How do I find all my subscriptions?

Go through three months of statements for every card and account and look for merchants that repeat at similar amounts. Then check the subscription lists in the Apple App Store or Google Play, and the direct debits in your bank app.

How do I cancel a subscription on my iPhone?

Open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription. Subscriptions you pay to a company directly, not through Apple, have to be cancelled with that company.

Does Balance cancel subscriptions for me?

No. Balance finds recurring charges, shows what they cost and reminds you before they renew, but cancelling is done with the provider. Balance never connects to your bank or cards.

How much is too much to spend on subscriptions?

There is no single number. A useful test is whether you would sign up again today at the current price. Seeing the yearly total, not the monthly one, usually makes the answer clear.

Forgotten subscriptions

Stop paying for what you forgot.

Free trials that quietly became paid, apps you stopped opening, prices that crept up. Here is how to find every recurring charge and keep only the ones you want.

Show me the steps Subscription cost calculator

The problem

Why subscriptions slip past you

Subscriptions are designed to be painless. They are small, they renew automatically, and they often sit on different cards or in different app stores. Once the first payment goes through, you never have to think about them again, which is exactly the problem.

Most people guess low. In a 2022 survey of 1,000 US adults by C+R Research, people’s quick guess of their monthly subscription spending was $133 lower than what they found when they actually added it up, and 42% said they had forgotten about a subscription they were still paying for.

Price rises make it worse. A service you happily paid for two years ago may cost noticeably more today, and the email announcing the change is easy to miss.

42%

of people said they had forgotten a subscription they were still being charged for.

Source: C+R Research via FOX 13

$133

a month: how far people’s first guess of their subscription spending fell short.

Source: C+R Research via FOX 13

74%

said it is easy to forget about recurring monthly charges.

Source: C+R Research via FOX 13

What you can do today

Find and cancel forgotten subscriptions in an evening

Put aside an hour. You will need three months of statements for each card and account, and access to your phone’s app store settings.

1
Scan three months, not one
Many services bill every two months, quarterly or yearly. Look for any merchant that appears more than once at a similar amount, and for one-off yearly renewals.
2
Check the app stores
On iPhone, open Settings → your name → Subscriptions. On Android, open Google Play → Payments & subscriptions. These list app subscriptions billed through the store, including ones you forgot.
3
Look for standing orders and direct debits
Gym memberships, insurance and phone add-ons are often billed straight from your bank account. Your bank app usually lists active direct debits or standing orders.
4
Sort into keep, cancel and downgrade
For each one ask: did I use it in the last month? Would I sign up again today at this price? A cheaper plan or a yearly price is often a middle ground.
5
Cancel properly and keep proof
Cancel through the provider or the app store, take a screenshot of the confirmation, and check your next statement to make sure the charge stopped.
6
Put the total in yearly terms
Add up what you kept and multiply by twelve. The subscription cost calculator does this for you. A yearly number makes the next decision much easier.