How to Find and Cancel Unused Subscriptions and UPI Autopay

Subscriptions are designed to be easy to start and easy to forget. A 20-minute check can save a few thousand rupees a year.

Where subscriptions hide

1. UPI autopay: any app you approved for automatic payments (OTT, music, cloud, gaming)
2. Card standing instructions: subscriptions charged to your debit or credit card
3. App stores: Google Play and the Apple App Store bill some apps directly
4. Phone and broadband bills: add-on OTT packs and value-added services
5. Memberships: gym, clubs, delivery memberships, magazine and news plans

How to find them

• UPI: open your UPI app's settings and look for Autopay or Mandates. It lists every active mandate with the merchant and limit.
• Cards: scan the last three months of statements for repeating amounts. Your bank app may also have a section for e-mandates or standing instructions.
• Google Play: Profile → Payments and subscriptions → Subscriptions.
• Apple: Settings → your name → Subscriptions.

How to cancel

• In the app itself, cancel the plan; it usually runs until the end of the paid period.
• Revoke the UPI autopay mandate from your UPI app.
• For cards, cancel the standing instruction in your bank app or ask the bank.
• Cancel at least a day before the renewal date.

Do the maths for each one

Convert everything to a yearly cost. A ₹149 monthly plan is ₹1,788 a year. Then ask: would I pay this much upfront today for how much I actually use it? If not, cancel or switch to a cheaper plan.

Smart ways to pay less

• Rotate OTT apps: keep one or two at a time and switch when a series you want comes out.
• Use bundles from your phone or broadband plan instead of paying separately.
• Take a family plan for music or cloud storage instead of several single plans.
• Move to yearly plans only for services you use every week.

Watch free trials

Free trials usually convert to paid plans automatically. When you start one, set a phone reminder two days before it ends, or cancel right away; most apps let you keep the trial until its end date even after cancelling.

Make it a habit

Check your list once every three months and before every big renewal. Our Subscription & OTT Tracker shows the real yearly cost, the next renewal date for each subscription and how much you're paying for things you don't use.