Subscription Audit

A $7.99 here and a $14.99 there is easy to ignore, until we add up a year of them. Two unused $15 services alone cost $360 a year. This week the Old Mac Gang does a subscription audit together: where to find everything we have signed up for, how to decide what stays, and how to cancel the rest without a fight.

On the panel: Peter, Chris, Bob, and Marty.

THE CONVERSATION

1. How many subscriptions do you think you have, and which one surprised you?

2. Where do we look? Walk us through finding all of them (App Store, card statements, email receipts, Purchase History).

3. Keep, cancel, or review: how do we decide what is worth paying for?

4. How do we cancel without a fight?

5. What keeps the clutter from creeping back?

QUICK TIPS FROM THE EPISODE

- iPhone: Settings > your name > Subscriptions.

- Mac: App Store > your name > Account Settings > Manage next to Subscriptions.

- Mystery charge? Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com and search by the amount.

- Ask of every subscription: did I use it in the last 30 days, and would I sign up again at today's price?

- Set a calendar reminder two or three days before a free trial or special offer ends.

RESOURCES

Kiplinger: The 30-Minute Subscription Audit That Could Save You Hundreds This Year

https://kiplinger.com/personal-finance/subscription-audit-save-money

AARP: How to Find and Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions

https://www.aarp.org/personal-technology/tech-guru-cancel-unwanted-subscriptions/

Apple Support: Cancel, change, or share subscriptions in the App Store on Mac

https://support.apple.com/guide/app-store/cancel-change-or-share-subscriptions-fire5f3a0745/mac

Apple Support: Cancel a subscription from Apple

https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428

Apple Support: View your purchase history

https://support.apple.com/en-us/118212

Consumer Reports: How to Find and Cancel Unwanted Online Subscriptions

https://www.consumerreports.org/consumer-awareness/how-to-find-and-cancel-unwanted-online-subscriptions-a3454561625/

FTC Consumer Advice: Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/getting-and-out-free-trials-auto-renewals-and-negative-option-subscriptions

Tom's Guide: How to Cancel Subscriptions on Your iPhone

https://tomsguide.com/phones/how-to-cancel-subscriptions-on-your-iphone

WHERE TO FIND US

Peter: @ppetto on Instagram, FB, X, tumblr, BlueSky, and Mastodon

Chris: ChrisWesselmanPhotography.com | Bluesky and Flickr: @ChrisW47-az | Threads/Instagram: @chris.wesselman

Bob: TMUG.com, ThinkBob.com, DangerousBobPhotography.com, @ThinkBob on BlueSky

Marty: @jencius on Bluesky and Mastodon | ThePodTalk.Net

MORE FROM THE OLD MAC GANG

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Website: ThePodTalk.Net

Email: [email protected]