4 Key Signs You Should Not Auto-Renew Your Subscriptions
Written by
Gina Hagler
Edited by
Maria Concepcion
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Subscription memberships are as commonplace as ever and provide a useful service for millions of people. In exchange for a low-to-moderate subscription fee, you’re granted access to a number of valuable goods; movies, TV shows, books, video games, music and other entertainment, and services; groceries, pet supplies, cloud storage and faster shipping. This is generally a worthwhile system for the consumer, as the alternative would be individually purchasing all of the content or products.
Unfortunately, inflation continues to be a problem in 2024, and subscriptions aren’t immune to rising costs. Exacerbated by the rising costs, you might consider not auto-renewing some of your subscriptions if the following signs resonate with you.
You’re Not Using It At All
The last thing you want is to lose money each month to something you’ve stopped using. A program like Rocket Money can help you track down subscriptions you have that you might have forgotten about. This would be especially useful if you have a large family that has signed up for many subscriptions over the years.
You’re Not Using It Enough
In some cases, a subscription is offered on top of an existing one. Amazon offers a $10 grocery subscription with the primary benefit of unlimited free delivery on orders of $35 or more from Whole Foods, Fresh and certain local retailers. Without it, you could see a service fee of $9.95 on each order. This means that if you don’t order at least twice per month, you’re simply breaking even or possibly losing money if you order once or not at all. A similar dynamic can be seen in food delivery like DoorDash’s DashPass – you don’t want to remain subscribed for a benefit you aren’t using. Consider fully assessing if the perks you receive outweigh the individual costs, like how a member of CNBC calculated whether a year of Amazon Prime was worth foregoing the individual costs of Prime Video, cloud storage and other features on their own.
They Don’t Fit Your Budget
The monthly expense can easily add up with the sheer number of subscriptions available. If you’re on a tight budget, perhaps living paycheck to paycheck, subscription fees are added trouble. Whittle down the list until you’re left with only the ones you find you can’t live without. If money is particularly tough, some platforms offer temporary pauses for a number of months.
They Catch You Unawares
Many auto-renewals provide notice in advance so you can opt-out. Many more do not. Either make sure you avoid those that don’t or set a reminder in your calendar to assess the usefulness of the subscription before renewal.
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