The annual subscription audit

Subscriptions are designed to be forgotten. A free trial becomes a monthly charge; an annual renewal arrives when you have stopped using the service. Once a year, set aside thirty minutes to find them all.

The audit

1. Search your statements for the last 12 months for recurring payments. Many banking apps now group them for you.
2. List each one with its cost per year (monthly cost × 12 is a sobering number).
3. Ask one question: "If I weren't paying for this, would I sign up today?"
4. Cancel, downgrade or rotate. Rotating streaming services — one at a time, a few months each — keeps the entertainment and halves the cost.

Stop them creeping back

• Use a virtual card or a separate card for trials, with a low limit.
• Put a calendar reminder two days before every trial ends.
• Prefer monthly over annual until you are sure you will use it.