A subscription audit turns recurring charges into a list you can evaluate. Collect the price, billing period, renewal date, and recent use for each service. Convert the charges to an annual basis, then compare the value you expect to receive over the next year.

The subscription cost calculator totals weekly, monthly, and annual charges and lets you compare a possible cancellation scenario. It does not connect to accounts or cancel services.

Build a complete list

Review several months of statements and search email for receipts and renewal notices. Annual charges may not appear in the most recent statement. Include streaming, cloud storage, software, memberships, add-ons, and trials that will convert to paid plans.

Record the amount actually charged, including tax where applicable. If a promotional rate ends soon, record the renewal price as well. The CFPB's spending assessment guide also recommends looking back several months to catch less frequent expenses.

Compare prices over the same period

Multiply monthly charges by 12 and weekly charges by 52. Annual charges are already yearly amounts. Divide the total by 12 to see a monthly equivalent; this is a budgeting average, not the amount necessarily leaving your account each month.

For example, a 15 monthly streaming plan costs 180 per year. Add a 120 annual app subscription and the total is 300 per year, or 25 per month on average. Canceling the app before a future renewal could avoid 120 of future annual spending. It does not automatically recover the current year's prepaid amount.

Weekly billing uses a 52-payment planning convention in our tool. Depending on calendar dates, a specific year can include a different number of scheduled payments. Use actual payment dates for a precise cash-flow plan.

Evaluate overlap and actual use

For each service, write down the task it performs and when you last used it. Two similar services may serve different needs, while a bundled feature may duplicate something you pay for separately.

Ask: if the subscription expired today, would you buy another month at its current price? Compare the future benefit with the future charge. Money already spent should not by itself justify another renewal; our sunk cost decision tool helps structure that comparison.

When annual billing is less attractive

An annual discount is valuable only if the commitment fits your needs. An illustrative 120 annual plan costs less than twelve payments of 15, but three months of the monthly plan cost just 45. If you only need the service for a short project, monthly billing may cost less overall.

Before changing a plan, check whether cancellation affects stored files, household access, a bundle price, or a feature you depend on. Export anything you need and confirm which benefits remain until the paid period ends.

Make the cancellation scenario realistic

Our calculator shows a full future year's avoided charges at unchanged prices. Adjust your plan for notice periods, termination fees, replacement costs, remaining prepaid time, and refunds. The earliest saving may start at the next renewal, not today.

Use the provider's cancellation process and keep the confirmation. Stopping a payment method and ending a service agreement are different actions; the CFPB discusses that distinction in its automatic-payment guidance. Contract terms and local rules determine what applies to your situation.

Save a copy of your list and check subsequent statements. If the audit frees up a regular amount, the compound interest calculator can model saving it under assumptions you choose. Investment returns are uncertain; the recurring contribution is the part you can plan directly.