Skip-or-Pay Subscriptions 2026: The Dark Pattern Costing You $100+/Month

Updated 2026-03-02 • 8 min read

🚨 The forgetting tax: "Skip-or-pay" subscriptions charge you every month unless you actively opt out by a specific deadline. Miss the window by one day? Full charge. This dark pattern generates billions in revenue from people who simply forgot to click "skip."

Every Major Skip-or-Pay Subscription

These services all use the same model — you MUST actively skip every month or get charged:

Fashion / Lingerie

Savage X Fenty VIP: $49.95/month — skip by the 5th or charged as store credit
Adore Me VIP: $39.95/month — skip by the 5th or charged as store credit (owned by Victoria's Secret)
Fabletics VIP: $49.95/month — skip by the 5th or charged as member credit
JustFab VIP: $39.95/month — skip between 1st-5th or charged (same parent company as Fabletics)
ShoeDazzle VIP: $39.95/month — skip by the 5th (also same parent company)

Wine / Food

Naked Wines Angel: $40/month — accumulates as "wine credit" whether you order or not
Winc: $52+/month — skip before ship date or get a shipment
Firstleaf: $80-100/shipment — skip before next shipment date

Clothing Rental

Rent the Runway: $89-235/month — can pause but must do it before billing date
Nuuly: $88/month — skip months available but must be proactive
Le Tote: $59-79/month — skip option but defaults to ship

The Maximum Damage

If you have the most common skip-or-pay subscriptions and forget to skip for just ONE month:

Savage X Fenty: $49.95
Fabletics: $49.95
Adore Me: $39.95
Naked Wines: $40.00
Total for one month of forgetting: $179.85
Annualized: $2,158.20

How to Cancel Every Skip-or-Pay Service

TechStyle Companies (Fabletics, JustFab, ShoeDazzle)

All owned by the same parent company (TechStyle Fashion Group). Cancel one, check for others:

Log in to each site → Account → Membership
Cancel VIP membership on each one individually
Request refund of unused member credits
If online cancel is difficult, call 1-866-337-0906 (Fabletics)

Savage X Fenty

Go to savagex.com → Account → Membership
Click Cancel Xtra VIP Membership
Navigate through retention screens
Request refund of unused credits (cite FTC Click-to-Cancel rule)

Get Your Store Credits Refunded

Most skip-or-pay services say credits are "non-refundable." This is misleading:

The FTC considers automatic charges without active consent to be deceptive. Cite this when requesting refunds
Your credit card company can dispute charges that you didn't actively authorize
State consumer protection laws (especially California, New York, Illinois) provide additional protections
Document everything: Screenshot your credit balance, note dates you were charged without purchasing
File FTC complaint: reportfraud.ftc.gov — the more complaints, the more likely enforcement action

Prevention: Never Fall for Skip-or-Pay Again

Set a recurring calendar reminder for the 1st of every month: "Skip all VIP memberships"
Use a virtual credit card with a spending limit — Privacy.com lets you set $0 limits
Better yet, cancel entirely. Any service that charges you for NOT shopping has a business model that profits from your forgetfulness
Ask yourself: Would I buy from this brand at full price? If yes, you don't need a VIP membership — just watch for sales

💳 Skip-or-pay subscriptions are the #1 source of "surprise" charges on bank statements. Upload your bank statement to JustCancel — we flag every subscription, including the ones you forgot to skip this month.