How many apps and services do you pay for? The average American pays for 4.5 subscriptions and spends about $924 each year on digital products, from streaming services to online cloud storage. In many cases, there are ways to reduce that cost.
The best way to manage your paid apps and services is to have them in one place that you can access from your phone, tablet, or Chromebook. If you sign up for all your apps through the Google Play Store, it’s easy to save money on your subscriptions. Here’s how.
Set a budget
Limit your monthly spending
An easy way to prevent overspending on the Google Play Store is to set a spending budget for your account. This won’t stop payments from processing, but it will notify you as you approach your designated amount.
To set this up, go to the Payments & subscriptions section of the Google Play Store, which you can find by tapping your profile photo. Then, tap Budget & history, choose Set budget, and enter the amount you want to spend each month. You can also view your payments from previous months on that page.
Regularly review and cancel your subscriptions
Cancel apps you don’t need
To save money on your app subscriptions, know how much you spend on each app and how frequently. Go to the Subscriptions section of the Payments & subscriptions menu in the Play Store to see a list of the apps you currently pay for. It displays the type of subscription or plan, your next payment date, and the payment amount.
Regularly review this page to stay on top of your subscriptions. When you tap each one, you can cancel the subscription without opening the app, as well as modify your payment method or add a new payment method.
Look for similar apps
There are plenty of free alternatives
The Google Play Store offers over 3 million apps for download. Some have over 10 billion downloads, and many are free. It’s worth checking if your favorite paid apps have free alternatives, even if only for a trial period.
For example, instead of paying for a video editing app like Adobe Premiere Pro, try DaVinci Resolve. The important features are free, and the interface is similar to Adobe’s editor. If you work on your phone and pay for Grammarly Premium, try a free alternative like LanguageTool, which functions similarly.
Wait for free trials or deals
Some apps have promotions throughout the year
Before signing up for an app for the first time, wait until there’s a free trial or a promotional offer that reduces the price for the first few months. Streaming services like Apple TV+ and Spotify often have such promotions, as do cloud storage services like Google One.
Watch out for monthly or yearly subscription renewals
Keep tabs on when apps auto-renew
App subscription renewals often catch people off guard by automatically debiting their accounts monthly or yearly. When you pay for an app, note when it will auto-renew and set a reminder in your calendar to cancel it ahead of time.
Consider paying for subscriptions annually
It can save you a lot of money
Paying for apps and services monthly is more expensive than paying for an entire year upfront, especially if you anticipate needing them for the next 12 months. For instance, Dropbox charges $7.99 a month ($95.88 in one payment) if you pay annually. It increases to $9.99 a month if you pay monthly, which is a $24 difference each year.
Switch between subscriptions
Don’t have them all active at the same time
To save more money, rotate your subscriptions depending on what you intend to use the most that month. The best example of this is with TV and movie streaming services. Each month, keep two subscriptions active and cancel the others. Then, when you want more choice, switch them over. That way, you won’t waste money on services you barely use.
There are many ways to save money on your Google Play Store apps and services
If you’re not careful, the cost of monthly subscriptions to apps and digital services can add up. However, when you’re mindful of your spending and seek ways to reduce costs, they become less of a financial burden. Setting a budget, choosing annual payments, looking for promotions and free alternatives, and monitoring auto-renewals help you save money.
