How to find and cancel subscriptions you forgot about with AI

Short answer: Download 3-12 months of transactions as CSV files from each bank and credit card, then ask ChatGPT or Claude (or run the free offline script below) to list every charge that repeats weekly, monthly or yearly with its yearly cost. Check the subscription lists that hide behind one payment: Apple (Settings > your name > Subscriptions), Google Play (Payments & subscriptions), Amazon (Memberships & Subscriptions) and PayPal (Settings > Payments > Automatic payments). Cancel what you don't use on the service's own site or app, screenshot the confirmation and watch the next statement. For new trials, use a merchant-locked virtual card (Privacy.com's free plan gives 12 a month) so a forgotten renewal gets declined. In the examples below, one audit found a $20/mo ChatGPT plan already included in a bank perk and saved $200 a month, and one weekend of agent work cancelled 8 unused subscriptions.

Real cases where agents found a $20 ChatGPT plan already included in a bank perk, cancelled 8 unused subscriptions in a weekend, cancelled Hulu by phone and talked a newspaper down 84%. 8 matching use cases below, each with a public source.

Looking for something else? Search all 1965 use cases or Get the daily 5.

• What you need
• Chatbot
• Offline script
• Cancel and prevent
• Copy-paste prompts
• Safety
• Costs
• Real examples

What you need

Prices are from each official page, checked Oct 27, 2026; they exclude tax and can change. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.

Find them with ChatGPT or Claude

About 20 minutes. Works on free plans.

1. Download your transactions. In each bank and credit card's website, open the account, choose Download or Export transactions, pick CSV and the last 12 months. Many banks cap a download at 90 days or a year, so download in chunks if needed. Include PayPal (Activity > Statements > download).
2. Strip the private details. Open each CSV in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets and delete columns with account numbers, balances, card numbers and your address. Keep date, description and amount.
3. Ask for the recurring charges. Upload the files to a new chat and paste the first prompt below. Ask it to show the exact lines it used for each subscription so you can check it didn't invent one.
4. Name the mystery charges. For each charge you don't recognise (for example 'PAYPAL *ABC123' or 'SQ *'), ask what it probably is and how to confirm, then search your email for the amount and date to find the receipt.
5. Make a cancel list. Ask for a table with service, cost, renewal date, where to cancel and a keep/cancel column. Save it as a spreadsheet so you can redo the audit in 3 months.
   textCopy

   Service,Cost,Every,Renews on,Account email,Paid with,Keep?,Cancel by,Cancelled on,Confirmation
   Netflix,17.99,month,2026-11-03,me@example.com,Visa 1234,yes,,,
   Adobe Creative Cloud,59.99,month,2026-11-01,me@example.com,Visa 1234,no,2026-10-31,,

Find them privately on your own computer

Nothing is uploaded. Needs Python 3 (already on Macs and Linux; free from python.org on Windows).

1. Put your CSVs in one folder. Download the same 12 months of CSVs from each bank and card into a folder called statements.
   shellCopy

   mkdir statements            # put every CSV export in here
   # save the script below as find_subs.py, then:
   python3 find_subs.py statements/*.csv
   
   # Windows: use  py find_subs.py statements\*.csv

2. Save and run the script. It reads common column names (Date, Transaction Date, Description, Payee, Amount, Debit), groups charges by merchant and keeps those that repeat about weekly, monthly or yearly with amounts within 20% of each other. Skips payroll, deposits, refunds and transfers.
   pythonCopy

   # find_subs.py - list recurring charges in bank/card CSV exports. Runs offline.
   # Usage: python3 find_subs.py statements/*.csv
   import csv, re, sys, statistics as st
   from datetime import datetime
   from collections import defaultdict
   
   def pick(row, *names):
       for k in row:
           if k and k.strip().lower() in names: return row[k]
   def when(s):
       for f in ("%Y-%m-%d", "%m/%d/%Y", "%d/%m/%Y", "%m/%d/%y"):
           try: return datetime.strptime(s.strip(), f)
           except ValueError: pass
   def money(s):
       s = (s or "").replace("$", "").replace(",", "").strip()
       return float(s) if re.fullmatch(r"-?\(?\d+(\.\d+)?\)?", s) else None
   def merchant(d):
       words = [w for w in re.split(r"[^A-Z0-9]+", d.upper())
                if w and not re.search(r"\d", w) and w not in ("WWW", "COM", "INC")]
       return " ".join(words[:2])
   
   charges = defaultdict(list)
   for path in sys.argv[1:]:
       with open(path, newline="", encoding="utf-8-sig") as f:
           for row in csv.DictReader(f):
               d = when(pick(row, "date", "transaction date", "posted date", "posting date") or "")
               desc = pick(row, "description", "merchant", "payee", "name", "details") or ""
               amt = money(pick(row, "amount", "debit", "charge") or "")
               if d and desc and amt and not re.search(r"PAYROLL|DEPOSIT|REFUND|TRANSFER", desc.upper()):
                   charges[merchant(desc)].append((d, abs(amt)))
   
   KINDS = [("weekly", 6, 8, 52), ("monthly", 26, 35, 12), ("yearly", 355, 375, 1)]
   found = []
   for m, rows in charges.items():
       rows.sort()
       if len(rows) < 2: continue
       gaps = [(b[0] - a[0]).days for a, b in zip(rows, rows[1:])]
       amts = [a for _, a in rows]
       gap = st.median(gaps)
       for kind, lo, hi, per_year in KINDS:
           if lo <= gap <= hi and max(amts) <= 1.2 * min(amts):
               found.append((amts[-1] * per_year, m, kind, amts[-1], len(rows), rows[-1][0].date()))
   found.sort(reverse=True)
   print(f"{'MERCHANT':28} {'EVERY':8} {'LAST':>8} {'PER YEAR':>9} {'SEEN':>4}  LAST DATE")
   for yearly, m, kind, last, n, d in found:
       print(f"{m[:28]:28} {kind:8} {last:8.2f} {yearly:9.2f} {n:4}  {d}")
   print(f"\n{len(found)} recurring charges, about ${sum(f[0] for f in found):,.2f} a year")

3. Read the result. Output from our test files. Groceries and gas that repeat at random intervals are left out; check anything new against your statement.
   textCopy

   MERCHANT                     EVERY        LAST  PER YEAR SEEN  LAST DATE
   ADOBE CREATIVE               monthly     59.99    719.88    3  2026-10-01
   NETFLIX CA                   monthly     17.99    215.88    3  2026-09-03
   SPOTIFY USA                  monthly     11.99    143.88    3  2026-09-12
   AMAZON PRIME                 yearly     139.00    139.00    2  2026-09-20
   
   4 recurring charges, about $1,218.64 a year

   
   If your bank uses other column names, rename them to Date, Description and Amount in the CSV. A local model can then explain mystery merchants; see our private ChatGPT guide.

Check the app stores and cancel

Many subscriptions are hidden behind one app-store or PayPal charge.

1. Apple. iPhone: Settings > your name > Subscriptions > pick one > Cancel Subscription. No Cancel button or a red expiry date means it's already cancelled. If it's missing, search your email for 'receipt from Apple' to find which Apple Account pays (Apple's steps).
2. Google Play. Play Store app > profile icon > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions > pick one > Cancel subscription. Uninstalling the app does not cancel it (Google's steps).
3. Amazon and PayPal. Amazon: Account > Memberships & Subscriptions (amazon.com/yourmembershipsandsubscriptions), which also lists Prime Video channels. PayPal: Settings > Payments > Manage automatic payments > pick the merchant > Cancel. Stopping it in PayPal doesn't always cancel the service, so cancel on its site too.
4. Everything else. Cancel on the service's own account page, not by deleting the app or the card. Screenshot the confirmation or save the email, and note the date in your cancel list. For phone-only cancellations, ask a chatbot for a short script and the questions to expect.
5. Stop the next surprise. Pay for new trials with a merchant-locked virtual card (Privacy.com free plan, or your bank's own virtual cards) with a limit just above the price, and put the cancel-by date in your calendar the day you sign up. Repeat the audit every 3 months.

These files are my bank and credit card transactions for [months]. Find every charge that repeats weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly, including ones whose merchant name changes slightly (for example NETFLIX.COM and NETFLIX 866-...).
Give me a table: service, what it probably is, amount, how often, yearly cost, last charge date, next expected charge, and the exact rows you based it on.
Sort by yearly cost, highest first, then total it. Don't guess: put anything uncertain in a separate 'check these' list.

Here is my subscription list: [paste table].
I also have: [phone plan, bank account or credit card names, Amazon Prime, Costco, employer perks].
Find overlaps (two music, video, cloud storage or AI services doing the same job), anything that's already included in a plan or perk I have, and family or annual plans that would cost less. For each, say how much a year I'd save and what I'd lose. Mark anything you're unsure of.

I see a charge on my [bank/card] statement: '[exact description]' for [amount] on [date], repeating [how often].
What companies commonly bill under that name? What should I search for in my email to find the receipt, and how do I find which account it belongs to? If it might be fraud, tell me the steps to dispute it with my card issuer.

Write a short, polite cancellation request for [service], account email [email], plan [plan], billed [amount] on [date].
Ask them to cancel auto-renewal effective immediately, confirm in writing, and refund [the last charge / nothing]. Mention that I'm not interested in a discount offer.
Also give me a 4-line phone script and what to say if they try to keep me on.

I pay [service] [amount] per [period] and have been a customer since [year]. A competitor, [name], charges [price].
Write a short message asking for a loyalty or retention price, a cheaper plan, or a pause option. Keep it friendly and specific. Tell me the realistic outcomes and when to just cancel.

Here's my cancel list: [paste rows marked cancel].
For each one, find the official cancellation page or process and do the steps up to the final confirm, then stop and show me a screenshot before you click. Never enter card details, never accept a paid 'pause' or new offer, and never sign up for anything. Log each result (cancelled, needs me, failed) with the confirmation number in the list.

Make me a simple routine for checking subscriptions every 3 months: which exports to download, the prompt to run, and how to compare with my last list (attached) to flag anything new, any price increase and any trial that turned paid. Keep it to 10 minutes.

Safety checklist

• Never give a chatbot your bank login or full card numbers; CSV exports with account numbers removed are enough.
• Check every item the AI lists against your statement. Models can merge two merchants or miss a yearly charge.
• If an agent does the cancelling, keep the final confirm yourself and don't let it accept retention offers, pauses or new plans.
• Cancelling doesn't refund the current period, and annual contracts or phone and internet plans can carry early-termination fees. Read the terms first.
• Deleting an app or a card doesn't cancel a subscription; the company can still bill a replacement card or send the balance to collections.
• Be careful with 'cancel for you' apps and email links that ask for bank access; use well-known services and the companies' own pages.
• Dispute charges you never agreed to with your card issuer quickly; most issuers have time limits.

Related guides: How to negotiate bills and get refunds with an AI agent · How to see all your bank accounts in one place with AI · How to give an AI agent a budget or a card safely · How to run a private ChatGPT at home on your own computer (Ollama + Open WebUI)

What it costs

• ChatGPT or Claude: Free plans work. Plus or Pro ($20/mo) help with many large CSV files
• find_subs.py script: Free. Runs offline with Python 3; nothing leaves your computer
• Privacy.com: Free (12 new cards a month). US only; Plus is $5/mo; 3% fee on foreign transactions
• Rocket Money: Free subscription tracking. Premium is pay-what-you-want, about $7-14/mo, and includes cancellation concierge
• Monarch: $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Optional; detects recurring charges across synced accounts
• Cancelling: Free. Annual plans and some contracts may still charge an early-cancellation fee or run to the end of the term

Real examples (8)

Common questions

How do you find and cancel subscriptions you forgot about with AI?

Download 3-12 months of transactions as CSV files from each bank and credit card, then ask ChatGPT or Claude (or run the free offline script below) to list every charge that repeats weekly, monthly or yearly with its yearly cost. Check the subscription lists that hide behind one payment: Apple (Settings > your name > Subscriptions), Google Play (Payments & subscriptions), Amazon (Memberships & Subscriptions) and PayPal (Settings > Payments > Automatic payments). Cancel what you don't use on the service's own site or app, screenshot the confirmation and watch the next statement. For new trials, use a merchant-locked virtual card (Privacy.com's free plan gives 12 a month) so a forgotten renewal gets declined. In the examples below, one audit found a $20/mo ChatGPT plan already included in a bank perk and saved $200 a month, and one weekend of agent work cancelled 8 unused subscriptions.

What's the fastest way to find every subscription I pay for?

Download a year of transactions as CSV from every bank and card, then ask ChatGPT or Claude for every charge that repeats at a regular interval, sorted by yearly cost. Then check Apple, Google Play, Amazon and PayPal, because they bundle many subscriptions under one charge name.

Is it safe to upload my bank statements to ChatGPT or Claude?

Delete account numbers, balances and your address first; the merchant, date and amount are enough. If you'd rather nothing leaves your computer, run the offline Python script on this page or use a local model from our private ChatGPT guide.

Can an AI agent cancel subscriptions for me?

Partly. Agents in the examples below cancelled subscriptions by email, browser and even phone, but many services require you to log in or confirm. Rocket Money Premium's concierge also cancels some services for you, which it says takes 2-10 days. Keep the final click or the confirmation email yourself.

Why does a subscription show up as APPLE.COM/BILL or GOOGLE *?

App-store subscriptions are billed by Apple or Google, not the app. Open Settings > your name > Subscriptions on an iPhone, or Payments & subscriptions in Google Play, to see the real list and cancel there.

Does uninstalling an app cancel the subscription?

No. Google Play says uninstalling doesn't cancel, and Apple is the same. Cancel in the store's subscriptions page.

Will I get a refund if I cancel?

Usually not for the current period: you keep access until it ends and aren't charged again. Ask the company for a refund on charges you didn't use, and dispute charges you never agreed to with your card issuer.

Is there a US 'click to cancel' law?

The FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel rule was struck down by a federal appeals court in July 2025 and the FTC has only restarted the rule-making process. The older ROSCA law still requires a simple way to stop online subscriptions, and about 30 states have their own auto-renewal laws.

Rocket Money or doing it myself?

Rocket Money's free plan finds subscriptions once you link accounts. Doing it yourself with a CSV and a chatbot is free and doesn't need your bank login. Use whichever you'll actually repeat every few months.

Which AI tools do people use to find and cancel subscriptions you forgot about?

Across the 8 sourced use cases in this guide, the most used tools are Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Email, Gmail.

How much does it cost to get started?

0 of the 8 use cases can start on a free plan. The most common paid starting price is $30/mo (6 use cases). Prices come from each tool's official pricing page.

How long does setup take?

3 of the 8 use cases list a setup time of an hour or less. Each card shows the setup time the builder reported.

Are these real examples?

Yes. Every use case links to its public source (an X post, a Hacker News thread or a GitHub repo) with the author and date, so you can check it yourself.

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