Subscriptions are easy to start and easy to forget. An hour with your statements can free up money every month.
Quick wins
- Look through three months of bank, card and app store statements to find every recurring charge.
- Sort each subscription into keep, downgrade, pause or cancel.
- Rotating streaming services, rather than paying for all of them at once, can cut costs.
- Set a reminder before every free trial ends.
Streaming services, apps, delivery memberships, cloud storage, software: recurring charges add up quietly. A subscription audit puts them all on one list.
Step 1: Find every charge
Go through the last three months of:
- bank and credit card statements
- app store purchase histories on your phone and tablet
- payment service accounts
- email receipts, searching for “renewal” and “subscription”
Step 2: Decide what stays
| Decision | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Keep | You use it weekly and it’s good value |
| Downgrade | A cheaper tier or ad-supported plan would do |
| Pause | You’ll want it again later, such as a seasonal sports package |
| Cancel | You rarely use it or forgot you had it |
Money saver
Try rotating streaming services: keep one or two at a time, cancel when you’ve watched what you wanted, and switch to another. You don’t lose anything except the backlog.
Step 3: Cancel properly
- Cancel through your account settings or the app store you subscribed through.
- Save the confirmation email or take a screenshot.
- Check your next statement to make sure the charge has stopped.
Heads up
Deleting an app doesn’t cancel its subscription. You need to cancel through the app store or the company’s account settings.
Free trials
Before signing up, set a reminder for a day or two before the trial ends. If you decide to keep it, that’s a choice rather than an accident.
Making it a habit
Repeat the audit every six months, and move what you save into savings straight away so the money doesn’t drift back into spending. Our guides to cheaper phone plans and saving on a tight budget suggest other quick wins.
You might be wondering
Where do hidden subscriptions usually show up?
In card statements, app store purchase histories and PayPal or similar payment accounts. Annual renewals are easy to miss, so check a full year if you can.
What if a company makes cancelling hard?
Follow the cancellation steps in your account settings or terms, keep confirmation emails and screenshots, and contact your card issuer if charges continue after you’ve cancelled.
Is an annual plan better than monthly?
It’s usually cheaper per month if you’ll use the service all year. Monthly plans are better if you might cancel soon.
These tips are general information. Prices, plans and programs vary by provider and location, so check the details with your provider before you switch or sign up.