The cost of unused and unwanted subscriptions costs consumers up to £1.6 billion a year. Meanwhile, more than 26% of UK consumers say they’ve accidentally taken out a subscription in the last 12 months. From magazines and Netflix to beauty and software subscriptions, monthly and annual subscriptions can start to add up next to your regular bills.

In an attempt to protect shoppers from feeling caught in unwanted subscription plans, the UK government plans to launch measures to help crack down on ‘subscription traps’ and complicated cancellation processes. But in the meantime, if you’re thinking of reducing your subscriptions to make the most of your monthly budget, we can help.

In this guide, we explore everything from how to check subscriptions and deal with service providers to how to reduce your existing subscriptions. Find out the best ways to find and cancel subscriptions and get money back in your pocket without incurring extra fees and charges.

In this guide:

How to cancel your subscriptions
How to see subscriptions on iPhone
How to see subscriptions on Android
How to find and cancel all subscriptions on your debit card
How can I reduce my subscription fees?
How to budget monthly vs annual subscriptions
Affordable alternatives to subscription services

How to cancel your subscriptions

It’s easy to look through your monthly spending and realise you might not be utilising some of the services you’re subscribed to. Perhaps they’re no longer useful to you and you’d rather save the money elsewhere. Overspending on subscriptions is a common concern for millions of us in the UK, but there are ways to address it.

Subscriptions and their associated terms can vary from service to service. In most cases, you can cancel subscriptions by leaving within an initial cooling-off period or by checking the cancellation terms.

Check your contract for cancellation terms
Log in to your account and look for account settings
View your payment/subscription details and select cancel

Alternatively, you may be asked to reach out to the company or service provider directly. But you should be able to find full details about how to cancel your subscription under the company FAQs.

Notice to cancel your subscription

Some companies may require notice to cancel within a certain window before your next payment. This means you’ll need to let them know that you’re cancelling before you stop your payments. It’s always a good idea to check the terms and conditions and cancellation rights before signing up to help avoid incurring unwanted penalty fees.

Types of subscriptions

There are thousands of different subscriptions available to consumers, and it’s easy for some of them to slip under the radar.

Not sure how many subscriptions you might have? There are various ways to check what you’re subscribed to – but here’s a quick list of examples you could be looking out for:

Music streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited)
Entertainment streaming (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, NOW TV, YouTube Premium, Patreon)
Beauty and skincare (Birchbox, Glossybox)
Meal kits (HelloFresh, Gousto, Graze)
Software and cloud services (Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, extra storage on Google Drive, Apple iCloud and Dropbox)
News and magazine subscriptions
Gaming subscriptions (Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus)
Online shopping subscriptions (Amazon Prime)
Gym and fitness subscriptions

How to see subscriptions on iPhone

If you’ve subscribed to any services through the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, managing any active subscriptions is straightforward:

Open the App Store
Click your profile
Select Subscriptions
Click Cancel Subscription

You can also find your subscriptions by opening Settings, clicking your name and selecting Subscriptions.

How to see subscriptions on Android

If you have an Android mobile or tablet device, you can access your subscriptions through the Play Store:

Open Google Play and select your profile picture
Click Payments & subscriptions
Select Subscriptions
Then you can either cancel or pause subscriptions where applicable

You can also manage any Google subscriptions, such as Google Drive storage, on your Google account by heading to Payments and subscriptions > Manage subscriptions.

If you decide to cancel your cloud storage subscriptions, make sure to check the cancellation process before committing to your plan. It’s a good idea to have a backup plan to avoid the risk of losing any precious photos and important files saved on your cloud storage.

How to find and cancel all subscriptions on your debit card

If you’re not sure exactly what you might be subscribed to and paying for, we can help explain how to see your subscriptions on card. There are a couple of ways to find out:

Check if your banking app or online banking portal has a subscription management tool. You’ll be able to see Direct Debits and standing orders on most banking apps, but some may not include Continuous Authority Payments (CPA).

A CPA is a recurring payment authorised when you give a company the long number on your debit or credit card to regularly pay for a subscription service, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or a gym membership. Subscriptions can sometimes be Direct Debits or CPAs, but CPAs can be harder to track.

If your bank doesn’t have a subscription management tool, the next approach is to read through 12 months of bank statements in search of monthly or annual subscription payments.

Your banking app might also show you a list of upcoming payments, which might include future subscription payments and any standing orders you’ve set up with other bank accounts.

If you’re still deciding which ones you’d prefer to keep or cancel, consider adding them up to a total yearly cost to review your overall outgoings for subscription spending. Consider which ones you still use and which ones you could do without. There may even be subscriptions you forgot you had.

Remember, you’ll still need to reach out to each subscription provider and cancel with them directly.

Can you cancel subscriptions through your bank?

You have a legal right to cancel any subscription payments through your bank if you wish to, whether it’s a Continuous Payment Authority (CPA) or Direct Debit. However, there are a few important factors to consider before you do:

The deadline for stopping a CPA payment is before close of business on the working day before the payment is due. If you miss this deadline, you may not be able to stop the payment.
Always check if you have any upcoming payments due as part of the subscription, as you’ll still need to pay for any goods and services that you owe.
If you contact your bank to help you cancel a CPA or Direct Debit payment, they may recommend that you contact the company first to inform them.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) states that banks can cancel CPA and Direct Debit payments for you if the subscription provider does not honour your request to cancel the payment method. However, this will not end your subscription contract.
If you’re ending a relationship with a service provider, always get clear confirmation and arrange an alternative payment method to pay for anything you still owe.

When you cancel a CPA, this means you no longer give permission for the company or service provider to take payments from this card. If the subscription service takes any more payments after this, they’ll be considered ‘unauthorised’.

This means that if you cancel a CPA before the deadline and they continue to take payments, you may be able to contact your bank for a refund.

Meanwhile, some companies may also allow you to pause subscriptions for some time if you contact them.

Use financial management tools to track your subscriptions and outgoings

If you’re paying for multiple subscriptions, it can be tricky to keep track of them. Some banks help you monitor spending by breaking down your payments in categories, helping you see where your monthly outgoings are.

Meanwhile, there are third-party budgeting apps that can help manage your subscriptions too – just don’t fall into the trap of setting up another subscription that you then need to cancel!

ScribePay (free standard subscription, £1.25 per month for Go Plus)
LittleBirdie (free standard subscription, £2.99 per month for LittleBirdie Plus)
Emma (free standard subscription, £4.99 per month for Emma Plus)
Plum (free standard subscription, £2.99 per month for Plum Pro, £4.99 per month for Plum Ultra)

These budgeting apps link to your bank account and debit cards to show you your subscriptions so you can cancel the ones you no longer need. Always check if money management apps are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) before sharing any personal data and banking information.

How can I reduce my subscription fees?

If you still want to hold onto some of your subscriptions, there are a few ways you might be able to cut them down and save some extra cash.

Subscribe annually

If you know you’d like to keep subscribing to a service and you’re happy to work it into your budget, annual subscriptions can sometimes offer better discounts than paying monthly.

While paying monthly can offer some flexibility as you try out the service, committing to a year can save you money on services you know you want to keep in the long run. However, you must be prepared for the upfront commitment for a year.

For example, an annual standard Disney+ subscription costs £89.90. If you pay the monthly fee of £8.99 per month, this will cost you £107.88 for the year in comparison. By paying annually, you could save £17.98 over the year.

Cancel services for a prompt discount

Sometimes, it’s possible to reach out to the subscription service or visit their website to cancel and find that they offer you a better deal. If you no longer use the service, it’s probably a better idea to cancel and save your money altogether. But if you’d like to see if you can get a better discount on your subscription, this might be an option.

NOW TV is just one example of a service that sometimes offers a better deal when you go to cancel your subscription. If you subscribe to NOW TV, take a look at your online account and follow the steps to cancel your subscription passes and see what they offer.

There’s no guarantee of a better offer, or even if you think the offer is worth the money. But sometimes it can surprise you. If you really love a service, then it can be worth calling the subscription service directly too. Naturally, your results may vary, but if you’ve been a loyal customer then they may be willing to offer an incentive to encourage you to stay.

Sign up for free trials – and cancel them as soon as possible

Many services offer free trials, which can play to your advantage. In some cases, you may be able to sign up for a free trial for a month or so without incurring the automatic charges once the trial period ends.

Make sure to read the subscription terms to find out whether the service will stop immediately after you cancel, or if you can cancel ahead of time before the first payment. If it’s the former, make sure to set yourself reminders to cancel a couple of days before the first payment.

It’s important to always check the subscription terms to understand what you’re agreeing to when you sign up for an introductory offer.

How to budget monthly vs annual subscriptions

While monthly subscriptions can help spread the upfront cost of paying for a service, sometimes they can cost you more over the course of a year. Whether you prefer to pay monthly for added flexibility, or annually to take advantage of discounted membership, here are our key tips to consider:

Keep track of your subscriptions with a list or spreadsheet, noting what they are, how much they cost and when they’re due.
Use the same card to pay for all of your subscriptions so you know exactly where they’re coming from or how much you need in the account.
Regularly evaluate what you’re paying for and whether you’re still using them. By cancelling unused subscriptions, you can save your money in the meantime and sign up again in future if you change your mind.

Switching from monthly to annual payments

If you’re thinking of switching from monthly to annual payments but find that you prefer budgeting monthly for regular expenses, there’s no need to change tact.

If you’re happy to pay for the service, you can divide a 12-month annual subscription by 12 to get the monthly cost. Then, set this money aside each month in your budgeting sheet or in a separate bank account designed specifically for paying for services. That way, the cash will be ready to pay for the service at the end of the year.

Using your subscription tracker list, make sure to monitor your subscriptions as you go to make sure you have enough to cover all your payments.

Affordable alternatives to subscription services

Subscription services are often enticing and convenient. If you enjoy the products and services from a subscription but need to keep to a budget, there are various swaps and workarounds to help you cut down costs.

Entertainment

Consider charity shops, car boot sales, and job lot bundles on second-hand marketplaces like eBay to find DVDs, Blu-rays and video games. Libraries are another great alternative for streaming and audiobook services, offering free access to movies, television shows, books, CDs and audiobooks.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of new, brilliant movies and TV shows available on free streaming apps like Tubi, Amazon Freevee and Now U (formerly UKTV Play). In the past, some of these free apps had subpar offerings, but now you’ll find both new blockbuster hits and classics to enjoy.

Why not challenge yourself to watch TV shows or films on these services that otherwise you wouldn’t have looked at? If you’re looking for inspiration, check out some of the movie subreddits on Reddit or free film review apps like Letterboxd to find lists of hidden gems you might have missed.

Music

You can swap music streaming services with their free standard subscriptions, such as:

Spotify
Amazon Music
Deezer
YouTube Music

Fitness and exercise

If you’re looking for affordable alternatives to gym and fitness subscriptions, consider free trials (making sure you cancel right away before you’re charged), YouTube tutorials and fitness DVDs. You can also find great value items like fitness gear for less on eBay or Vinted by setting alerts and waiting for the right deal to come your way.

Cooking kits

Cooking kits and meal planning services often offer introductory offers at a discount, just make sure to cancel before the trial period runs out. Many meal planning subscriptions also post recipes for free on their website too, so you can try to see if the recipes are your cup of tea before you pay.

Cloud and software services

A Google account gives you limited access to document and spreadsheet editing tools. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to cut back on monthly cloud storage upgrades, look out for sales on external hard drives to back up important photos and files permanently.

If your cloud subscription costs £2 or more each month, you could be saving up to £24 a year by cancelling your subscription. Many smartphones now allow you to export photos and files to an external storage device directly, so you don’t even have to use a computer.

Whether you’re hoping to reduce unwanted subscriptions, find affordable alternatives or get better discounts on the services you’re currently paying for, it’s important to stay organised and intentional with your budget.

Above all, we recommend keeping track of what you’re paying for, how much it costs and when your payments are due to help you make more informed decisions about your outgoings. For more help and guidance, read our guides on how to build a budget and monthly budgeting tips.