How to find and cancel unused subscriptions

To find and cancel unused subscriptions, list every one you pay for — from your phone’s app store, your card statements, your email and PayPal — then cancel each one you no longer use with whoever bills you: Apple, Google Play or the service itself. Deleting an app does not cancel it.

Step 1: Find every subscription you pay for

On iPhone (subscriptions billed by Apple)

Open the Settings app.
Tap your name at the top.
Tap Subscriptions to see active and expired subscriptions.

On Android (subscriptions billed by Google Play)

Open the Google Play Store app.
Tap your profile picture (top right).
Tap Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.

On your card and bank statements

Look through the last two or three months for charges that repeat with the same amount. Annual plans appear only once a year, so also check the same month last year.

In your email

Search your inbox for words like “receipt”, “subscription”, “renewal”, “your plan” and “trial ends”. Services you signed up for on their own website send their receipts by email.

In PayPal

If you pay with PayPal, its account settings list the merchants you have allowed to take automatic payments.

Step 2: Decide what to keep

For each subscription, ask two questions:

Did I use it in the last month?
Would I sign up again today at this price?

If the answer to both is no, cancel it. If you use it only sometimes, check whether a cheaper plan, an ad-supported tier or an annual plan exists.

Step 3: Cancel with whoever bills you

Cancel where you pay: in Apple’s or Google Play’s subscription settings (the same screens as in step 1), or on the service’s website. You usually keep access until the end of the period you have paid for.

Cancel guides for popular services

Step 4: Stop it happening again

Keep all your subscriptions in one list with a reminder a few days before each renewal. Then a free trial or a plan you stopped using can’t renew without you noticing. Subqora is a free app for iPhone and Android that does this without connecting to your bank.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find all my subscriptions?

Check four places: the subscriptions list in your iPhone Settings or the Google Play Store, your card and bank statements for repeating charges, your email for receipts and renewal notices, and the automatic-payments list in PayPal if you use it.

Does deleting an app cancel its subscription?

No. Deleting an app never stops billing. You have to cancel the subscription with whoever bills you — Apple, Google Play or the service itself.

Will I lose access straight away if I cancel?

Usually not. Most services let you keep using what you have already paid for until the end of the current billing period. Each cancel guide below says what happens for that service.

How do I stop forgetting about subscriptions?

Keep one list of everything you pay for, with a reminder a few days before each renewal. Subqora does exactly that, for free, without connecting to your bank.

See what your subscriptions cost you per year with the subscription cost calculator.