The thirty-minute audit
Open your card and account statements for the last three months and mark every charge that repeats: streaming, music, cloud storage, apps, gym, insurance, utility autopay. Add the subscriptions billed through the App Store or Google Play, which often go unnoticed because they show up under the store's name.
When you are done you will have a list with name, amount and billing date. Add it up. That monthly total, multiplied by twelve, is the number that decides which ones are worth it.
Three questions to decide what to cancel
For each subscription answer: did I use it in the last thirty days? Is someone else at home already paying for the same thing? Is there a cheaper or annual plan that covers what I actually use? If you did not use it, cancel it today; if it is duplicated, pick one; if you barely use it, downgrade.
Watch out for free trials that turn into automatic payments. The practical rule is to write down the trial's end date the same day you activate it and set a reminder two days before.
The recurring payments you do want: no surprises
Not every recurring expense is an enemy. Rent, utilities, insurance and loan payments are commitments you want to see coming. The problem is not paying them; it is having them land on the day the account is at zero or getting charged a late fee because you forgot.
The fix is to have them scheduled with date and amount, and to get a heads-up before the due date. That way you can keep the money reserved from the right paycheck instead of discovering the charge once it has gone through.
How you do it with Amy
Amy's leak radar spots the charges that repeat and the small "ant" expenses in your movements and groups them so you can see how much they add up to per month. The recurring payments you keep are scheduled once, with date and amount, and Amy reminds you of each one before it is charged.
You can also set spending caps per category, for example for entertainment, and the weekly summary shows you whether a new subscription appeared without you logging it on purpose.
Step by step
Gather three months of statements
Cards, accounts and App Store charges. Mark everything that repeats.
Add up the monthly and annual total
The annual number is the one that makes you decide.
Ask the three questions about each one
Unused, duplicated or with a cheaper plan: cancel, pick one or downgrade.
Schedule the payments you keep
Date, amount and a reminder two days before the charge.
Repeat the audit every three months
Subscriptions pile up again; a quarterly review keeps them in check.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cancel an App Store subscription?
On your iPhone open Settings, tap your name and then Subscriptions. There you see the active ones, the renewal dates and you can cancel without contacting each company.
Does Amy cancel subscriptions for me?
No. Amy shows you which ones exist, how much they add up to and when they are charged; you cancel in each service or in the App Store, with the list in hand.
Is an annual plan worth it?
Only for services you used every month of the past year. An annual plan for something you half use is a forgotten subscription with a discount.
