I disagree. I can't see how this is a dark pattern / trick. They are just saying if you want to participate in the trial they need to validate that you're serio

I disagree. I can't see how this is a dark pattern / trick. They are just saying if you want to participate in the trial they need to validate that you're serious about it. If you don't like these upfront terms, then you can bail right there and then. If however they are being sneaky about the CC requirement, or actually bill you a month later, then I could see that qualifying as a dark pattern (or straight up fraud). I probably wouldn't move forward as a potential customer myself once the credit card requirement pops up unless I'd already done my research and was pretty sure I wanted to use that product. They could lose potential customers, but they also probably eliminate a massive amount of customer support... which maybe they just can't afford yet. Customer support isn't free.