From the main AO website:
"Funcom announces that Anarchy Online will be the first major western live MMO without a subscription fee. In a unique move Funcom is removing all cost barriers in the ultimate sci-fi MMORPG, allowing all new players to enter and stay, free of cost! At the same time Funcom is departing from the obligatory need to register with a credit card, making for an easier entrance and registration process."
I tried the free trial a couple months ago. It seemed like a pretty good game, but as someone who had never played an MMORPG, I found it pretty hard to get into and cancelled when the trial period was up. Since it's free now, I may give it another shot and give myself some more time to figure it all out.