Zombie Subscriptions: The Costs Lurking in Your Account

Do you find yourself with less money than expected at the end of every month? You may be suffering the curse of zombie subscriptions. What is a zombie subscription and how do they drain your bank account? Read on to learn how to find and cancel recurring charges, before they eat away at your budget.  

What Are Zombie Subscriptions? 

The term “zombie subscriptions” refers to recurring subscription charges for services you rarely or never use. In many cases, you may have forgotten you ever subscribed to these services and are unaware that money is being pulled from your account each month.  

These days, merchants across the spectrum are using subscription payment models to bring in customers and keep them paying. Consumers may find it difficult or even impossible to pay a one-time fee for digital services.  Common zombie subscriptions include: 

• Movie and TV streaming services 

• Cloud-based and desktop apps such as Microsoft Word 

• Newspaper and magazine subscriptions  

• Other paid media, i.e. Substack newsletters or articles on Medium  

• Premium podcast subscriptions 

• Food delivery, meal prep and grocery subscriptions  

• Recurring monthly donations  

• Beauty box and fashion subscriptions  

• …and many more!  

How Zombie Subscriptions Drain Your Budget  

The subscription model makes sense in today’s digital-first world, but it’s also true that monthly subscription payments can trick you into not noticing how much money is leaving your account during each payment period. Many companies also make it deceptively difficult to cancel a subscription, or bundle together various subscriptions to persuade consumers into keeping services.   

Even without predatory subscription practices, because subscription payments are (typically) automatically deducted from your account, it’s very easy to lose track of how much you’re spending on each service every month. Paying $10 for a media subscription may sound inexpensive, but when you’re paying over $100 for multiple media subscriptions every month—it may be time to take a closer look.  

Fighting Back Against Zombie Subscriptions  

Ready to take a stand against zombie subscriptions, so you have more money in your account at the end of the month? Here are a few key battle tactics to help you quash unnecessary costs: 

• Read your checking account and credit card statements every month, so you know where your money is going 

• List out every single subscription cost on a separate piece of paper and evaluate what’s needed and what’s not  

• Consider sharing subscriptions with family, roommates or neighbors  

• Be careful about signing up for free trials, as these often auto-renew and lock you into a long-term subscription  

• If you’re dealing with a difficult-to-cancel subscription, report the business to the Federal Trade Commission 

• Get a library card and take advantage of free entertainment platforms such as Libby for audiobooks and ebooks, and Kanopy for film and TV streaming 

• Rotate subscriptions, so you only have one streaming or delivery service at a time 

• Hold a “zombie subscription battle” party with friends, in which you all find and cancel your zombie subscriptions together!