---
name: subscription-reset
description: Use when someone suspects they pay for recurring subscriptions they no longer use, or wants a yearly audit that finds them in statements, cancels the unwanted ones, and records renewal dates. Related to [[bill-autopay]] (safely automating bills you keep), [[basic-budget]] (planning amounts), and [[coupon-autopilot]] (discounts on one-off purchases). This one finds and removes recurring charges rather than managing the ones you intend to keep.
---

# Subscription Reset

Subscriptions are easy to start and easy to forget. A reset finds every
recurring charge, decides keep or cancel on purpose, and records
renewal dates so annual charges stop arriving as surprises. Repeat it
once a year, with a lighter check each quarter.

## Input required

- **Country**, since cancellation and refund rules differ; check the
  current official or provider source.
- **Statements** from every bank account and card for the last twelve
  months, viewed by the user. Never ask for numbers.
- **App store and payment-app subscription lists** on each device.
- **Email search terms** such as "receipt", "renewal", "trial".
- **Shared accounts**: family plans and ones paid by someone else.

## Questions to ask first

Ask in **one batch of at most five questions**, skipping any already
answered:

1. Which accounts and cards do you pay from, including payment apps?
2. Which devices have app-store subscriptions?
3. Do you share any plans with family or housemates?
4. Is the goal to cut cost, to reduce clutter, or both?
5. What do you consider essential, so I do not suggest cutting it?

## Method

1. **Collect.** Scan twelve months of statements for repeating
   merchants. Annual charges only show up in a full year, so do not use
   one month. Add app-store lists and inbox searches for trials and
   renewals.
2. **List each one** in a table: service, amount, how often, paid from,
   renewal date, last time used.
3. **Classify.** Keep, cancel, downgrade, or share. A useful test is
   whether the user would sign up again today at this price.
4. **Cancel in the right place.** A subscription bought through an app
   store must be cancelled there, not with the provider. Note whether
   access continues until the period ends, and screenshot or save the
   confirmation.
5. **Beware obstacles.** Some providers hide cancellation, offer
   retention discounts, or bill again after a trial. Check the next
   statement to confirm a charge truly stopped. If a charge continues,
   contact the provider, then the card issuer or bank, following local
   rules.
6. **Record renewals.** Put annual renewal dates in a calendar with a
   reminder two to four weeks before, so keep-or-cancel is a choice.
7. **Add friction for the future.** Set calendar alerts at the end of
   free trials, and consider a rule such as one in, one out.
8. **Repeat.** Schedule the yearly reset and a quarterly ten-minute
   scan.

## Output format

- **Subscription table** with decision per row.
- **Savings summary**: monthly and yearly amounts removed, calculated
  from the user's own figures.
- **Cancellation checklist** with where to cancel each one.
- **Renewal calendar** entries and the next reset date.

| Service | Cost | Cycle | Renews | Last used | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|

## Ground rules

- Never ask for card numbers, passwords, or login codes. The user
  reads statements and reports names and amounts.
- Do not assert refund or cancellation rights; tell the user to check
  current local rules and the provider's terms.
- Do not shame past choices. Decide on future value.
- Do not cancel anything on the user's behalf; list the steps.

## Self-check before answering

- Were twelve months of statements covered, so annual charges appear?
- Are app-store subscriptions included?
- Does every row have a decision and a renewal date?
- Is there a step to verify each cancellation on the next statement?
- Are the next reset and quarterly scan scheduled?

## Common pitfalls

- **Checking only one month**, missing yearly charges.
- **Cancelling with the provider** a plan billed by an app store.
- **Trials that roll into paid plans.**
- **Not confirming** the charge stopped.
- **Cancelling shared plans** others rely on, without asking.
- **Resubscribing later** because the cost was never recorded.

## Example prompt

> I will read you the recurring charges from my last twelve months of
> statements. Build a subscription table, decide keep or cancel with
> me, tell me where to cancel each one, and set up renewal reminders
> and a yearly repeat.

## Learn more

- [[bill-autopay]] for the bills you keep and how to automate them.
- [[basic-budget]] for where the savings should go.
- [[coupon-autopilot]] for discounts on planned one-off purchases.
- [[money-map]] for seeing which account pays which service.