WeightWatchers: 6 Months Free

Spreads that cover every inch of the dining room table. Bowls of nuts for intermittent snacking. Drinks with friends. With the holiday season in sight, now may not seem like the best time to start a weight-loss program. Or maybe it is the perfect time.

Enter WeightWatchers, which claims in a recent Instagram ad that you can now get “6 months free.”

However, after receiving a tip from a consumer, TINA.org found that the weight-loss program tied to the deal is neither free, nor does it last six months.

The Instagram ad directs to a plans and pricing page where WeightWatchers doubles down on its “6 months free” claim while disclosing further down the page that what it is actually offering is “the value of 6 months free” but only if you purchase a 12-month plan.

To put it another way, WeightWatchers is offering 50% off a 12-month plan.

Clicking on a small icon on the plans and pricing page also reveals additional offer terms, including that you cannot cancel your subscription until the end of the 12-month plan period, meaning you have to pay $11/month for 12 months regardless of whether or not the plan is producing the results you want.

And if you don’t cancel at the end of 12 months, the plan autorenews at the standard monthly rate of $23 a month (charged monthly).

While fine print on the Instagram ad notes that the “6 month free” offer requires the purchase of a “select plan,” it does not specify the duration of the plan or any other conditions, but states, “Restrictions apply.”

WeightWatchers did not respond to a TINA.org request for comment.

The bottom line

Beware of the lure of free offers as they often come with strings attached. Before providing payment information, be sure to read all the fine print.

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