The word ‘just’ can make even recurring expenses seem smaller and less significant than they actually are.
Most people never intentionally plan to spend Dh500 every month on apps and services they hardly use. Yet, over time, small recurring payments can quietly accumulate into a surprisingly large expense.
I can certainly relate. Apart from my essential entertainment subscriptions, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Spotify, which I consider worth keeping, I had also subscribed to several websites and online reading platforms. One was even a cooking website that caught my attention because of an interesting recipe.
Month after month, subscription charges continued appearing on my bank statement, often prompting the same frustrated thought: Why was I still paying for a website I had visited only once?
However, I repeatedly ignored the charges because each subscription cost only around Dh30, and cancelling seemed like an unnecessary inconvenience.
That changed when I decided to review my expenses and manage my budget more carefully. After calculating the total amount, I realised that paying Dh30 every month for services I never used was simply wasting money.
And this experience is far from unusual.
Individual subscriptions rarely seem expensive. A payment of Dh30 for one service or Dh40 for another may appear insignificant. However, when these charges accumulate, they can create a substantial monthly financial burden.
A closer look at bank statements often reveals payments to numerous platforms, including some that users may have completely forgotten subscribing to.
This growing problem is commonly known as subscription creep, where recurring payments gradually increase as people continue adding services without reviewing or cancelling existing memberships.
From video streaming platforms and online gaming subscriptions to artificial intelligence tools, fitness applications, cloud storage and food delivery memberships, subscription-based services have become deeply integrated into everyday life.
While registering for these services often takes just a few clicks, monitoring their combined costs requires considerably more attention.
For UAE residents already managing major household expenses such as rent, groceries, transportation, electricity, water bills and occasional food deliveries, unnoticed subscriptions can become an additional financial burden that gradually reduces their disposable income.
Dr M. Erdem Coskun, Assistant Professor at the School of Management at Canadian University Dubai, explains that many consumers maintain multiple subscriptions across different digital platforms. Their combined expenses can reach approximately $100 to $150 (Dh367 to Dh551) per month, translating to around $1,200 to $1,800 (Dh4,400 to Dh6,600) annually.
For some UAE residents, subscription spending can be considerably higher.
Zaid Aboobaker, Founder and CEO of CompassPoint Consulting, estimates that an active consumer in the UAE may spend between Dh500 and Dh900 each month on streaming platforms, mobile applications, fitness memberships and digital storage services.
More concerning is his estimate that approximately Dh300 to Dh500 of this monthly expenditure may go towards subscriptions that are rarely used but continue renewing automatically.
Although these figures are expert estimates rather than officially measured averages across the UAE, they demonstrate how recurring digital payments can consume a significant portion of household budgets.
How a Small Dh30 Subscription Becomes a Major Annual Expense
Consider a common situation: paying Dh30 each month for a service that is only occasionally used.
At first, the amount appears insignificant, particularly when compared with everyday expenses such as meals or transportation. However, the financial impact becomes much clearer when several similar subscriptions accumulate.
Dr Kashif Farhat, Assistant Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai, explains that a single Dh30 monthly subscription amounts to Dh360 annually.
Maintaining five subscriptions at the same price increases the expense to Dh150 per month, equivalent to Dh1,800 per year.
With ten subscriptions, the total rises to Dh300 monthly, resulting in an annual expenditure of Dh3,600.
These calculations highlight how seemingly affordable payments can gradually develop into substantial financial commitments.
Fadi Al Kurdi, Founder and CEO of FFA Kings, believes that the way consumers perceive small subscription charges plays an important role in their spending behaviour.
He explains that describing a payment as “just Dh30” can make the expense seem less important than it actually is.
According to Al Kurdi, being able to afford an individual subscription does not necessarily mean that the service provides sufficient value.
He encourages consumers to evaluate subscriptions based on their yearly cost rather than focusing exclusively on the monthly payment.
Instead of considering whether Dh30 is affordable for a single month, consumers should assess whether spending Dh360 annually on a rarely used service is worthwhile.
This approach can help individuals distinguish between subscriptions that genuinely improve their daily lives and those maintained simply out of habit.
Dr Farhat further illustrates the issue by explaining that someone with six subscriptions priced between Dh30 and Dh50 each month could spend approximately Dh2,160 to Dh3,600 annually.
The central concern is that consumers frequently underestimate the cumulative impact of small recurring charges, overlooking how much these payments collectively cost over an entire year.
Why Consumers Often Overlook Recurring Subscription Payments
One of the main reasons subscription expenses go unnoticed is the convenience of automatic payments.
Unlike a one-time purchase, which requires a conscious spending decision, subscription charges are deducted automatically without requiring customers to approve each transaction.
As a result, payments may continue for months even after a person has stopped using the service.
Aboobaker describes this as a problem of limited spending visibility.
He explains that individual subscription charges are often too small to attract attention, while automatic billing removes the need for repeated purchasing decisions.
Furthermore, payments may be distributed across multiple bank cards and different billing dates, making it difficult for consumers to recognise their combined monthly expenditure.
The way subscription prices are advertised also influences spending decisions.
For example, a music streaming service priced at Dh20 per month may seem inexpensive, but the same subscription costs Dh240 over a year.
Aboobaker notes that consumers tend to focus on the advertised monthly amount without calculating the annual financial commitment.
The expenses are not necessarily concealed, but they are rarely reviewed together in a way that reveals their total impact.
Dr Farhat also highlights the psychological difference between one-time purchases and recurring payments.
Consumers are generally more cautious when making a single purchase worth Dh300 than when agreeing to a Dh30 monthly subscription.
However, the recurring Dh30 payment amounts to Dh360 over 12 months, ultimately exceeding the cost of the one-time purchase.
Automatic renewals make these expenses even easier to overlook because consumers are not required to actively reconsider whether the service remains necessary.
Consequently, subscription charges gradually become part of household budgets already burdened by rent, insurance, utility bills, mobile plans and groceries.
Although each payment may appear manageable individually, their combined cost can place additional pressure on personal finances and reduce the money available for essential expenses and savings.
Dr M. Erdem Coskun, Assistant Professor at the School of Management at Canadian University Dubai, explains that subscription creep refers to the gradual accumulation of recurring payments that often go unnoticed.
While an individual subscription costing Dh30 to Dh50 may appear affordable, maintaining several such services can eventually result in monthly expenses running into hundreds of dirhams.
Because most subscriptions are renewed automatically, consumers may not immediately recognise how much they are spending collectively. Coskun recommends regularly reviewing recurring payments and including them in monthly budgets to prevent unnecessary expenses from building up.
How Free Trials Turn Into Forgotten Subscriptions
Some subscriptions remain easy to track because they are used regularly. Others continue long after their original purpose has disappeared, often because of forgotten free trials, temporary requirements or unused memberships.
Consider a fitness application downloaded as part of a New Year’s resolution, a meditation platform subscribed to during a stressful period or a streaming service purchased to watch a popular television series.
Once the initial motivation fades or the programme ends, users may stop accessing the service without cancelling their subscription.
As a result, recurring payments continue even when the platform is no longer providing any meaningful benefit.
Aboobaker explains that subscriptions purchased for short-term purposes are particularly likely to be forgotten.
These may include free trials that automatically convert into paid memberships, applications downloaded for a specific holiday or work assignment, and streaming platforms subscribed to for a single television series.
Coskun identifies entertainment subscriptions, including Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime and gaming services, as common examples of memberships that may become underused.
However, whether a subscription represents unnecessary spending depends largely on an individual’s needs and usage habits.
For instance, a business owner may depend on artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for daily professional activities.
Meanwhile, a teenager may find greater value in entertainment services such as Spotify, Netflix or Steam.
Farhat also highlights cloud storage platforms, wellness applications and digital publications as subscription categories that consumers should regularly review.
He draws particular attention to annual subscriptions, which can be easier to overlook because payments are deducted only once every 12 months.
Ultimately, the important factor is not the type of subscription but whether the original reason for purchasing it remains relevant.
Consumers who subscribed to a service for a particular programme, temporary project or personal goal should periodically assess whether they still need it.
Understanding How Subscription Creep Develops
Subscription creep typically begins with a series of small spending decisions that appear harmless when considered individually.
A consumer might subscribe to a new streaming platform, purchase additional cloud storage or take advantage of a discounted application membership.
At the same time, older subscriptions may remain active because the customer believes they might need those services again in the future.
Each payment seems relatively minor, making it easy to justify keeping the subscription.
However, as more services are added without reviewing existing memberships, recurring expenses gradually increase.
The problem becomes more significant when consumers fail to calculate the combined cost of all their subscriptions.
Over time, these seemingly insignificant commitments can develop into a substantial monthly financial obligation, often without the subscriber fully recognising how much money is being spent.
Fadi Al Kurdi, Founder and CEO of FFA Kings, explains that subscription creep develops through a series of small financial decisions that consumers rarely reconsider.
Although people consciously agree to individual subscriptions, they often fail to evaluate whether the combined annual expense is justified.
Aboobaker points out that subscription services are designed to make joining exceptionally convenient, while consumers must take responsibility for monitoring and cancelling memberships.
Registering for a service may require only a single tap, while notifications about price increases can easily be overlooked in emails. Free trials may automatically become paid subscriptions, allowing recurring expenses to continue without much attention.
He explains that these factors encourage consumers to accumulate more subscriptions unless they actively review their spending.
Farhat adds that subscription costs can increase even when customers do not purchase additional services. Existing platforms may raise their prices over time, gradually increasing the total monthly bill despite no change in usage.
This makes periodic subscription reviews particularly important.
The objective is not necessarily to eliminate digital services altogether, but to ensure that every recurring payment continues to provide sufficient value and remains affordable within the household budget.
Al Kurdi also highlights how describing a payment as “just Dh30” can make its financial impact appear smaller than it really is.
While an individual subscription may be affordable, that does not automatically make it worthwhile.
He recommends evaluating the annual cost instead of focusing solely on the monthly payment. For example, consumers should consider whether spending Dh360 a year on a rarely used service is a sensible decision.
Subscription Audit: How to Identify Unnecessary Expenses
Before cancelling subscriptions, consumers should first understand exactly how much they are spending on recurring services.
Relying on memory alone may not provide an accurate picture, especially when payments are distributed across multiple bank cards, application stores, digital wallets and mobile service providers.
Financial experts recommend reviewing past transactions to identify subscriptions that may have been forgotten.
Aboobaker suggests examining at least three months of bank and credit card statements, while Coskun recommends reviewing transactions covering three to six months.
Al Kurdi advises looking back over an entire year to identify annual renewals that might not appear in shorter reviews.
Steps to Review Your Subscriptions
- Examine bank and credit card statements. Identify repeated transactions, including payments made to unfamiliar merchants or services you no longer recognise.
- Review other payment platforms. Check subscriptions managed through Apple, Google, digital wallets and mobile network providers, as some payments may not be immediately obvious.
- List subscription details. Record the name of each service, its cost, renewal date and billing frequency, whether monthly, quarterly or annually.
- Calculate the total annual expense. Multiply monthly subscription charges by 12 and quarterly payments by four, then include any yearly membership fees. Ensure that individual transactions are not counted more than once.
Al Kurdi recommends comparing these calculations with the actual amounts paid during the previous 12 months, including any refunds received.
Consumers can then estimate their future annual subscription expenses based on current prices and active memberships.
Once all recurring payments are organised in one place, it becomes easier to identify which subscriptions account for the largest expenses and which services no longer offer enough value to justify their cost.
Aboobaker warns that small recurring payments are particularly easy to overlook because they rarely seem significant enough to require immediate attention.
However, when combined, subscriptions for streaming platforms, fitness applications, artificial intelligence tools, cloud storage and other digital services can represent a considerable financial commitment.
The real impact often becomes clear only when consumers calculate their total spending across all services.
Which Subscriptions Should You Keep, Cancel or Downgrade?
Reducing subscription expenses does not mean eliminating every paid digital service.
Some memberships are necessary for professional responsibilities, while others improve productivity, save time or provide entertainment that consumers regularly enjoy.
The important step is to distinguish subscriptions that genuinely contribute to everyday life from those that continue charging simply because automatic renewal remains enabled.
By evaluating how frequently each service is used, the benefits it provides and its annual cost, consumers can make more informed decisions about which subscriptions deserve a place in their budgets.
Coskun recommends giving priority to subscriptions that are essential for professional activities or help improve productivity.
For consumers paying for multiple platforms that provide similar services, he suggests retaining the one they use most frequently and cancelling unnecessary alternatives.
Farhat advises evaluating every subscription by asking three important questions: How regularly do I use this service? What benefits does it offer? And would I subscribe to it again today at the same price?
The final question is particularly useful because it encourages consumers to reconsider whether a service is genuinely worth its current cost.
Start by identifying subscriptions that are rarely used, memberships offering overlapping benefits and premium packages with additional features that are no longer necessary.
In some cases, switching to a more affordable subscription tier may provide the same essential benefits without the higher monthly expense.
However, if a service no longer offers sufficient value, cancelling it immediately can prevent further unnecessary charges.
Experts also caution that subscription value should not be measured solely by how frequently a platform is accessed.
For example, cloud backup services may remain valuable even when they are rarely opened because they protect important documents, photographs and other digital information.
Before cancelling such services, consumers should carefully review the subscription terms and ensure that important files or stored data can be retained or transferred safely.
Another potential saving opportunity involves family subscriptions.
Households should check whether individual family members are paying separately for similar services when a shared membership could meet everyone’s needs at a lower overall cost.
How to Keep Subscription Spending Within Your Budget
Digital subscriptions can provide convenience, entertainment, improved productivity and access to useful services, making them worthwhile expenses when used regularly.
However, financial problems can develop when recurring payments become automatic habits rather than deliberate spending decisions.
Reviewing subscriptions every few months can help consumers identify price increases, eliminate services they no longer need and explore more affordable alternatives.
Regular checks also provide a clearer understanding of how much income is already committed to recurring payments before other monthly expenses are considered.
The objective is not to cancel every subscription, but to ensure that each service continues to justify its cost.
Consumers should maintain memberships because they offer genuine benefits, rather than simply allowing payments to continue because they have forgotten about them.
And when a subscription appears on a bank statement that you barely remember signing up for, it may be time to reconsider whether it deserves a place in your budget.
