GhostSubsNobody has one list of their subscriptions. They're scattered across your card statements, two app stores, PayPal, and receipts buried in email — which is exactly why surveys find the average person underestimates their subscription spending by more than $100 a month.
No single method catches everything. Here are the five that, combined, will: each one surfaces subscriptions the others miss.
The five places subscriptions hide
- Card and bank statements (3 months). Scan the last three months of every card and account for repeating amounts. Three months matters: it catches monthly charges twice and quarterly ones once. Mark every merchant you don't immediately recognize.
- Apple subscriptions. iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. This lists every app and service billed through Apple — including other family members' if you share payment.
- Google Play subscriptions. play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions lists everything billed through Google — including apps you uninstalled long ago that are still charging.
- PayPal automatic payments. PayPal → Settings → Payments → Automatic payments. Old PayPal-billed subscriptions are the most commonly forgotten category of all.
- Search your email. Your inbox holds a receipt or renewal notice for almost every subscription you've ever had. Search terms like "receipt", "renewal", "your subscription", and "payment confirmation" — or use a tool that scans automatically.
Why email is the most complete source
Bank statements show you the merchant and amount but not what plan you're on, when it renews, or how to cancel. Receipts do — every receipt states the service, the price, and usually the renewal date, and it works across every payment method you've ever used, including cards you've since replaced.
That's the approach GhostSubs takes: it scans your Gmail receipts read-only, shows every subscription it finds with the actual emails as evidence, and never needs your bank login or card details.
Frequently asked questions
How many subscriptions does the average person have?
Surveys consistently find 5–8 active paid subscriptions per person, and most people underestimate their total monthly cost by $100 or more.
What's the most commonly forgotten subscription?
Small utility charges: cloud storage (iCloud, Google One), old app subscriptions billed through app stores, and anything billed annually — a charge that appears once a year is easy to never notice.
Can I find subscriptions without giving an app my bank login?
Yes — app-store subscription lists, PayPal's automatic payments page, and email receipt scanning all work without any bank access.