Take a close look at your credit card bill, maybe you’ll find a few surprises in the form of forgotten monthly subscriptions.
If you’re tired of paying for those you no longer use, but can’t quite figure out how to cancel, you’re not alone.
We’ve got ways to slim your subscriptions and save you money.
“From Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock, editing software. I have a Linktree to all my social media accounts,” said Leanne Potter.
Every month Leanne Potter pays for a lot of online subscriptions.
“I know I pay for things I don’t use,” said Potter.
Consumer Reports has three ways to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions. First, divide and conquer. Identify all your subscriptions. Check your credit card statements for recurring payments.
“One easy way to do this is to use a subscription tracking tool, such as Rocket Money or OneMain Trim, which finds and then helps you cancel subscriptions you no longer want,” said Margot Gilman, Consumer Reports.
Number two, opt out! – To see a list of apps you’re currently paying for through Apple Pay, for example, open the app store on your phone, click “account” then “subscriptions.” – From there, click cancel on those you’re done with. By the way, these steps are similar for the Google Play store.
Finally, get organized and keep track of discounted or free trial periods. When you cancel, sometimes you get a ‘don’t go’ offer for a free extension or discount. If you accept, set a calendar alert for two or three days before the end date of the promotion. The same goes for any free trial subscription you might sign up for.
Setting an alert for when you need to cancel will help you juggle multiple trials at a time, and your future self will thank you!
“I would love to have something warn me, that I’m going to be charged in five days rather than paying another $40 for a year for it,” said Potter.
And if you want to take your digital housecleaning a step further, check out Permission Slip by Consumer Reports — it’s a free app that lets you control what data you share with companies you do business with.