The subscriptions many people forget they’re still paying for

A woman bought a pair of leggings online.

What she didn’t realise was that she’d also signed up to a subscription. The payments were small, easy to miss, and quietly carried on in the background. By the time she noticed, she had paid well over £5,000.

It started as a normal purchase.

Nothing reckless.

Nothing unusual.

That’s what makes this so easy to relate to.

And the worst thing: this isn’t unusual

UK surveys show that millions of people are paying for subscriptions they don’t remember signing up for, and 50% of people surveyed by YouGov are still paying for a subscription they don’t use.

These payments often sit quietly on bank statements, blending in with food shops, fuel, and bills. Because they’re not large on their own, they don’t always get questioned.

Over time, though, they add up.

Why subscriptions are so easy to miss

Subscriptions tend to sneak in during everyday moments:

• buying clothes or household items online
• signing up for a free trial
• upgrading a phone
• moving house
• replacing something you already had

The wording is often small.

The payments are automatic.

Life moves on.

And unless you actively look, they can run for months or years.

Where forgotten subscriptions usually hide

Most people think of TV or music apps. In reality, the biggest leaks are spread across normal spending.

Shopping and clothing add-ons

This is where many people get caught out.

• “VIP” discounts at checkout
• member perks linked to a single purchase
• free trials that quietly turn into paid plans

Typical cost:

Around £10 – £30 a month.

Because it feels like normal shopping, it rarely rings alarm bells on a bank statement.

Tech and phone services

These stack up easily.

• cloud storage linked to phones
• app upgrades
• photo backups
• device protection/antivirus software

You might only need one, but end up paying for two or three without realising.

Insurance and duplicate cover

This one is especially easy to miss.

A real example from our own family: after moving house, my mother-in-law ended up with two contact lens subscriptions from the same company. She only received one set of lenses each month, but two payments were taken. Neither she nor the company spotted it at first.

When she realised and contacted them, she received a full refund.

Nothing careless happened. It was just missed.

That kind of thing happens more often than people think.

Fitness, dating and “I’ll cancel later” subscriptions

Life changes. Routines change. Subscriptions don’t cancel themselves.

Gyms, dating apps, magazines, and memberships often keep running long after they stop being used.

Quick calculator: how much could this be costing you?

This is a two-minute check you can do right now.

Step 1: count the ones you’re unsure about

Think of subscriptions you don’t really use, or aren’t 100% sure about.

• small ones (about £5 – £9 a month): ___
• mid ones (about £10 – £20 a month): ___
• bigger ones (about £25 – £50 a month): ___

Step 2: do the maths

• small: £7 × ___ × 12 = £___ a year
• mid: £15 × ___ × 12 = £___ a year
• bigger: £35 × ___ × 12 = £___ a year

Example

2 small + 2 mid + 1 bigger subscription:

• (2 × £7 × 12) = £168
• (2 × £15 × 12) = £360
• (1 × £35 × 12) = £420

Total: £948 a year

That’s nearly a grand back in your pocket, just by stopping payments you don’t actually want.

What to do today

You don’t need a big money overhaul.

Start small:

• Check your bank and card statements, and even PayPal if you use that
• Look for monthly or yearly payments you don’t recognise
• Search your email for “subscription”, “trial”, or “receipt”
• Cancel anything you don’t actively want

A useful tip: check at least the last 13 months, not just the last few weeks. Many subscriptions bill yearly, so they only show once.

If you spot a mistake

Stay calm.

• Contact the company and explain what you’ve found
• Ask if a refund is possible
• If payments keep coming out, ask your bank to block them

As the contact lens example shows, companies do often put things right when errors are flagged.

Why this matters

This isn’t about cutting enjoyment or feeling guilty.

It’s about stopping money leaving your account for nothing.

Even cancelling one forgotten subscription can ease food shopping, help with bills, or give you a bit of breathing space.

Quiet fixes like this reduce pressure where it matters most.