"Free" offers disclose all conditions, obligations, and post-trial charges

The FTC's Free Offer guidelines and Negative Option Rule both require that conditions on 'free' offers be clearly and conspicuously disclosed at the outset — not in a linked terms document. A 'Start for free' CTA that routes to a credit card form without disclosing the post-trial charge amount and date is a textbook Negative Option Rule violation. Consumers who discover a charge they didn't understand will initiate chargebacks, dispute the charge with their bank, and leave fraud-flagged reviews — all of which carry downstream payment processor consequences beyond the FTC exposure.

Disclose the post-trial charge amount, date, and cancellation method immediately below the free trial CTA — not in a linked terms document.

function FreeTrialCTA() {
  return (
    <div>
      <button>Start your 14-day free trial</button>

      {/* Disclosure inline, not in fine print — FTC standard */}
      <p className="text-sm text-gray-600 mt-2">
        No charge for 14 days. After your trial, plans start at $29/month.
        Cancel anytime before day 14 from your account settings and
        you won't be charged. Credit card required to begin.
      </p>
    </div>
  )
}

// Free tier — disclose limits upfront on the pricing card
function FreeTierCard() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h3>Free</h3>
      <p>$0/month</p>
      <ul>
        <li>Up to 3 projects</li>
        <li>1 team member</li>
        <li>500MB storage</li>
      </ul>
      {/* Limits here, not on a page the user finds after signup */}
    </div>
  )
}

The FTC standard: 'Conditions must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed at the outset of the offer.' Adjacent means adjacent — inline text immediately below the offer.