Almost got hit with a $35 late fee because I forgot a subscription

Last week I was going through my bank statement and spotted a charge from a streaming service I hadnt used in like 8 months. Turns out I signed up for a free trial 3 years ago and forgot to cancel it, so theyd been taking $12 every single month. That adds up to over $400 wasted in total which made me SICK when I realized it. I immediately called and canceled it and asked for a refund but they only gave me the last 2 months back. Now I check my bank app every Sunday morning to catch any sneaky recurring charges. Has anyone else found random subscriptions they forgot about?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade7383mo ago

Man I set a calendar reminder now for every single subscription.

angela433mo ago

The calendar reminder thing @jade738 mentioned is smart, I do that too but with a twist. I also keep a list in my notes app of every subscription with the price and renewal date, so when I get a new one I add it right then. When I cancel something like a free trial I set a reminder for a day before it ends, not the day of. That way if the cancellation is tricky I have time to follow up. After my own $400 mistake I just don't trust any company to remind me, they want you to forget.

gibson.mark1mo ago

Set a reminder a day early but once forgot to check my phone that day anyway. Lost a whole year of a cloud storage plan I barely used. Now I do what you do with the notes list but I also screenshot the cancellation confirmation page and save it in a folder called "Dead Subs." Sounds crazy but when you get burned for real cash you start treating subscriptions like a hobby.