ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) —  Americans pay almost $300 a month on subscriptions on average, and most don’t even realize it. 

You used to be able to buy apps. Now, they’re almost all subscription-based. And those $5 to $8 can add up fast. But you won’t cancel if you don’t know you’re paying for them.

You know the big ones like YouTube TV, Hulu, Netflix and Spotify. But you probably have at least a few you don’t remember.  Apps are notorious for this. They lure you in with a three or seven-day trial. But if you don’t cancel, your credit card might be charged $15 or more, every week. 

On iPhone, go to your profile and check subscriptions. Anything you’ve signed up for will be listed, and you can unsubscribe with a tap. On Android, go to the Play Store and tap subscriptions.

What these apps don’t want you to know is you can sign up for a free trial and immediately cancel in the subscriptions settings, and you’ll be able to use the app until the trial period is over.

You can also search your email for subscription, account, or username. Review your credit card statements of course for other unknown charges. 

Look for redundant services. You might be paying for Google, iCloud, Dropbox and could use only one of those, saving a few bucks a month.

There are a couple of services that track subscriptions and even cancel them for you. These apps require, of course, a subscription.

The FTC recently passed regulations requiring companies to make it as easy to unsubscribe as it is to subscribe.