How to do a subscription audit

Recurring charges are easy to forget because each one is small and none of them asks for a decision. A €9.99 monthly charge is €119.88 a year. Five of them is almost €600. The problem is rarely one big subscription; it is several small ones nobody looks at together.

An audit fixes that by putting everything on one list, once. After that, keeping it current takes minutes.

Set aside about an hour. Check each of these places:

• Card and bank statements. Look for the same amount from the same merchant every month. Go back 12 months, because yearly renewals (software, domains, memberships, insurance add-ons) appear only once.
• App Store (iPhone, iPad). Settings → your name → Subscriptions.
• Google Play (Android). Play Store → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions.
• PayPal. In your PayPal settings, open Payments and look for automatic payments. Services paid through PayPal often do not show their own name on your card statement.
• Email. Search for "receipt", "renewal", "your subscription", "trial" and "invoice". This finds services billed to a card you rarely check.
• Other people's cards. Family plans, a partner's card, or work tools you pay for personally.

One line per subscription, with:

• Name and what it is for
• Price and billing cycle (monthly, yearly, weekly)
• Next renewal date
• Which card or account pays for it
• How to cancel, and any notice period in the terms
• Who uses it

The renewal date matters most. It is the deadline for every decision you make in the next steps.

Monthly prices look small. Multiply monthly charges by 12 and weekly ones by 52, then add them up. An example with round numbers:

The subscription cost calculator does this for you, with no sign-up. Seeing the yearly figure next to each item makes the next step easier: "would I pay €168 today for this?" is a clearer question than "is €13.99 a lot?".

For each line, ask:

• Did I use it in the last 30 days?
• Would I sign up again today at this price?
• Does another subscription already do the same thing?
• Is there a cheaper plan, or one I can share with my household?

Then mark it:

• Keep if you use it and would pay for it again.
• Downgrade if you use it but not the extras. Yearly billing is cheaper per month, but only switch if you are sure you will keep it for the year.
• Rotate streaming services: keep one at a time, watch what you wanted, cancel, move to the next.
• Cancel everything else.

• Cancel before the renewal date, not on it. Two days ahead avoids time-zone and processing surprises. Most services let you use what you paid for until the period ends.
• Check the notice period. Gyms, phone plans and some contracts need notice weeks or months in advance, sometimes in writing. The terms tell you.
• Cancel app-store subscriptions in the store. Deleting the app does not stop the billing.
• Keep proof. Save the confirmation email or take a screenshot of the confirmation screen.
• Check your next statement. If you are charged after cancelling, contact the company with your proof first, then your card issuer.

For step-by-step instructions for common services, see how to cancel subscriptions.

• Free trials: set a reminder two or three days before the trial ends, the moment you sign up. More on stopping free-trial charges.
• Yearly renewals: put each renewal date in your calendar with a week's warning, so the decision happens before the charge.
• One list: add every new subscription to your list the day you start it.
• Repeat every three months. With a list in place, it takes a few minutes.

• Download 12 months of card and bank statements (annual renewals only show up once a year)
• Open the subscription lists in the App Store, Google Play and PayPal
• Search your email for "receipt", "renewal", "your subscription", "trial" and "invoice"
• Write every recurring charge down: name, price, billing cycle, next renewal, card, how to cancel
• Convert each one to a yearly cost and add them up
• Mark each one: keep, downgrade, rotate or cancel
• Cancel at least two days before the renewal date and save the confirmation
• Check your next statement to confirm the charges stopped
• Set a reminder before every free trial ends and before each annual renewal
• Put the next audit in your calendar, three months from today

A spreadsheet is enough for the audit itself. Where it falls short is reminding you before renewals and trial end dates. That is what ekspeer is for: one list of your subscriptions, their yearly cost, and email reminders before they renew.

The free plan covers up to 5 subscriptions with a reminder one day before each renewal, and you can export your list as CSV at any time. ekspeer does not connect to your bank; you add subscriptions yourself.

How often should I do a subscription audit?

Every three months is enough for most people. A quarterly check catches new trials and price rises before they have charged you for long, and it only takes a few minutes once you have a list.

How long does the first audit take?

Usually an hour or less. Most of the time goes into finding charges in statements and app stores. Later audits are quicker because you only check what changed.

Do I need an app for this?

No. A spreadsheet works. An app helps mainly with reminders before renewals and trials ending, which a spreadsheet cannot send you.

Does deleting an app cancel its subscription?

No. Subscriptions bought through the App Store or Google Play keep renewing until you cancel them in the store's subscription settings, even if the app is deleted.

Does ekspeer connect to my bank?

No. You add subscriptions yourself, or pick them from a list of common services. ekspeer never asks for bank logins.