Yep there are different ways of getting in, lol! I never log off Ancestry whilst I have access. I have been on for as long as 5 days and, on the other hand, have been told that my time was up after 1 day!
Not sure about how long the offer lasts, I think that as long as you use the correct link it goes on for quite a while.
I too have used loads of paper and ink!! Takes me ages to sort out everything I have printed after I get cut off, but have gained so much.
Hope they don't read these posts and stop the offers! There was a useful loophole in the 1901 Census that got closed when people started telling each other and 192.com is not as easy to get free info from as it was but with patience you can find out quite a bit.
There is another county site that tightened up when they found people could gain just a little bit of extra information without paying!
Make hay while the suns shines seems to be the answer!
Selina