How to Audit and Cut Your Subscriptions

Step 1: List every recurring charge

• Go through two or three months of bank and card statements and write down anything that repeats: streaming, apps, cloud storage, news, software, gyms, delivery memberships.
• Check the subscriptions pages of your phone's app store and your main online accounts. Charges billed through them can be easy to miss on a statement.
• Note annual renewals too. They appear once a year and are the easiest to forget.

Step 2: Decide keep, downgrade or cancel

For each one, ask when you last used it and whether you would sign up again today at the current price. If the answer is no, cancel. If you use it but not all of it, look for a cheaper tier: ad-supported, fewer screens, a family plan you can share with your household, or an annual plan if you are sure you will keep it.

Step 3: Cancel properly

• Cancel through the same place you subscribed (website, app store or phone carrier).
• Save the confirmation email or a screenshot with the date.
• Check your next statement. If you are still charged, contact the company with your proof, then your card issuer if that fails.

Free trials and auto-renewals

Before starting a free trial, find out when it converts to paid, what it will cost and how to cancel. Put a reminder in your calendar a couple of days before the trial ends. The FTC's consumer guide on free trials and negative-option subscriptions explains what to look for.