The 10-Minute Leak Hunt

1 Search: 4 names, last 90 days

Open your banking app or your card statements. Search for each of these names, one at a time. Write down every regular charge you find.

Then scroll the list once and look for

• The same amount on about the same day every month.
• Small charges under $15. They are the easiest to forget.
• A name you don't recognise. Search your email for it plus “receipt” to see who it is.
• A regular charge that is higher than it used to be.
• A “free trial” that turned into a paid plan.

Some bank apps also have a “recurring payments” or “subscriptions” view. If yours does, start there, then do the search anyway: it can miss charges that go through Apple, Google or PayPal.

2 Sort: keep, downgrade or cancel

3 Cancel or lower

Any subscription

1. Find who bills you. The charge on your statement names the company. If it says Apple, Google Play, Amazon or PayPal, the subscription is managed there, not on the service’s own site (see those guides below).
2. Sign in on a web browser, not the app. Cancel buttons are often missing from apps.
3. Open Account or Settings, then Subscription, Membership, Billing or Plan. The cancel link is usually at the bottom of that page.
4. Expect a “stay” offer: a discount, a pause, or “are you sure?” screens. You can take a discount if you want the service; otherwise keep clicking through to the final confirmation.
5. Screenshot the confirmation page or save the email. The confirmation is your proof if a charge appears again.
6. Check your next statement. If the charge is still there, reply to the confirmation email, or dispute it with your card issuer with the screenshot attached.

Billed by Apple, Google or PayPal? Cancel it there

Apple subscriptions (iPhone, iPad, Mac, iCloud+, Apple One)

1. On an iPhone or iPad: Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions.
2. Tap the subscription, then “Cancel Subscription” (or “Cancel Free Trial”), and confirm.
3. On a Mac: App Store, click your name, then Account Settings, then Manage next to Subscriptions.
4. iCloud+ storage: Settings, your name, iCloud, Manage Account Storage, Change Storage Plan, then Downgrade Options.

Anything billed by Apple (it shows as APPLE.COM/BILL on statements) is cancelled here, never on the app’s own site. Access runs until the end of the period.

Google Play subscriptions (Android)

1. Open the Google Play app, tap your profile picture, then Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
2. Tap the subscription, then “Cancel subscription”, and confirm.
3. On a computer: play.google.com, then Subscriptions in the left menu.

Charges show as GOOGLE *name on statements. Access runs until the end of the period.

PayPal automatic payments

1. Sign in at paypal.com on a web browser and open Settings (the gear icon).
2. Open Payments, then “Manage automatic payments”.
3. Pick the company in the list, then “Cancel”, and confirm.

This stops PayPal paying that company. Also cancel on the company's own site, or it may try to bill you another way.

Three that people cut most

Amazon Prime

1. Sign in at amazon.com, open Account & Lists, then “Prime Membership” (or “Manage Your Prime Membership”).
2. Choose “Update, cancel and more”, then “End membership”, and confirm through the reminder screens.
3. On a free trial? The same path ends the trial so it doesn’t convert.

If you haven’t used any Prime benefits in the period you paid for, Amazon says it refunds the fee; a partial refund is sometimes offered otherwise. Prime Video Channels (like Paramount+ added through Prime) are cancelled separately under “Your Memberships & Subscriptions”.

Netflix

1. Sign in at netflix.com and open Account (your profile icon, top right).
2. Under Membership & Billing, choose “Cancel Membership”, then “Finish Cancellation”.
3. Billed through another company (Apple, Google, a phone or cable bundle)? Cancel it there; Netflix will say so on the Account page.

You keep access until the end of the current billing period. Netflix keeps your profiles for 10 months if you come back.

Gyms (Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Anytime Fitness, local gyms)

1. Read your membership agreement for the notice period (often 30 days) and the cancellation method. Many gyms still require written notice, in person or by certified mail; some accept online cancellation on their member site.
2. Planet Fitness: cancel in person at your home club, by certified mail to the club, or online through your account on planetfitness.com where offered. Check whether an annual fee is about to post; cancel before that date.
3. LA Fitness: online through your account (Cancellation form) or by mail to the address on the form; print the confirmation.
4. 24 Hour Fitness: online through your account or by calling member services.
5. Anytime Fitness: contact your home club directly; agreements are set per club.
6. Moving or a medical reason? Many agreements allow cancellation without the usual notice. Say so in writing.

Several US states give you the right to cancel a gym contract by mail or online. If a gym makes it unreasonably hard, your state attorney general’s consumer office takes complaints. Keep a copy of everything you send.

Bonus: two bills you can ask to lower

Say it in your own words. Nothing here promises the bill will drop; it gives you the words.

Lower your internet bill

Call the number on your bill. Expect a 20 to 40 minute call with a transfer to “retention” or “loyalty”. Have your current price, your speed, and one competitor’s advertised price for your address ready (check the competitor’s site with your address first).

1. “Hi, I’m calling about my bill. I’ve been a customer for [X] years and my price has gone up to [$X]. I’d like to find out what you can do to bring it down.”
2. If offered nothing: “Could you transfer me to the retention or loyalty team? I’m looking at [competitor] at [$X] for the same speed and I’d rather stay with you if the price works.”
3. If offered a promotion: “How long does that rate last, and what does it go to after? Is there a contract or an early-termination fee?”
4. If the speed is more than you need: “What’s the price for the [lower] tier? We mostly stream and work from home, so [100 to 300 Mbps] is enough.”
5. Before you hang up: “Can you confirm the new monthly total including fees and equipment, and email me the confirmation?”

Also check: equipment rental fees (buying your own modem can remove a monthly fee), and the federal Lifeline program or your provider’s low-income plan if your household qualifies. If nothing moves, switching providers is the strongest lever; the retention offer often appears when you call to cancel.

Lower your phone bill

Call or use the carrier’s chat. Pull up your last three bills first to see how much data you actually use.

1. “I’m paying [$X] a month and I’d like to see if there’s a cheaper plan that fits how I use it. I use about [X] GB a month.”
2. “Are there any loyalty, autopay or paperless discounts I’m not getting?”
3. If you’re on an unlimited plan but use little data: “What would a [limited or prepaid] plan cost for the same lines?”
4. If you’re out of contract: “My phone is paid off. I’m comparing [Mint, Visible, US Mobile, Cricket, or your carrier’s own prepaid brand] at [$X]. Can you match that or get close?”
5. Before you hang up: “Please confirm the new monthly total including taxes and fees, and send me the confirmation.”

Prepaid brands owned by the big three carriers (Visible, Cricket, Metro, and others) use the same networks for less, with fewer perks. Check that your phone is unlocked before switching.