NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — No one wants to pay for things they're not using, right? But it happens. And a lot of times we're not even aware of it.
Well, start by taking a close look at your credit card bill. You may find a few surprises there, like monthly subscriptions you'd signed up for and then forgot all about.
If you’re tired of paying for services you no longer use but can’t quite figure out how to cancel, you’re not alone.
Consumer Reports has three ways to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions. First divide and conquer. Identify all your subscriptions. Check your credit card statements for recurring payments.
“One easy way to do this is use a subscription tracking tool, such as Rocket Money or OneMain Trim, which finds and then helps you cancel subscriptions you no longer want,” said Consumer Reports' Margot Gilman.
Number two, opt out! To see a list of apps you’re currently paying for through Apple Pay, open the app store on your phone, click “account” then
“subscriptions.”
From there, click cancel on those you’re done with. By the way, these steps are similar for the Google Play store.
Finally, get organized and keep track of discounted or free trial periods. When you cancel, sometimes you get a ‘don’t go’ offer for a free extension or discount. If you accept, set a calendar alert for two or three days before the end date of the promotion. The same goes for any free trial subscription you might sign up for.
Setting an alert for when you need to cancel will help you juggle multiple trials at a time, and your future-self will thank you!
And if you want to take your digital housecleaning a step further, check out Permission Slip by Consumer Reports.
It could soon be easier to end unwanted subscriptions. Last year the Federal Trade Commission proposed a “click-to-cancel” provision that would require companies to let you cancel subscriptions as easily as you were able to sign up.
We'll let you know if and when that becomes law.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
