What Subscriptions Am I Paying For? (How to Check)

If you're asking this question, you probably just noticed a charge you don't recognise. Or you looked at your bank balance and thought "where did it all go?" Either way, here's how to find out.

The short answer: check three places and you'll find almost everything.

1. Your bank statement (catches everything)

Open your banking app or online banking. Look at the last three months of transactions. Every subscription, regardless of how you signed up, eventually shows up as a charge here.

What to look for:

• Recurring amounts on similar dates each month ($9.99, $15.99, $22.99)
• Charges from names you don't immediately recognise (many services bill under different names than you'd expect)
• Small amounts you've been scrolling past ($2.49, $4.99)

Write down every recurring charge. Include the amount, the merchant name, and how often it appears.

Three months catches monthly subscriptions. To find quarterly or annual ones (Amazon Prime, Microsoft 365, domain renewals), you'd need to look back 12 months.

2. Your phone's subscription page (catches app-billed subs)

iPhone/iPad: Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions. This shows everything billed through the App Store, including free trials about to convert. See our iPhone subscriptions guide for more detail.

Android: Play Store > Profile > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions. Or visit play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions. See our Google Play guide.

These only show subscriptions billed through Apple or Google. Services you signed up for on a website (Netflix, Spotify, Adobe) won't appear here unless you specifically subscribed through the app.

3. PayPal automatic payments

If you've ever used PayPal for a subscription, it might still be billing you. Log into PayPal > Settings > Payments > Manage Automatic Payments. Cancel any you don't recognise.

PayPal is where forgotten subscriptions hide. You set up a billing agreement years ago and never thought about it again.

What most people find

The typical Australian has 8-15 active subscriptions. When they actually check, most people find:

• 2-3 they forgot about entirely
• 1-2 that increased in price without them noticing
• 1 free trial that converted to a paid subscription

The total is almost always higher than expected. If you guessed $80/month and the real number is $140, you're normal. That gap is the subscription business model working exactly as designed.

What to do with the list

Go through each one and ask: "Did I use this in the last 30 days?"

If yes, keep it. If no, cancel it. You can always resubscribe if you realise you miss it. Most services pick up where you left off.

For step-by-step cancellation instructions, check our cancel guides for Netflix, Stan, Spotify, Adobe, gym memberships, and 60+ other services.

For a more structured approach, see our 5-minute subscription audit guide.