The Bills You’re Probably Paying Twice Without Realizing It
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Most people’s essential bills are fixed and predictable. If they’re also set to autopay, they’re easy to forget about.
Some households are unknowingly paying for the same service twice. These sneaky overlaps can drain hundreds of dollars from a budget each year. Finance experts showed you where these duplicate bills might be hiding.
Streaming Services, Apps and Digital Subscriptions
Subscription services are one of the biggest sources of duplicate spending, especially when multiple people in the same household sign up separately.
“A family may pay for Netflix directly and also include it in a cable package. Some people pay for both Dropbox and Google Drive, even though they use only one,” said Ashley Akin, a CPA and tax consultant specializing in tax compliance services and the senior contributor at CEP DC.
Free trials can also easily turn into duplicate charges because people forget to cancel in time.
Consumer finance expert Austin Kilgore, analyst with Achieve, a center for consumer insights, said subscription stacking is another common cause.
“In a household with more than one adult, it’s possible that each person subscribed to a service without talking to the other.”
He also noted that bundles can hide overlapping services especially if multiple people are buying different bundles.
Insurance Policies That Overlap
Insurance is another area where consumers frequently pay for overlapping protection.
Brad Spurgeon, owner and CEO of Brad Spurgeon Insurance Agency Inc., said duplicate coverage often occurs because policies describe similar protections differently. Flood insurance is a common example. “Whether they realize it or not, homeowners frequently have both a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy and a private flood policy with major overlap in their structural coverage.”
Rental car coverage is another common redundancy, he said, because it’s part of many auto insurance policies and most credit cards, “yet there are still a lot of drivers who choose to buy it separately at the rental counter.”
Utility Plans and Household Account Mix-Ups
Utilities can also produce duplicate charges. Adam Cain, vice president of marketing at ElectricityRates.com, said this often happens when consumers switch providers but forget to cancel an old contract.
Overlapping contracts are easier to create than many people realize, particularly in deregulated states, “where people get excited to enroll into a fixed plan with their new energy provider forgetting that they’re still bound to the old one.”
Why Duplicate Bills Are More Common Than You Think
Duplicate charges are surprisingly common because modern households juggle dozens of recurring payments. When services are bundled or managed by different family members, overlaps become easy to miss.
Akin said most families pay some bills twice a year without realizing it and waste $300 to $800 annually, or an average of $400. “This is a huge amount of money that could go to vacation, saving or paying down debt.”
How To Spot and Stop Duplicate Charges
Finding duplicate bills usually requires a deliberate review of finances. Kilgore recommended starting with regular bank and credit card statements, but also those for payment apps, such as Venmo or Paypal.
Akin recommended examining your last three months of statements and making a list of the charges you pay each month.
“If you live with a partner, review the list together,” she said. “Set reminders before free trials end. If possible, use family plans instead of two separate accounts.”
A quick audit of subscriptions, policies and household services can often uncover easy savings hiding in plain sight.
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