Update: Anker called this a “website issue.”
“You can delete the cart and reselect the product without the subscription,” according to Anker. “Today there will be an update for the website that allows you to delete the subscription without needing to reselect the product.”
Original story continues:
Anker remains one of our preferred sources of power banks, USB-C hubs, and other PC and phone peripherals. But beware buying them from Anker itself. You might end up with a $9.99/mo “Plus subscription” that you’ll have to spot and actively cancel.
Some of Anker’s slim Nano products ship automatically bundled with the recurring Anker Plus subscription, which promises an extra five percent off of all purchases and benefits like free next-day delivery. That might be acceptable if it were your choice, but it’s not. The subscription is added as a one-time “free” benefit. After that, Anker will charge $9.99 to your credit card per month.
Take, for example, the Anker Nano Power Bank (10K, USB-C Cable), which Anker sells on its website for $59.99. Anker promises a five percent discount for Plus members, but you have to log in to claim the benefits. There’s no way to decline the benefits before purchasing.
Anker’s Plus Member Benefits also show up on the shopping cart page, where the Anker Nano Monthly Plus monthly subscription charge has been waived. But while the buyer is offered the option to remove the power bank by clicking the small garbage can icon, there’s no option to remove the subscription.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
In a popup on Anker’s Anker Nano product page, the company describes the Anker Plus member benefits, which include free next-day and express shipping, an extra five percent off, additional Anker Credits for free rewards, and access to members-only products. Anker Plus is described as a $9.99/mo subscription, with the option to cancel anytime.
And that’s true: Inc., which discovered Anker’s tactics, noted that they could instantly cancel the subscription as soon as the customer received their products. Still, there’s no guarantee that every consumer will, and Anker would benefit from a steady drip of $9.99 leaking out of a customer’s credit card on a monthly basis.
Anker representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Anker isn’t consistent in how it pushes the Anker Plus membership, however. With the $29.99 Anker Nano Power Bank (22.5W, USB-C connector), the company offers a trio of checkboxes. On my screen, the default was “Not a Plus Member,” noting that I would be “missing out on over $500 of savings,” with additional unfilled checkboxes allowing me to sign up for a monthly “Plus membership” for $9.99 per month or an annual membership for $99.99 per year. Neither of those checkboxes were filled, and I could bypass signing up for the membership if I wished to buy it.
But an $89.99 Anker Nano Charging Station again pushed the bundled Plus membership, without giving the option to skip it.
From what I can see, however, Anker’s dubious bundling practice isn’t replicated elsewhere. We recommended Anker’s USB-C power bank a week or so back, with a reference to Amazon. If you buy it there, Anker doesn’t (can’t?) bundle its subscription.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
Those aren’t all of the dubious benefits Anker offers.
Anker also offers a “free” tumbler if you spend $89 on Anker Nano products. It has also offered “blind boxes” for several years. The Anker Nano Blind Box costs $65 and basically asks you to gamble on receiving products at different odds. For example, Anker says that you have a 16 percent “win rate” for a Anker Nano Power Bank and Anker Nano Charger (valued at $380.93) or a 33 percent “win rate” for an Anker Nano Charger, Anker Nano Travel Adapter, and USB-C cable worth a combined $103.96.
Anker products have performed well in my tests of the best USB-C hubs and my recommended Thunderbolt docks. But if you do buy them, make sure you’re buying them from a third-party retailer, and not Anker itself. In my opinion, signing up for a recurring $9.99 monthly subscription isn’t the bonus that Anker makes it out to be.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
This story was updated at 2:06 PM on August 5 with a statement from Anker.
