Most people don't keep a subscription they don't use on purpose. It renews quietly, a small charge on a day nobody's watching, and months go by. Cutting the ones you don't use takes three steps: see them all in one place, decide on each one, then cancel with whoever bills you. This guide covers each step, with Subs Cat, our subscription and bill list for iPhone and iPad, to hold the list.
Find every subscription first
You can't decide on a charge you've forgotten about, so start with the full list:
- Subscriptions billed through Apple. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. That shows what's billed to your Apple Account and when each one renews.
- Everything else. Look through two or three months of bank and card statements for charges that repeat. Yearly plans show up only once a year, so search your email for words like "renewal" and "receipt" too.
Then add each one to Subs Cat. Tap Add, the + button at the top right, type the name and the amount, pick how often under How often, and set Next charge to the next day it's billed. Subs Cat doesn't connect to your bank or your Apple Account, so you type each one in. There's no limit on how many you add, and it's free. For the full walkthrough, see how to track subscriptions on iPhone.
See what they come to
The black panel at the top of the list shows A month, what everything comes to a month, with the yearly total under it. A yearly plan counts as a twelfth of its price each month, so a plan you pay once a year sits next to the monthly ones on the same footing.
To see each one's monthly share on paper, tap Summary, the page button at the top left, then Print summary or Share summary PDF. The summary lists every item with its amount, how often, its next charge and what it comes to a month. Going through it with a pen, or with whoever shares the bills, makes the next step quicker.
Decide on each one
Go down the list and give every item one of three answers: keep, cancel or not sure. A few questions help:
- When did you last use it? If you can't remember, that's usually an answer.
- Would you sign up again today, at this price? If not, it's a cancel.
- Do two of them do the same job? Two music plans, two cloud storage plans, or a streaming service you got for one show.
- Is there a cheaper way to keep it? Some services have a smaller plan, or a yearly price that works out lower.
With Pro, categories make overlaps easier to spot. Tap an item, then Category, and pick one like Streaming or Music, or type your own, then tap Save. Where it goes, the button on the black panel, then shows what each category comes to a month and its share of the whole. If Streaming is a third of what you spend, you'll see it.
Set a reminder for the ones you're not sure about
You don't have to decide everything today. For each "not sure", tap it in the list, set Remind me to A week before, and tap Save. A week before the next charge, your iPhone shows a notification at 9:00, like "Music renews in 7 days", with the amount and the date. That's your cue to decide before you pay for another month or year. If the next charge is less than a week away, pick a shorter reminder, or that charge gets none.
The choices are Off, On the day, 1 day before, 3 days before and A week before. Subs Cat asks for permission to send notifications when you first save an item with a reminder. If you say no, you get no reminders, but the list and totals still work.
Cancel with whoever bills you
Subs Cat can't cancel anything for you. Cancelling happens where you pay:
- Billed through Apple. Go back to Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, tap the one you want to stop, and follow the cancel button.
- Billed by the company. Sign in to your account on their website or app and look for billing, plan or membership settings. Some services only let you cancel by phone or in person, so check their help page.
Whichever way, keep the confirmation email or screenshot until you've seen that the next charge didn't happen.
Delete it from your list
Once a subscription is cancelled, take it out of Subs Cat so the totals match what you really pay. Tap it, then Delete at the bottom. Subs Cat asks first and tells you its reminders stop too. You can also swipe the row away in the list, but a swipe doesn't ask first.
The panel at the top updates straight away, so you see the new monthly and yearly totals.
Keep the list honest
The list is only as good as what's in it. When you sign up for something new, add it the same day. If it starts with a free trial, turn on Free trial and set the day it ends, and the row says Trial ends in orange until then. There's more in how to remember to cancel a free trial.
When a price goes up, tap the item and change the amount, so the totals stay right.
What Subs Cat doesn't do
- It doesn't cancel anything. You cancel with Apple or with the company, then delete the item.
- It doesn't know whether you use a subscription. It shows the amounts, dates and totals, and the choice is yours.
- It doesn't read your bank, cards or Apple Account. Every item is typed in by you.
What it costs
Subs Cat is free for as many subscriptions and bills as you have, with reminders, the monthly and yearly totals, and the summary to print or share. There's no account and no ads. Your list is kept on your phone and in your own backups, and leaves only when you print, share or export it.
Subs Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds categories and charts (what each category comes to a month, and what goes out in each of the next 12 months), custom icons, more currencies with their own totals, and export to CSV for a spreadsheet. More on the Subs Cat page.
Quick answers
Can Subs Cat cancel a subscription for me?
No. Cancel in Settings for anything billed through Apple, or with the company for the rest. Then delete it in Subs Cat.
How do I find subscriptions I've forgotten about?
Check Settings, your name, then Subscriptions on your iPhone, then look through a few months of bank and card statements for charges that repeat, and search your email for renewal receipts.
Can I get a reminder before a subscription renews?
Yes, free. Pick On the day, 1 day before, 3 days before or A week before for each item, and the notification comes at 9:00 that day.
Does Subs Cat show which subscriptions I don't use?
No. It doesn't track use. It shows what each one costs and when it's next charged, so you can decide.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. On iPad the totals and the next 30 days sit in a column beside the list.
Try Subs Cat
Try Subs Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/subs-cat