How to Audit Your Subscriptions in 5 Minutes

The average American spends $219 per month on subscriptions, according to a 2022 C+R Research study. More surprisingly, 42% of people are paying for subscriptions they've forgotten about.

That's potentially $100+ per month going to services you don't use. Here's how to find every recurring charge and decide what to keep.

The manual method (free, 15-30 minutes)

Open your bank's website or app and look at the last 3 months of transactions. You need 3 months because some subscriptions bill quarterly or annually.

Look for:

• Identical amounts appearing monthly (the obvious ones: Netflix, Spotify, gym)
• Small charges you don't recognize — these are the ones that get you. $4.99 here, $9.99 there.
• Annual charges — that $99/year Amazon Prime or $69.99 antivirus renewal
• Free trials you signed up for and forgot — check for new recurring charges in the last 2-3 months

Write down every recurring charge with the amount and what it's for. If you don't know what a charge is, Google the merchant name — it's often a parent company name that doesn't match the service.

The fast method (2 minutes, $5)

Export your bank statement as a CSV or PDF (most banks have this under “Download Transactions” or “Export”), then upload it to Just Cancel. AI scans your statement and identifies every recurring charge automatically.

You get a list of all your subscriptions with direct cancel links for 440+ services. It costs $5 once — no subscription, no bank connection required.

Deciding what to cancel

Once you have your list, go through each subscription and ask:

1. Did I use this in the last 30 days? If no, cancel it. You can always re-subscribe.
2. Is there a free alternative? YouTube has most of what Spotify offers. Your library probably has free ebooks and audiobooks.
3. Am I paying for overlapping services? Multiple streaming services, multiple cloud storage, multiple news subscriptions.
4. Would I buy this again today? If you wouldn't sign up for it right now at the current price, that's your answer.

The retention offer trick

Before you cancel a subscription you actually use, try going through the cancellation flow. Many services — including Audible, Spotify, streaming services, and cable companies — will offer you a discount to stay.

Common offers include:

• 50% off for 2-3 months
• Free month added to your subscription
• Downgrade to a cheaper plan you didn't know existed
• Annual pricing that's cheaper than monthly

A Reddit user reported saving over $1,600/year by canceling 5 subscriptions they weren't fully using. Even if you only find one or two charges to cut, that $5-20/month adds up to $60-240 per year.

Preventing subscription creep

After your audit, set a calendar reminder to do this again in 3 months. Subscription creep happens slowly — a free trial here, a “just $4.99/month” there — and before you know it you're back to $300+/month.

The single best habit: never sign up for a free trial without setting a cancel reminder for 2 days before it expires.