1. Identify Your Subscriptions
Check your credit card statements from the last year for recurring payments, says Tiffany Aliche, a financial educator and author. One easy way to do this is to use a subscription tracking tool, such as Rocket Money or OneMain Trim, which finds and then helps you cancel subscriptions you no longer want. (Caveat: You may need to grant these tools limited access to your accounts, so read their privacy policies carefully.)
2. Opt Out of Apps
To see a list of the apps you’re currently paying for through Apple Pay, open the App Store on your smartphone and click on “Account,” then “Subscriptions.” From there, you can click “cancel” on those you no longer want. (The steps are similar for the Google Play store.) For canceling other subscriptions, search Google for step-by-step instructions (e.g., “how to cancel a Netflix subscription”).
3. Keep Track of Discounted or Free Trial Periods
When you hit “cancel” on a subscription, it’s common for services to offer you a “don’t go!” free extension or discount for a limited amount of time. If you decide to take them up on it, set a calendar alert for two or three days before the end date of the promotion to remind you to take action. The same goes for any free trial subscriptions you may sign up for. Alerts will help you juggle multiple trials at a time.