, and Premium Sales. The tiers provide access to the core Premium features but differ based on the focus area like job searching, company research, or sales leads.
Why does LinkedIn offer a free trial?
LinkedIn offers one month free trials to encourage users to try out Premium and experience the benefits firsthand. The goal is that after testing out Premium, many users will see enough value to purchase a full paid subscription. Some key reasons LinkedIn offers Premium trials include:
- Lets users evaluate Premium before committing to paying
- Gives new users a risk-free way to experience Premium
- Allows users to identify which Premium tier is most relevant to their goals
- Enables sampling of Premium features that are gated for free accounts
- Can potentially hook users into continuing with a paid plan after the trial
How many times can you get the LinkedIn Premium free trial?
Officially, LinkedIn only allows users to activate the Premium free trial one time per account. This policy is in place to prevent abuse of repeatedly creating trials without ever paying for the service. According to LinkedIn’s website:
“Our Premium free trial is available to new Premium subscribers only. Since you can only become a new subscriber once, you can only start a free trial with that account once.”
So in most cases, you can only obtain the Premium trial for one month when you first sign up. After the trial expires, you cannot restart it on that same account.
Exceptions
There are a couple exceptions where it may be possible to get an additional Premium trial, including:
- Using a new LinkedIn account: You can create a new account with a different email and get one free trial there.
- Premium expired for several months: If your Premium subscription has been lapsed for 6+ months, you may be offered another free trial if you try reactivating it.
- Promotional offers: Occasionally LinkedIn runs special deals offering free Premium trials, even for existing users.
What happens when the free trial expires?
At the end of your one month Premium trial, your subscription will automatically expire and revert to a free account. You’ll lose access to all the Premium features until you renew and start paying for a plan.
Here’s what to expect:
- You’ll receive several email reminders as your trial nears expiration
- On expiration, Premium features will be disabled and locked
- Your profile will display that you now have a Basic (free) account
- You can still renew anytime to regain access to Premium
- Your trial history will note you already used your free trial for that account
Can you extend a LinkedIn Premium free trial?
Unfortunately there is no official way to extend a Premium free trial on LinkedIn past one month. The platform does not allow users to request trial extensions or resets.
Some workarounds users attempt include:
- Cancelling just before the trial ends, then resuming to get more time. LinkedIn’s system prevents this.
- Using a different payment method to reactivate the trial. LinkedIn only allows one trial per account.
- Signing up for a trial with a new account. This works but requires creating a new account.
So in summary, no, there is no way to officially prolong a Premium trial after it has started. LinkedIn’s policy is firm at one month only.
Can you get a refund on LinkedIn Premium trial?
Since LinkedIn Premium is offered as a completely free 1 month trial, they do not offer refunds on trial subscriptions. During the trial period, users are not charged anything at all.
LinkedIn also has clear notice before the trial begins that it will automatically convert to a paid plan when the trial ends. Users have the ability to cancel ahead of time to avoid being charged.
Some key points on Premium trial refunds:
- No refunds are provided on free trial subscriptions
- To avoid charges, members must cancel before the trial period ends
- LinkedIn will not issue refunds for “forgotten” cancellations after being charged
- Purchases made after the trial converts to paid are generally non-refundable
The best way to avoid unwanted charges is to remember to cancel the trial before the month is up if you do not want to continue with Premium. LinkedIn will send multiple emails over the trial period reminding members when charges will begin.
Getting the most out of your free trial
To maximize the one Premium trial you get with a LinkedIn account, here are some tips:
- Actively test all Premium features you may want access to
- Prioritize the most valuable networking opportunities
- Use Premium Search to find and contact key connections
- View insights on profiles and make focused networking pitches
- Take advantage of unlimited InMail messages
- Learn as much as possible about Premium tailored to your goals
The month may feel short, but with focus you can determine if Premium is worthwhile for your needs before the trial runs out.
Can you get Premium for free through other means?
Beyond the standard free trial offered, there are a couple other ways members may be able to access LinkedIn Premium temporarily for free, including:
- Student discounts: Students can get Premium for free or at a heavily discounted rate.
- Business sponsorships: Some companies offer Premium access to employees.
- Contests/giveaways: Occasional promotions offer free Premium as a prize.
- Microsoft partnership perks: Some Microsoft product bundles include Premium trials.
However, these offers vary considerably and may not be available for every user. The most consistent method is still to use the one month Premium trial when you first join LinkedIn.
Can you get Premium for life?
There is no official lifetime Premium subscription offered by LinkedIn. All paid Premium plans require renewing on a recurring monthly or annual basis.
Reasons permanent lifetime access is not available include:
- Premium provides ongoing value that requires continual investment.
- Lifetime deals would undermine LinkedIn’s subscription business model.
- Maintaining Premium features and support has ongoing costs.
- Premium pricing strategies factor in a certain churn rate.
The only way to maintain Premium long-term is by continuing to pay the subscription fees regularly. While not a lifetime purchase, many members find the services worth the price for years at a time.
Conclusion
The standard LinkedIn Premium trial period that most users can obtain is one month for each account. This allows new members to evaluate Premium for free before deciding if they would like to pay for a full subscription. While there are occasional exceptions, LinkedIn generally enforces only allowing a single trial. Making the most of the free month and the networking power of Premium is the best way to take advantage of the offer.