You’re canceled!
That’s what cash-strapped consumers suffering from subscription overload are increasingly telling the overwhelming number of streamers, services and apps they no longer feel they can afford.
As prices for the essentials — groceries, gas, rent, utilities — continue to skyrocket, Americans are cutting wherever they can.
A report from Deloitte showed that more than half of consumers — 52% — canceled at least one subscription in the last six months.
And, the younger the demographic, the more subscriptions getting the boot.
The Post spoke with Recurly — a subscription management platform where CEO Joe Rohrlich broke down its latest report revealing Millennials and Gen Zers canceled at a higher rate than any other age group.
“The number one reason, in 2025, why consumers told us they canceled was they weren’t using the product or the service enough to justify the ongoing subscriptions,” Rohrlich told The Post.
And in today’s trying times, shelling out up to $111 a month — or $1,332 annually for services barely used is frivolous. Those numbers are up 23% from last year’s monthly average of $90, or $1,080 annually, according to CNET’s Annual Subscription Report.
The report also showed that typical users waste an average of $21 a month — or $252 annually — on unused subscriptions, up from $204 in 2025.
“I think you could make the leap that as folks are more concerned about their wallet, they’re going to go back in and look at ‘What am I really subscribing to today?’ and to do a better job of managing,” Rohrlich added.
And if they’re not canceling, they’re likely pausing, according to Recurly.
Recurly’s research found big brands that offer flexibility are more likely to keep their customers, especially if they have options like “pause before cancel.” In fact, those with this feature saw 337% more pauses and 75% returning within months.
The move tends to happen from October through January — around the holiday period.
But there’s even more to it than saving money, according to experts.
Americans have now entered the era of subscription fatigue — where they’re apparently fed up with the endless entreaties to download apps and sign up to unlock basic user privileges almost everywhere, from entertainment sites and dating apps to food delivery, restaurant loyalty programs and more.
There’s another trend taking shape as well, according to the data — where people are being more strategic about where they put their money.
Niche subscriptions are seeing an uptick — with consumers happy to pay top dollar, as long as it’s for something they want, like pharmaceutical apps in order to score GPL-1 medications like Ozempic or Wegovy.
According to Recurly, AI companies like Claude or ChatGPT are also seeing folks splash out for pro-level access.
Cancel culture
Monarch — an all-in-one app for folks to budget, track financial progress and plan for the future — was given an analysis of aggregated, anonymized member data which showed the top two categories consumers are letting go of.
Taking the top spot, fitness and gym subscriptions had the highest cancellation rate among all subscription categories in 2026, at about 11%.
This includes common gym memberships as well as digital fitness and wearables like Planet Fitness, Oura, ClassPass and more.
Streaming and entertainment was the second-most-canceled subscription category in 2026, with a cancellation rate of about 9%. This includes TV, audiobooks and music streaming from platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and Audible.
While it may not be in a specific category, there is an honorable mention for subscriptions or recurring payments that people waste money on — credit cards with annual fees.
Rachel Lawrence is head of advice and planning at Monarch and is also a certified financial planner (CFP) and runs her own practice on the side.
Lawrence said that the big ones like Chase Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum have costs up to nearly $900 a year. For Chase, the annual fee is $795 while the Amex will set you back $895.
“I don’t think they’re worth it, and I have encouraged almost every single client to at least cut one of those fancy credit cards, because the prestige for having it in your wallet and the points are not worth that crazy expensive annual fee,” Lawrence told The Post.
Another money-waster is duplicate subscriptions, which the financial expert says happens more than you’d think. This is where taking an active role in your finances comes in. It’s very easy to sign up for a membership but harder to do a deep dive into what you’re getting.
“A lot of those credit cards that they have annual fees that they’re paying for often come with benefits. Perfect example, I see people all the time paying out of pocket for like Disney and Hulu subscriptions, but they have a specific credit card that would cover the full cost and reimburse them every month,” the money guru said.
While it may not seem like a huge cost — maybe up to $30 a month — if you’re paying for the same thing twice, it could be an extra $700 a year.
Savvy savings
While everyone has different budgets and their own expenses, Lawrence says the most important thing to do regardless of your salary is to make a list of your core values and cut out the subscriptions that do not align with them and keep the ones that do.
The CFP likened the move to dieting. The more restrictive a diet you have the more likely you are to cheat. She suggests making room for fun by cutting some of the fixed expenses that don’t matter as much or that are really big and heavy.
“It’s making sure that you have room for fun. When people don’t have room for fun in their budget, they will not stick to it. They will just blow their budget instead, right? It happens to all of us. We’ll still do it anyway,” Lawrence added.
Another money-waster to get a handle on — duplicate subscriptions — and happens more than you’d think. This is where taking an active role in your finances comes in. It’s very easy to sign up for a membership but harder to do a deep dive into what you’re getting.
“A lot of those credit cards that they have annual fees that they’re paying for often come with benefits. Perfect example, I see people all the time paying out of pocket for like Disney and Hulu subscriptions, but they have a specific credit card that would cover the full cost and reimburse them every month,” the money guru said.
While it may not seem like a huge cost — maybe up to $30 a month — if you’re paying for the same thing twice, it could be an extra $700 a year.
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