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It ought to be as easy to end a paid subscription service as it is to start it, but that’s not always the case. Have you ever had to make a phone call to cancel something you signed up for online?
The disincentives are by design, says Erin Witte, director of consumer protection at the Consumer Federation of America.
“Automatically recurring subscription plans often capitalize on people forgetting that they signed up for something, and then making it very hard to get out,” says Witte.
Extra hurdles may include having to click through multiple links to find the cancellation page, call customer support, or even send a written request to end service.
The “Click to Cancel” rule, announced by the Federal Trade Commission in October 2024, aimed to correct burdensome cancellation tactics and help people remember what they’re paying for.
It was later delayed by the Trump administration, then vacated by a federal appeals court July 8, days before it was supposed to go into effect.
Maybe you’ve let an unused subscription linger — whether it’s for a streaming service, meditation app or the local car wash — simply because the monthly charge goes unnoticed.
But every subscription you’re paying for and not using is money you could be spending on something else.
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Understand how subscriptions affect your finances
“Being aware of the problem is always the first step,” says Witte.
She’s encouraged by the expanding narrative around the impact of subscription services on consumer budgets and shady ways to keep customers enrolled.
“We've seen a huge increase in subscription services being used by businesses, sometimes in ways that consumers don't even necessarily meaningfully consent to,” she says.
The FTC sued Amazon in 2023, saying the company had enrolled people in its Prime membership service without consent and set up obstacles that made it difficult for members to cancel. The case was settled in September of 2025, and Amazon was required to pay a $1 billion civil penalty and provide $1.5 billion in refunds back to consumers harmed by its practices .
Show those services who's boss
Witte says the burden shouldn’t fall on the consumer, but it does when charges are recurring and unannounced.
Master the mental game and you can put these companies in their place ... or, just end the subscription you don't use anymore.
Give yourself the chance to make a choice
“When we pay for things individually, we feel ‘the pain of paying,’” says Uma Karmarkar, associate professor at the University of California San Diego.
More immediate payments, such as a store purchase or a meal at a restaurant, can conjure a feeling of loss, especially when you hand over cash. But with subscriptions, you typically add your card upfront and pay passively thereafter.
Karmarkar uses the example of buying coffee out every day. Common advice is to cut out one pricey latte a week if the habit is hurting your budget. But maybe your daily latte brings you enough joy to justify the recurring purchase. The key is you get to make the choice each day to do so or not.
Research before you click
It's a good idea to explore a company's cancellation process before you sign up for a service. You can also set a calendar reminder for the end of any trial period, so you can decide before automatic payments start.
Find out what you’re paying for
Regularly review your expenses. Your credit card bill is a good place to start. You can tally up your subscription costs in a budgeting app, spreadsheet or on a piece of paper.
When you see a charge from ViacomCBS streaming, it’ll remind you that you still pay for Paramount+ and don’t plan to watch “Sonic 3” again.
A regular look at your credit card transactions is also a good way to note price increases you might have missed in your email.
Click … and click … and maybe click again, then cancel
When it’s time to unsubscribe, consider how you signed up for the service to plot the right path. For example, if the service is linked to your Apple account, you can cancel on your iPhone in settings.
If you can’t figure it out, head to the internet. More than 40,000 people a month search “How much is Netflix” but more than 18,000 people also search “how to cancel Netflix” per month. You can find out how to cancel most subscriptions with a quick search.
Recognize emotional triggers
Added friction aside, you may have to deal with the trepidation that comes with ending some services.
Have you ever canceled a music streaming service, only to be reminded of everything you’ll be giving up just before you quit — playlists, unlimited skips, audiobooks and offline listening?
The thought of cutting off unfettered access to the world’s catalog of music tracks could stop you in your tracks or stay with you until you reactivate the paid tier days later.
Then there’s the low price offer that services will dangle in front of you to encourage an impulsive extension. “Would you like three more months at half price?”
If you’re nervous about letting go, see if there’s an option to pause your membership for a certain period of time without paying. If you don’t miss it, you’ll know you can cancel.
Because who wants to be spending money for nothing?
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- 1. Federal Trade Commission. Amazon Refunds. Accessed Jan 1, 2026.
