Subscription audit checklist

Why this is on an ADHD catalog

Forgotten subscriptions are a classic ADHD tax: the free trial that became a charge, the app you used twice, the audiobook membership quietly banking credits that expire. Several cards on our reading shelf carry exactly this catch. The fix is boring and it works: one sitting, three places, one list.

Step 1: your phone's subscription list

On iPhone, Apple's steps are: open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, tap the subscription, then tap Cancel Subscription (you may need to scroll down). If there is no Cancel button, or you see an expiration message in red, it is already canceled.

On Android, open the Google Play Store app, tap your profile icon, then Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions. Google's help page covers canceling, pausing and changing a plan.

Step 2: your statements

Phone lists only show subscriptions bought through the app store. Memberships bought on a website (some audiobook, streaming, software and box subscriptions) only show up on your bank or card statement. Scroll back two months and mark every charge that repeats.

Step 3: decide, in one pass

1. Write every subscription on one list with its price and renewal date.
2. Cancel anything you have not used in the last 30 days. You can resubscribe later; most services make that easy.
3. Before canceling a credit-based membership, spend the credits. Audible Premium Plus credits expire on cancellation; see Audible credits expire.
4. Where a pause exists, consider it instead of canceling; our Libro.fm card notes you keep credits if you pause or cancel.
5. For each one you keep, add a calendar reminder three days before renewal.

Step 4: stop the next one

• When you start any free trial, put the end date in your calendar before you finish signing up.
• Prefer tools with no subscription when they do the job: Libby and Speak Screen are free; Magic Bookmark charges per book with credits that never expire; Libro.fm sells single audiobooks with no membership.
• Repeat this audit every three months. It takes about twenty minutes after the first time.

Keep the list somewhere you will see it

A list in an app you never open is another forgotten subscription. Stick it on the fridge next to the weekly whiteboard, or in the front of the planner you actually use; see how to pick a planner you will keep using.

Printing tips

The sheet below prints on one page. Fill it in pencil so next quarter you can update it instead of starting over.

What to look for on a statement

• Small round amounts that repeat on the same day each month, such as $4.99, $9.99 or $14.99.
• Yearly charges that renew once and surprise you: look back twelve months at least once.
• Unfamiliar names: search the name with the word subscription; many services bill under a parent company name.
• Free trials started in the last 30 days: they may not show a charge until they convert.