2026 Finance Trends: Free-Trial Traps, BNPL Concerns, and Downgraded Benefits

How is consumer behavior around finances changing?

Published Apr 7, 2026
By Ksenia Newton

In this post

• Trend #1: Free trials become subscription traps
• Trend #2: The great benefit retreat
• Trend #3: BNPL: The strain of a delayed financial responsibility
• How we uncover these trends (and how you can too)

Using Brandwatch Consumer Research, we tracked online discussions relating to finance.

The last five years have shown a clear trend: not only do people talk more about finance – but the conversation is growing more negative. Just in the last year alone (between March 1, 2025 and March 1, 2026), negative mentions grew 21%.

Trend #1: Free trials become subscription traps

Online mentions of “free trials” grew 45% in the past year, and those conversations project plenty of frustration over deceptive and unclear pricing policies.

People share that many apps and services advertise free trial periods but end up charging them immediately after signing up. Others note that reminders are never sent before the free trial converts to a paid subscription.

We tracked 107% more mentions of denied refunds in free-trial conversations. Unclear cancellation policies often lead to charges consumers can’t get out of. Many report that their numerous requests for refunds go unanswered or are flatly denied, leaving them feeling scammed.

The lack of transparency is a huge issue here, and many consumers feel like subscriptions have become a trap.

Trend #2: The great benefit retreat

Across industries, brands are quietly removing free perks and replacing them with paid options. And consumers aren’t happy.

Earlier this year, Bilt credit card made significant changes to how points can be earned, replacing the only requirement (five transactions per month) with a more complex system. It didn’t go down well with the Bilt audience – many of them took to social media to explain the math behind why they are no longer interested in this credit card.

Mentions of downgrades and removal of benefits rose 19% over the past year. Revoked or replaced benefits have created plenty of frustration across industries – from social media platforms introducing premium features to gaming consoles and buy now pay later (BNPL) services.

Trend #3: BNPL: The strain of a delayed financial responsibility

Across 14 different payment methods, Klarna and buy-now-pay-later saw the largest increase in the volume of mentions – up 86% and 78% from the previous year, respectively.

Many people report feeling trapped in a cycle of debt and struggling with repayments, leading to increased financial stress and potential long-term consequences. Online conversations indicate that many consumers may not fully understand the implications of their borrowing on personal finances, particularly for younger generations who may lack experience in managing credit.

How we uncover these trends (and how you can too)

This analysis is based on 609 million online conversations over a 12-month period, pulled from social media, forums, review sites, and blogs with the help of Brandwatch Consumer Research.

We looked at key themes in conversations about finance to understand where consumer expectations are heading.