Buying software or a subscription this Black Friday? Put it in your calendar or you might regret it

I like Black Friday deals, and every year I get a good Black Friday deal on my PlayStation Plus membership – 30% off for a year of online gaming and tons of games.

However, I also have to be careful, because if not then my existing discounted membership will automatically renew at full price – even though a new Black Friday deal on the same subscription is just about to drop.

Sony's pretty good, and lets me know in advance when the renewal is coming up so I can decide what to do. Apple's quite good too. But not all software and other subscription providers are so customer-friendly.

Two years ago, my discounted subscription for a very expensive bit of software automatically renewed without warning – a renewal I didn't want at a price I definitely couldn't afford. And, when I tried to cancel it, the company told me that "all sales are final".

I got a refund in the end, but it took weeks. And that taught me a valuable Black Friday lesson: put expiry dates in your calendar to make sure you never miss them.

Don't forget about renewal dates

There are two key reasons why you should keep an eye on renewal dates.

The first is that the companies have usually got your card details (and this applies to free trial periods too, most of which now ask for card details up-front so they can automatically charge when the free period ends).

The second reason is that when you're buying from overseas firms – and most software firms are overseas – you have virtually no comeback because you have virtually no consumer rights.

I managed to get my money back from the US software firm by being an enormous pain in the arse, but if the company had chosen to stick to its guns I'd have been stuffed, legally speaking.

If you're buying from a UK firm when you live in the UK you have various rights including a 14-day right to cancel for most purchases, including digital ones. But those rights don't apply when you're buying from Detroit Dave's Software 'n' Stuff or some far away megacorp.

That's not to say Black Friday deals are bad. The legit ones will save you tons of money. Just make sure you put the renewal date in your diary. You'll thank me this time next year.