Saving & Spending Budgeting & Expenses

Stop Using Auto-Pay for These 10 Bills (It’s Costing You Hundreds)

Automatic payments might seem convenient, but they could be draining your account without you noticing.

By Tobi Amure, CFEI®

Edited by Lisa Dammeyer

Updated Feb. 11, 2026

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You set up auto-pay to save time and stay organized. But there's a problem. That convenience is costing you hundreds of dollars a year. Auto-pay makes it too easy to forget about subscriptions you don't use, miss billing errors, and ignore price increases that should make you cancel.

If you want to avoid these money-wasting habits and keep more control over your cash, the following bills are better paid manually.

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Streaming service subscriptions

Streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max make it easy to sign up — and even easier to forget you're paying for them. With 74% of consumers admitting it's easy to forget recurring monthly subscription charges, these services can quietly drain hundreds of dollars from your account each year.

Even worse, maybe you signed up for a free trial to binge one show but forgot to cancel. Now you're paying full price. With auto-pay enabled, you won't notice for months, or until you finally check your bank statement and realize you're subscribed to seven services at full price.

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Gym memberships

You likely started at your local gym with good intentions, setting up auto-pay to ensure you wouldn't quit. But life happens. You skip a week, then two. And then before you realize it, you've skipped a month.

Suddenly, you haven't been in months, and you've paid hundreds of dollars without setting foot inside. Gym memberships are notorious for this exact reason. They rely on auto-pay because they know many members stop going but won't bother to cancel.

Subscription boxes

Meal kits, beauty boxes, book subscriptions, pet supplies, and other subscription boxes prey on auto-pay procrastination. You get excited about the first box, but by month three, it's just showing up on your doorstep while you're focused on other things.

With auto-pay, canceling feels like extra work, so the box keeps coming, and the charges keep stacking up. These can easily cost $50 to $150 per month (or more).

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Software and app trials

That "free for 30 days" offer sounds great, but auto-pay makes it dangerous. You forget about the trial period, and suddenly you're charged full price for software you may not even use.

Premium versions of productivity apps, design tools, and mobile apps are especially problematic. They auto-renew silently, and you don't realize you're paying until it's too late.

Insurance add-ons

Auto-pay on insurance policies masks hidden add-ons and coverage upgrades you may have agreed to months ago but long since forgotten about.

You're charged extra for roadside assistance you don't need, accidental damage protection you'll never use, or other riders that silently increase your bill. Without actively reviewing your statement, these charges fly under the radar and waste thousands yearly.

Phone and internet service

Your phone and internet providers rely on auto-pay because it makes you less likely to notice rate increases and promotional periods ending. They raise your bill "slightly," knowing many customers won't catch it or will assume it's normal.

When you're on auto-pay, you're likely not checking your bill each month. You simply pay whatever you're charged. Even a $5 to $10 monthly increase adds up to $60 to $120 per year.

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Professional memberships

Whether it's a professional association, alumni network membership, or business club, auto-pay makes it easy to maintain memberships you no longer use. These often renew annually with auto-pay, and it's easy to forget you're still a member. They can cost $50 to $300 per year or more. That's money that would likely be better in your pocket.

Digital publications and news subscriptions

News subscriptions, magazine apps, and digital content platforms use auto-pay to lock you in. You may have initially subscribed to read one interesting article or get access during a free trial, and suddenly you're being charged monthly for a publication you barely open.

With auto-pay hidden in your subscriptions, you also might not realize you're paying for multiple different news apps.

Utility bills

Putting utilities like electricity, water, or gas on autopay makes it easy to overlook rate increases, new fees, or incorrect readings. Providers can quietly raise prices or bill estimates, and if you're not reviewing each statement before paying, you might overpay for months before catching the change.

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Loan payments

Auto-pay on personal, auto, or student loans can cause problems when the timing doesn't line up with your income. If the payment hits before your paycheck, you could rack up overdraft fees or bounced payments.

It also makes it easy to stick with the minimum and forget about extra payments, which keeps you in debt longer and increases the total interest you pay.

Bottom line

Auto-pay is a convenience trap, but manually paying bills that can be canceled or changed is an easy way to pocket more cash. For subscriptions and memberships, switch to manual payment. Set a monthly reminder to review what you're actually using, and cancel anything you don't. For essential bills (utilities, insurance, loan payments), auto-pay is fine, but review your statements quarterly anyway.

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