How to track subscriptions & recurring bills
A practical guide to auditing your bank statements, finding forgotten recurring charges, and keeping on top of what you actually use.
1Download your last 90 days of transactions
Log into your bank or credit card app and export statements for the last three months. Most Australian banks (CommBank, NAB, ANZ, Westpac) let you download CSV or PDF from online banking. If you use multiple cards, grab all of them — small subscriptions often hide on cards you don't check often.
2Highlight every recurring charge
Go through each statement and mark charges that appear more than once with the same amount or merchant name. Common culprits include:
- Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, Binge, Stan)
- Cloud storage (iCloud, Google One, Dropbox, OneDrive)
- Software and productivity apps (Adobe, Notion, Canva, Figma)
- Gym memberships and fitness apps
- Insurance premiums (health, car, home, pet)
- News and magazine subscriptions
3Check for free trials that converted
Look for charges from services you only meant to try. These often have merchant names that differ from the app name — for example, a charge from "APPLE.COM/BILL" might be an app subscription you forgot about. Search unfamiliar merchant names online if you're not sure what they are.
Pro tip: use your phone's subscription list
On iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions. On Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile, then Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions. This shows app subscriptions that might not be obvious on your bank statement.
4List everything with billing dates and amounts
Create a simple list of every recurring charge, the date it bills each month or year, and how much it costs. This becomes your subscription tracker. A basic spreadsheet works, but a dedicated reminder app is better because it can alert you beforethe charge hits.
5Set reminders before each bill date
The key to never forgetting a subscription is getting nudged before it bills. Set reminders a few days out from each billing date. That gives you time to cancel or confirm you still want the service — instead of noticing the charge after it hits.
How Before It Bills helps
Before It Bills is built exactly for this. Add each subscription or bill with its renewal date, set how many days ahead you want to be reminded, and we'll nudge you by email. No more forgotten free trials, no more auto-renewals you meant to cancel.
Common subscription traps to watch for
Annual plans that auto-renew
You saved 20% by paying yearly, but forgot it renews next April.
Free trials with staggered end dates
You signed up for three trials on the same day, but they end on different days because of billing quirks.
Apps you cancelled but still bill
You deleted the app but never cancelled the subscription in your app store.
Price hikes you didn't notice
Your streaming service went from $12 to $18 but the email went to spam.