Free Ancestry UK Access this weekend

[maggbill]

It might just be me, but I can't seem to find the "Free access".  Is it just for people in UK?  When I try the UK site, I don't see the option.  A link anyone?

[Michael J]

Another weekend of freeloaders slowing things down for subscribers!

 In fact some people ask when the next one is as if it it their right to expect one. 

I seem to remember that when these commercial organisations acquired permission to sell access to our Public Records (i.e. already owned & paid for by us the public over the centuries through taxation) one of the conditions as part of their contract was to make them available free of charge to the public on a number of days each year.

On a pedantic note, I fail to see how this can be called 'freeloading'.

[dowdstree]

I too have a subscription for Ancestry. Only get records for U.K. and Ireland as the worldwide access would obviously cost more per month and I cannot justify the extra expense being retired and on a limited income.

I am noting all the overseas records that I need to check and one of these days I will upgrade for a month and check them out.

Wouldn't it be great if Ancestry would give its loyal customers a free weekend's access to ALL records.

Just proves that you get nothing for loyalty these days.

Dorrie

[3sillydogs]

Another weekend of freeloaders slowing things down for subscribers!

Sorry about that.

But it's the only way I can access the records, OH already thinks I'm daft and with the current exchange rate, well, let's just say a sub is not on the horizon for me.

[relatedtoturnips]

It might just be me, but I can't seem to find the "Free access".  Is it just for people in UK?  When I try the UK site, I don't see the option.  A link anyone?

Yes I cant see any information on the website yet. I think it will turn up nearer the weekend. I always get notified by email of the free access, and then it turns up later on the site.

[relatedtoturnips]

Another weekend of freeloaders slowing things down for subscribers!

Freeloading is a thing of beauty. If its good enough for NASA to swing around the planets, its good enough for me 

[rosie99]

It also gives a chance for the 'freeloaders' to give something back & help others with their queries 

[Nick_Ips]

And the 'freeloaders' can always pop down to their local library and get 'free' access anyway.

I suspect the business model is attracting novices by the free trial which gets them to sign up for a year for continued access to their records (as many newbies won't think to download the information and keep it offline). Once customers are signed up and paying by DD it becomes easy money...

Just like gym memberships, where a free trial is followed up with the hard sell. I'm sure paid-up gym members are aggrieved when a 'freeloader' is using the equipment they want to use, but will hopefully see that this marketing technique is what keeps the service available to them at an affordable (if still quite high) cost.

And as others point out, the free weekends mean you don't need subscriptions to both main sites (largely duplicated) in order to occasionally access records only available on one. Everybody is a winner 

[rosie99]

And the 'freeloaders' can always pop down to their local library and get 'free' access anyway.

But it is so much easier to do it at home