Quick answer: To cancel subscriptions you don't need, first find them all: check 2–3 months of bank and card statements, your phone's app-store subscriptions and your email for "receipt" or "renewal". List each one with its monthly cost, mark it keep, pause or cancel, then cancel directly in the app or account settings. The whole audit takes about 20 minutes.
Streaming, music, cloud storage, fitness apps, the meal kit you meant to pause, the trial that quietly became a payment. Individually they're small. Together they can be one of the biggest leaks in a budget, and they're the easiest money to win back before the holidays.
Why subscriptions are so easy to forget
Subscriptions are designed to be frictionless: you sign up once and never think about it again. Payments are small, automatic and spread across different cards and apps. That's exactly why a regular subscription audit works so well. (Curious how much the forgotten ones add up to? Read our ghost subscription audit.)
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The 20-minute subscription audit
Minutes 1–8: Find every subscription
- Bank and card statements: scroll back 2–3 months (some subscriptions are quarterly or yearly).
- Phone: check the subscriptions section in your app store settings.
- Email: search for "subscription", "renewal", "receipt" and "your trial".
- PayPal or other payment apps: check automatic payments.
Minutes 9–14: Make a list
Write each one down with its monthly cost (divide yearly ones by 12). Then add them up. Seeing the total on paper is often the moment that motivates change.
Minutes 15–18: Keep, pause or cancel
For each subscription ask:
- Did I use this in the last 30 days?
- Would I sign up for it again today at this price?
- Is there a free or cheaper alternative I already have?
Two "no"s usually means cancel. If you're unsure, pause it for a month and see if you miss it.
Minutes 19–20: Cancel and note it
Cancel directly in the app or the account settings, and screenshot the confirmation. Write the money saved in your tracker, and decide where it goes: a holiday pot, a Christmas sinking fund or savings.
A subscription audit is one of the five steps in our October money reset. If you want the whole reset in guided pages, the 3-step workbook bundle (digital PDF) walks you through it.
Tips to keep subscriptions under control
- Set a reminder the day before every free trial ends.
- Rotate streaming services: one at a time, switch monthly.
- Repeat the audit every 3–6 months. New ones sneak in.
- Notice the feeling: some subscriptions are "identity purchases" (the gym, the language app). Cancelling them can feel like giving up on a version of yourself. It isn't; you can restart when you're ready.
FAQ
How do I find all my subscriptions?
Check 2–3 months of bank and card statements, the subscriptions section of your phone's app store, payment apps and your email for receipts or renewal notices.
How do I cancel a subscription on my phone?
Go to your phone's settings, open your account in the app store, then Subscriptions. Choose the one you want and select cancel. Deleting the app alone does not cancel the payment.
How often should I do a subscription audit?
Every three to six months, and always before a high-spending season like the holidays.
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Educational content only. Not personalised financial advice.