The average Australian spends between $100 and $150 per month on subscriptions — $1,200 to $1,800 a year on recurring charges, many of which are ticking away in the background, completely forgotten.

Subscriptions are designed to be easy to start and easy to forget. That free trial you signed up for six months ago? It has been quietly charging your card every month since. The streaming service you binged one show on? Still running. The fitness app you used for two weeks in January? Still billing you.

A simple subscription audit can put hundreds of dollars back in your pocket each year. Here is how to do one.

Person scrolling on phone with laptop in background, representing the digital subscriptions quietly charging your account

How Much Are You Really Spending?

Most people drastically underestimate their subscription spending. When asked, the average person guesses they spend about $80 per month on subscriptions. The reality is usually 40 to 80 percent higher.

This happens because subscriptions are individually small. A $15 streaming service here, a $12 app there, a $30 gym membership you have not used in months. None of them feels significant on its own. But stack them up and you are looking at a meaningful chunk of your income.

To see what small recurring costs really mean over time, try our Latte Factor Calculator. Even $10 per week in forgotten subscriptions compounds to thousands over a decade.

The Subscription Audit: Step by Step

Set aside 30 minutes this weekend and follow these steps. You will likely find money you can reclaim immediately.

Step 1: Pull Your Bank and Credit Card Statements

Go through the last three months of every bank account and credit card you own. Look for any recurring charges. Three months is important because some subscriptions bill quarterly or annually, so a single month might miss them.

Step 2: List Every Subscription

Write down every recurring charge you find, including:

  • The service name
  • How much it costs per month (convert annual charges to monthly)
  • When you last used it
  • Whether it is essential, enjoyable, or forgotten

Step 3: Check Your App Store Subscriptions

On your phone, check your Apple App Store or Google Play subscriptions. These are the ones people forget most often. On iPhone, go to Settings > your name > Subscriptions. On Android, open Google Play > Payments & subscriptions.

Step 4: Search Your Email

Search your email inbox for words like "subscription," "receipt," "renewal," "billing," and "your plan." This often surfaces services you had completely forgotten about.

The Subscriptions People Forget Most Often

Based on common patterns, here are the recurring charges that fly under the radar:

  • Free trials that converted to paid. That "first month free" offer from months ago is now costing you real money.
  • Secondary streaming services. You signed up for one show and never cancelled. Netflix, Stan, Disney+, Binge, Paramount+, Apple TV+ — it adds up fast.
  • Cloud storage. iCloud, Google One, Dropbox — often overlapping, often more than you need.
  • News sites and magazines. That paywalled article you wanted to read led to a subscription you never use.
  • Fitness and wellness apps. Meditation apps, workout trackers, meal planners — used enthusiastically for a week, then abandoned.
  • Software you no longer need. Old antivirus subscriptions, productivity tools you have replaced, creative software you no longer use.
  • Membership and loyalty programmes. Some "free" loyalty programs have premium tiers you forgot you upgraded to.

Deciding What to Keep

Not all subscriptions are waste. The goal is not to cancel everything; it is to keep only the ones that deliver genuine value. For each subscription on your list, ask yourself:

  1. Have I used this in the last 30 days? If not, it is a strong candidate for cancellation.
  2. Does this save me time or money elsewhere? A meal-planning app that reduces your food waste might be worth keeping.
  3. Could I get this for free? Many paid apps have free alternatives. Your local library likely offers free access to newspapers, magazines, and e-books.
  4. Am I paying for overlap? Do you really need three streaming services running simultaneously? Consider rotating — subscribe to one for a month, binge what you want, cancel, and switch to another.
  5. Would I buy this today? If you were not already subscribed and saw the price, would you sign up right now? If the answer is no, that tells you something.

Cancellation Tips

Once you have decided what to cut, here are some practical tips for a clean cancellation:

  • Cancel through the source. If you subscribed via the App Store, cancel there. If you signed up on a website, log in and cancel through your account settings.
  • Do not fall for the retention offer (unless it is genuinely good). Many services will offer you a discounted rate when you try to cancel. Only accept if you actually want the service — do not keep something just because it is cheaper than before.
  • Set calendar reminders for annual renewals. For subscriptions you keep, note the renewal date and set a reminder a week before so you can reassess.
  • Screenshot your cancellation confirmation. Some services make it difficult to prove you cancelled. Keep a record.
  • Check for early termination fees. A few subscriptions (particularly gyms and internet plans) may charge a fee for early cancellation. Factor this into your decision.

If you find yourself regularly losing track of subscriptions, that is a strong signal that you would benefit from tracking your expenses more consistently. A weekly review of your spending makes it nearly impossible for forgotten charges to slip through.

What to Do with the Savings

Once you have trimmed your subscriptions, redirect that money somewhere useful. Even $50 per month in cancelled subscriptions adds up to $600 a year. You could:

The key is to make the savings intentional. If you just cancel subscriptions without redirecting the money, it will quietly get absorbed into general spending. Set up an automatic transfer for the amount you have freed up, and watch it grow.

Make subscription auditing a quarterly habit. Every three months, spend 15 minutes reviewing your recurring charges. It is one of the highest-return uses of your time when it comes to personal finance.