ATLANTA — How much we spend on streaming services each month can add up pretty fast. In some cases, you may not even be aware you are paying for a service.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+ -- with over 200 streaming services worldwide there is no shortage of content to choose from.
The average streamer spends anywhere from $35 to $55 each month for subscriptions. It can be hard to keep track of everything you are paying for.
WSB’s consumer expert Clark Howard sat down with self-proclaimed penny pincher David Glass and spoke about how to keep streaming under control.
“I occasionally go in at look at my credit cards because it’s easy to put everything on auto pay and forget about it,” Glass said.
He told Howard that his family pays for Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.
“So basically around $35 a month is what you are paying for all the streaming?” Howard asked Glass.
“Correct, that’s where we are right now,” Glass said.
We put Glass to the test and asked him to look up his Amazon subscriptions.
“What? No,” Glass said after looking at his subscriptions.
“Did you see all the others that were there,” Howard asked Glass.
“Yes. I’m going to cancel them all right now,” Glass said.
Glass fell victim to what so many others do -- a one-time click on Amazon and you are automatically signed up for a channel.
“How does it feel to see that you have been watching this like a hawk and you still got burned,” Howard asked Glass.
“It’s honestly shocking,” Glass said. “It took me eight months to realize we were paying for a music service.”
Another way to lose track of money -- free trials. If you do sign up for one, set an alarm on your phone to cancel when it ends.
If you aren’t sure what you are paying, print out a paper copy of your credit card statement, go through line by line and cancel what you don’t need or want.
If that’s too much work for you, services like Trim, TrackMySubs and Rocket Money will review accounts and make cancellations for you.
But make sure you know what the fees are before you sign up and check with your cellphone provider. It might offer free subscriptions based on your plan.
If you’ve got kids, both Amazon and Apple TV allow you to set up a PIN that will stop them from making unwanted purchases.
It’s your money, you need to protect it.
“Not any one of these things seems too expensive but the cumulative effect does what to your wallet,” Howard said.
“Yeah, it doubles it. Definitely a wakeup call,” Glass said.
Howard said his favorite video content is what’s known as FAST -- Free Ad Supported Television.
There are so many streaming services now that you pay absolutely nothing for, which means no bill at all for more content than your eyes could ever handle.
Howard has a guide at Clark.com that walks you through it and remember your local channel is available to you for free just with an antenna.