How to do a subscription audit (keep / cancel / remind)

It’s easy to lose track of subscriptions when some bill through a card, others through an app store, and a few renew only once a year. A subscription audit brings those charges into one list so you can see what you still use and what to cancel.

Set aside an afternoon to check your statements, Apple or Google Play subscriptions, payment wallets, and email receipts. You can record everything in a spreadsheet or notes app without giving another service access to your accounts.

Keep the list after you finish. Adding new subscriptions as you sign up makes the next review much easier.

Before you start

Gather payment sources

Gather statements for the cards and accounts you have used for subscriptions, including older cards that may still have recurring charges.

Open a blank list (spreadsheet, notes, or tracker)

Minimum columns:

A spreadsheet or notes app is fine for this first pass.

Step 1: Check each payment channel

Work through each channel below. Add every recurring plan you find—even if you’re unsure. You’ll dedupe and decide later.

Bank and card statements

Look for memberships, software, streaming, delivery, cloud storage, and AI tools. Check up to a year of statements if available: one month will miss most annual charges. Confirm the next renewal date on each provider’s billing page.

Apple subscriptions

On iPhone: Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. On Mac, manage subscriptions from the App Store account settings. Apple-billed charges on your card may show as Apple, not the app brand—so the Apple subscriptions screen is often clearer than the statement alone.

If you use Family Sharing, check whether a plan is shared or billed on someone else’s Apple Account.

Official help: If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple.

Google Play subscriptions

Open Google Play → profile → Subscriptions (or manage subscriptions on the web while signed into the right Google Account).

Important: uninstalling an app does not cancel its subscription. You still need to cancel in Google Play (or with the developer, if billing isn’t through Play).

Official help: Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play.

PayPal and similar wallets

Check automatic / recurring payments in PayPal (and any other wallet you use). Match those agreements to your statements so forgotten trials don’t hide in a second billing channel.

Email search

Search for clues with terms like: subscription, renewal, receipt, invoice, trial, membership.

Treat email as a hint, not proof. Open the provider’s real site or app from a bookmark (not a random link in a renewal message) to confirm the plan and cancel path. Phishing emails often impersonate renewals.

Optional: WeChat Pay / Alipay

If you also pay via WeChat Pay or Alipay auto-renew, add those plans to the same list. The Chinese auto-renewal guide covers where to find them.

Step 2: Put every plan on one list

• Deduplicate. A receipt and a statement entry may refer to the same payment. Match the account, amount, and date before combining rows; two subscriptions to the same service may be separate purchases.
• Note monthly equivalent and the real charge date. A $120/year plan is about $10/month for comparison, but your bank still debits $120 on the renewal date—not $10 every month.
• Flag unknown renewal dates. Follow up on the provider’s billing or account page before you decide “remind.”

Example list

These amounts are examples, not current prices.

Step 3: Decide — keep / cancel / remind

For each subscription, check when you last used it and whether you expect to need it before the next renewal. If someone else uses a shared plan, check with them too.

Keep

Choose keep when you’ve used it recently, the value is clear, and a cheaper free tier wouldn’t actually cover what you need.

Cancel

Choose cancel for unused plans, duplicates, or “just in case” memberships you have no near-term plan to use. Cancel on the provider’s own flow (Apple, Google Play, or the merchant site). If you cannot find the cancellation option, check the provider’s help page.

Remind (pause the decision / trial / annual review)

Choose remind when:

• A free trial is nearing its end
• An annual plan is fine for now, but you want a review before renewal
• A shared household plan needs a conversation before anyone cancels

Step 4: Cancel carefully, then confirm

1. Use the provider’s own cancel flow (app settings, Apple/Google subscriptions, or the merchant account page).
2. Save a confirmation (email, screenshot, or confirmation number).
3. Check the next expected billing window on your statement. A “canceled” note in your personal list is not the same as the merchant stopping charges.
4. If something looks wrong after cancel (unexpected renewals, hard-to-find cancel paths), consumer guidance on free trials and auto-renewals from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission can help you understand your options.

Step 5: Set reminders on what you keep

Practical defaults (adjust to your own habits):

• Monthly plans: remind about a week before renewal
• Annual plans: remind about 2–4 weeks before renewal
• Trials: remind a few days before the free period ends

Add these dates to your calendar or tracker, allowing enough time to meet each provider’s cancellation deadline.

How often to re-audit

After the first full pass:

• Take a light monthly glance for new trials and surprise charges
• Do a fuller review a few times a year (seasonal check-ins work well)
• Re-audit when cards change, household members change, or you switch phone accounts

Manual list vs bank-linked tool vs simple tracker app

A spreadsheet is enough to complete the audit. If you also want renewal reminders and spending totals, SteadyRenew supports multiple currencies, optional cloud sync, and entry from screenshots or receipts. There is no bank login required. It does not connect to your bank, cancel for you, or negotiate bills.

FAQ

How do I find all my subscriptions in one place?

Combine the subscriptions you find in statements, app-store accounts, payment wallets, and email receipts. Match receipts to charges so you do not count the same payment twice.

What should I check besides my bank or card statement?

App Store / Apple ID subscriptions, Google Play subscriptions, PayPal (and similar) automatic payments, and email renewals/receipts. Annual plans and app-store billing often hide if you only skim one month of card activity.

How far back should I look for annual or quarterly charges?

Far enough that yearly and quarterly charges appear at least once—commonly several months up to about a year of statements. Confirm the real renewal date on the provider’s billing page when the statement label is unclear.

What fields should I record for each subscription?

At minimum: service name, amount, currency, billing cycle, next renewal (or unknown), keep/cancel/remind decision, and where it bills (Apple, Google, card, PayPal, other).

How do I decide whether to keep or cancel a subscription?

Keep what you use and clearly value. Cancel unused or duplicate plans. Use remind for trials, annual reviews, or household decisions you aren’t ready to finalize today.

How do I cancel Apple or Google Play subscriptions?

For Apple: Settings → your name → Subscriptions (or use Apple’s account subscription management). Official steps: Apple Support. For Google Play: Play Store → Subscriptions (uninstalling the app is not enough). Official steps: Google Play Help.

How do I set reminders so I don’t forget renewals or trials?

Put calendar alerts on everything you keep—about a week before monthly renewals, a few weeks before annual ones, and a few days before trial ends. Keep those dates up to date when a plan changes.

Do I need to link my bank to do a subscription audit?

No. A manual audit from statements and provider screens is enough. Bank-linked tools are optional if you want automated discovery and are comfortable sharing transaction access.

How often should I re-audit after the first pass?

Glance monthly for new trials; do a fuller review a few times a year; re-check when cards, household members, or phone accounts change.

What should I do with the list after the audit?

Keep it somewhere easy to update. Add new trials when you sign up, record price changes, and remove canceled plans after confirming that billing has stopped.

Can a spreadsheet be enough, or when does an app help?

A spreadsheet is enough for a short list and a first audit. An app helps when you want reminders, multi-device sync, multi-currency overview, or less manual upkeep.

After I cancel, how do I confirm billing actually stopped?

Save the cancel confirmation, note the next expected charge date, and check that statement window. If a charge still appears, follow up with the provider and, if needed, your card issuer.