Back to Blog

5 Hidden Subscriptions Draining Your Bank Account

Most people have forgotten subscriptions costing them hundreds per year. Learn how to find and eliminate these hidden money drains with Spendly.

Posted by

Subscription tracking dashboard

The Subscription Creep Problem

Studies show the average person has 12 active subscriptions but only remembers 8 of them. That means you're likely paying for 4 services you forgot about.

These forgotten subscriptions add up fast. At an average of $15 per subscription, you could be wasting $60+ per month, or $720 per year, on services you don't use.

The 5 Most Common Hidden Subscriptions

1. Free Trial That Wasn't Free

You signed up for a 7-day trial, forgot to cancel, and now you're paying $9.99/month for a service you used once. This is the most common subscription trap, and companies count on you forgetting.

2. Gym Memberships You Never Use

January motivation faded by February, but that $40/month gym membership? Still charging. Many people pay for gyms they haven't visited in months.

3. Duplicate Streaming Services

You're paying for Netflix on two different accounts. Or you forgot you have both Hulu and Hulu + Live TV. Streaming service overlap is incredibly common.

4. Software You Replaced But Didn't Cancel

You switched from App A to App B, but forgot to cancel App A. Now you're paying for both. This happens frequently with productivity tools, cloud storage, and design software.

5. Annual Renewals You Forgot About

That domain name you bought for a side project? The VPN you tried once? Annual subscriptions are especially sneaky because they charge once per year when you least expect it.

How Spendly Finds Hidden Subscriptions

Spendly automatically detects recurring charges in your transaction history:

  • Automatic Detection: Our AI identifies any charge that repeats monthly, yearly, or at regular intervals
  • Subscription Dashboard: See all your subscriptions in one place with cost per month and annual total
  • Renewal Alerts: Get notified before annual subscriptions renew so you can cancel if needed
  • Usage Tracking: Spendly helps you identify subscriptions you haven't used in months

Take Action: Your Subscription Audit

Here's how to clean up your subscriptions with Spendly:

  • Connect your bank accounts and credit cards to Spendly
  • Navigate to the Subscriptions view in your dashboard
  • Review each recurring charge and ask: "Am I using this?"
  • Cancel any subscriptions you don't need or forgot about
  • Set up alerts for the ones you want to keep

Most people save $200-500 per year by doing this simple audit. Start your 7-day free trial of Spendly Pro today and see what you're really paying for.