Tracking Household Subscriptions, and Stopping Them When You Need To

Find them all

Nobody remembers every subscription. The statements do.

Write each one down with the card it is on, the amount, when it renews, and how to cancel.

Why canceling a card is not enough

It seems like closing a card would stop everything on it. Often it does not. Card networks run updater services that pass a new card number to merchants automatically when a card is replaced. A subscription can follow a replaced card for years.

Where they tend to hide

• Phone plans and add-ons such as device insurance
• Streaming and music, often more than one in the same house
• Cloud storage for photos and backups
• Software, apps and news sites
• Gyms and clubs, which can require a letter or a visit to cancel
• Delivery services and memberships that renew once a year
• Monthly donations

When someone else has to stop them

After a death or a move into care, the person handling the paperwork usually finds subscriptions one charge at a time. A list turns that into an afternoon.

• Save what you need first. Cloud storage may hold the only copies of photos and documents. Download them before canceling.
• Call or use the company's own process. Many have a way to close an account for someone who has died, usually with a death certificate.
• Ask for refunds on charges made after the date of death. Many companies will refund them.
• Watch the statements for three months for anything missed.

Trim what you do not use

Once everything is on one list, the ones you no longer use are easy to see.

• Review the list once a year. Cancel anything nobody has opened in three months.
• Rotate streaming services instead of paying for all of them at once.
• Check for family plans, which can replace several separate accounts.
• Look for duplicates, such as two people paying for the same music service.

Free trials

Most free trials turn into paid subscriptions automatically. When you start one, put a reminder on your calendar a few days before it ends. Some banks and card issuers offer virtual card numbers you can lock or delete, which stops a trial from billing.