A $12 monthly subscription costs $144 a year, $720 in five years, and $1,440 in ten years before any price increase. Enter your own recurring charges below to see what stays buried when you look at each payment instead of the full timeline.
Subscription Cost Calculator
Enter the total cost of subscriptions you could cancel or pause. This calculator assumes the price stays the same and does not include investment growth, taxes, or inflation.
Why Small Charges Feel Invisible
Recurring charges win by looking harmless one at a time. The better question is not “Can I afford $9.99 this month?” It is “Would I buy this again today, knowing its full annual cost?” A $9.99 monthly charge is $119.88 a year. Five similar charges total $599.40 a year.
The 20-Minute Subscription Audit
1. Find every charge
Review at least three months of bank and card statements. Search your email for “renewal,” “subscription,” “membership,” “trial,” and “receipt.” Check Apple, Google, PayPal, Amazon, and any payment wallet you use.
2. Sort each subscription
Mark each charge Keep, Cancel, Pause, Downgrade, or Investigate. Do not cancel insurance, security, storage, or essential work services until you know what access or coverage you could lose.
3. Cancel at the source
Use the merchant’s cancellation process and save the confirmation. Removing an app, replacing a card, or stopping a debit does not necessarily end the contract.
4. Check the next statement
Set a reminder for the next billing date. Keep screenshots, emails, chat transcripts, and confirmation numbers until the charge has stopped.
If a Company Keeps Charging You
Contact the company and state that you are cancelling the service and revoking permission for future automatic debits. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says you can also contact your bank or credit union to revoke authorization or place a stop-payment order. A stop-payment request for the next scheduled electronic transfer generally must reach the financial institution at least three business days before the transfer. Stopping payment does not erase a valid contract or balance.
For a charge you did not authorize or a refund that never arrived, use the free Get My Money Back tool to organize the evidence and next steps.
Where the Savings Should Go
Give the recovered money a job before the next billing cycle. Send it to a starter emergency fund, a high-interest debt payment, or a sinking fund for an annual expense. Even $25 a month becomes $300 of breathing room in one year.
Sources and Method
- CFPB: How to stop automatic payments from a bank account
- CFPB Regulation E § 1005.10: Preauthorized transfers
- FTC: Free trials, auto-renewals, and negative-option subscriptions
Educational information: This page is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Subscription terms, cancellation rights, refund rules, and payment protections vary. Read the agreement and contact the merchant or financial institution for help with your account.