The average American wastes $273/month on subscriptions they forgot about

Most people think they spend about $86 per month on subscriptions.

The reality, according to a 2022 C+R Research study, is $219/month — and that number has only grown as streaming services, AI tools, and premium apps have proliferated.

That's not a small rounding error. That's $2,628 per year — roughly the price of a great vacation, a solid emergency fund deposit, or 6 months of 401(k) matching. Gone. Usually on things people don't even use anymore.

Why the gap is so big

Three psychological effects compound to hide subscription spend:

1. Decay blindness. You remember signing up for Netflix in 2016 because it was exciting. You don't remember the 14 services you've added since.
2. Price-point invisibility. $9.99 feels like nothing. Fifteen $9.99 charges feel like a credit card bill, but spread across the month they never trigger the alarm.
3. Free trial hangover. Most "forgot to cancel" disasters start as free trials. By the time you remember, you've paid for 8 months.

The 4-step audit

You can run this in about 45 minutes. Block the time on your calendar — skipping this is what got you here.

1. Download your last 3 months of statements

Every card, every bank account. CSV if possible — most banks let you export from online banking.

2. Filter for recurring charges

Look for the same merchant appearing every ~30 days at the same price. Flag each one.

3. Kill everything you haven't used in 60 days

This is the hard part. The defense mechanism says "but I might use it." You won't. Data proves it: if you haven't opened an app in 60 days, your re-engagement probability is under 4%.

4. Set a recurring audit

Once a quarter, block an hour and run the same process. Life creeps — subscriptions creep faster.

Why we built CancelSub

Because running that audit manually takes an hour, triggers decision fatigue, and most people quit halfway through.

CancelSub connects securely to your bank via Plaid, identifies every recurring charge, shows you the last time you actually used each service, and lets you cancel with one click. The average user recovers $1,840 in annual spending on their first audit.

It's launching soon. Join the waitlist →

Prime Holdings builds tools that help people keep more of their own money. See our full product portfolio.