I upped trial → paid by asking for a credit card up front. Here’s what changed and why it worked

Short story. I switched to a 7 day trial with card up front a friendly email 24 hrs before billing.

Sign ups dipped a little. Conversions went up. Support got quieter. The people who came in actually wanted the outcome, not just to poke around. I dont wanna share exact numbers yet, but the direction is very clear.

Why I expected this to work. A bunch of PLG studies say trials convert better than freemium on median. Older benchmarks also show card required trials can convert really high when time to value is fast. The card adds a tiny bit of friction, which filters low intent. If your aha moment hits in day one or two, you keep more of the right folks. If activation is weak tho, this can totally backfire, so dont copy it blind.