Nurture Life: 50% Off + Free Shipping

Nurture life says it delivers nutrient-packed meals and snacks for toddlers and kids directly to your door. And in a recent TV commercial, above, the company advertises that you can get 50% off plus free shipping with promo code “HEALTHYKIDS.”

But there are several important facts the ad doesn’t tell you.

For starters, in order to get the advertised discount, you need to sign up for a weekly subscription, which costs between $23 and $116, depending on which plan you sign up for. And the discount only applies to the first week’s shipment so you’ll pay more in subsequent weeks.

In addition, the advertised discount is capped at $30, meaning that only one of the subscription plans – the cheapest one – qualifies for the full 50% discount. And that free shipping? Only the first shipment is free.

There are also some issues with the sign-up process to be aware of before handing over your credit card information.

First, while Nurture Life claims that you can “skip, pause, or cancel your subscription any time” (below a prominent “complete order” button), the fine print beneath this statement doesn’t say when consumers will be charged following their first order, stating only that:

After completing this order, you will be notified via email each week to modify your order, skip, pause, or cancel before the cutoff. If you do not choose to skip, pause, or cancel, you will be charged weekly at your order cutoff.

But according to an article accessible via the FAQ section of the website, Nurture Life charges subscribers “6-8 days prior” to delivery, meaning the timeframe in which to skip, pause or cancel the weekly subscription to avoid future charges may only be a matter of days.

Second, the sign-up process omits the regular cost of shipping. But according to another article buried in the FAQ section, the cost of shipping is an additional $11.99.

In response to a request for comment, Nurture Life co-founder Jennifer Chow said the company’s “promotional offers, including discounts, subscription terms, and shipping details, are fully disclosed on our website during the sign-up process prior to purchase,” but added that it is “actively reviewing how promotional details are presented in our advertising to ensure they are both clear and easy to understand.”

The bottom line

Before signing up for a subscription that may prove more costly than advertised, make sure to read all the fine print, even if it takes some digging.

Find more of our coverage on subscriptions.