By Tommy Tindall  | NerdWallet

It ought to be as easy to end a paid subscription service as it is to start it, but that’s not always the case. Have you ever had to make a phone call to cancel something you signed up for online?

Related Articles

How much does DoorDash pay? I tried delivering to find out

7 surprising facts about credit cards

Many travel agents haven’t ever charged fees. Here’s why some of them do now

Social media money advice: Avoiding the bad, finding the good

Redfin agrees to pay $9.25 million to settle real estate broker commission lawsuits

The disincentives are by design, says Erin Witte, director of consumer protection at the Consumer Federation of America. Extra hurdles may include having to click through multiple links to find the cancellation page, make the dreaded phone call to customer support or even send a written request to end service.

Perhaps you’ve let an unused subscription linger — whether it’s for a streaming service, meditation app or the local car wash — simply because the monthly charge goes unnoticed.

A 2022 study by brand insights agency C+R research found 42% of consumers have forgotten they were still paying for a service they no longer use. The same study, based on responses from 1,000 self-reporting consumers, found that, on average, consumers underestimated what they spend on monthly subscriptions by $133.

“Automatically recurring subscription plans often capitalize on people forgetting that they signed up for something, and then making it very hard to get out,” says Witte.

A rule proposed by the Federal Trade Commission in March 2023 aims to correct burdensome cancellation tactics and help consumers remember what they’re paying for.

Called “Click to Cancel,” the rule would require companies that sell subscriptions to make canceling a service as simple as it is to sign up (e.g., if you join online, you can cancel on the same website in the same number of steps). It would also require companies to send an annual reminder to customers before automatic renewal.

The rule, which is still pending, could help consumers save money. While you wait for broad change, here are several strategies to stay on top of subscriptions.

Understand how subscriptions impact your finances

“Being aware of the problem is always the first step,” says Witte. She’s encouraged by the expanding narrative around the impact of subscription services on consumer budgets and shady ways to keep customers enrolled.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in subscription services being used by businesses, sometimes in ways that consumers don’t even necessarily meaningfully consent to,” says Witte.

A survey commissioned by the attorney general’s office of Washington state in 2022 found 59% of Washingtonians may have been unintentionally enrolled in a subscription service when they thought they made a one-time purchase.

Last June, the FTC sued Amazon for allegedly enrolling people in its Prime membership service without consent and setting up obstacles that made it difficult for members to cancel.

Witte says the burden shouldn’t fall on the consumer, but for now it’s a good idea to explore a company’s cancellation process before you sign up. You can also set a calendar reminder for the end of any trial period, so you can decide before automatic payments start.

Give yourself the chance to make a choice

“When we pay for things individually, we feel ‘the pain of paying,’” says Uma Karmarkar, associate professor at the University of California San Diego. More immediate payments, like a store purchase or a meal at a restaurant, can conjure a feeling of loss, especially when you hand over cash. But with subscriptions, you typically add your card upfront and pay passively thereafter.

Karmarkar uses the example of buying coffee out every day. Common advice is to cut out one pricey latte a week if the habit is hurting your budget. But maybe your daily latte brings you enough joy to justify the recurring purchase. The key is you get to make the choice each day to do so or not.

Maybe you can take back the power of choice by regularly reviewing your expenses.

Your credit card bill is a good place to start, and you can tally up your subscription costs in a budgeting app, spreadsheet or on a piece of scrap paper. When you see a charge from ViacomCBS streaming, it’ll remind you that you still pay for Paramount+ and don’t plan to watch the “Paw Patrol” movie again.

A regular look at your credit card transactions is also a good way to note price increases you may have missed in your email. The cost of NBC’s Peacock streaming service, for example, will increase by $2 a month starting in July.

When it’s time to cancel, consider how you signed up for the service to plot the right path. For example, if the service is linked to your Apple account, you can cancel on your iPhone.

Recognize emotional triggers

Added friction aside, you may have to deal with the trepidation that comes with ending some services.

Have you ever canceled a music streaming service, only to be reminded of everything you’ll be giving up just before you quit — playlists, unlimited skips and offline listening? The thought of cutting off unfettered access to the world’s catalog of music tracks could stop you in your tracks or stay with you until you reactivate the paid tier days later.

Then there’s the low price offer that services will dangle in front of your face to encourage an impulsive extension. “Would you like three more months at half price?”

The FTC’s “Click to cancel” rule would also require companies to ask consumers whether they want to learn about additional offers before making such pitches.

The uniform regulation could bring welcome change for consumers inundated with monthly charges.

“One thing has become very clear as the narrative around this particular issue grabs hold, and it’s that people are tired of it,” says Witte.

For now, it’s on all of us consumers to make sure we’re not spending money for nothing.

 

The article Subscriptions Are Hard to Cancel and Easy to Forget — by Design originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The time has finally come.

A couple of weeks after being drafted by the Vikings, or signed as undrafted free agents, the 2024 rookie class will descend upon TCO Performance Center in Eagan for the weekend, starting on Friday. It will serve as a chance for many players to make a first impression on the coaching staff as they look to carve out a niche for themselves heading into next season.

Though the tandem of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner will arrive with the most hype after being selected in the first round of the draft, there are a handful of other names worth following when the Vikings hit the practice field this weekend.

Here are five players to keep an eye on at Vikings rookie minicamp:

J.J. McCarthy

This is a no-brainer. As the only quarterback the Vikings have ever drafted in the Top 10 in franchise history, McCarthy will be under a microscope every time he throws a pass on the practice field. It will be interesting to see how he looks his first time taking live reps with the Vikings. There’s going to be a learning curve for him as he acclimates to the next level. That said, McCarthy played in a pro-style offense at Michigan in college, and thus, could be more advanced in his development than some might think. His performance at rookie minicamp under the tutelage of head coach Kevin O’Connell will give a good indications where he stands.

Dallas Turner

Just go ahead and look up some highlights of Turner rushing the passer at Alabama in college. He was a dominant force in every situation, equipped with the speed to win on the outside, as well as the power to win on the inside. Though he won’t get to showcase his full repertoire this weekend, Turner should be able to give a glimpse into the dominant player he could become soon enough.

Khyree Jackson

It’s going to be fun to see how imposing cornerback Khyree Jackson looks in person. He is listed as having a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, which fits the mold of what defensive coordinator Brian Flores is looking for in a cornerback. It’s not hard to imagine Jackson developing into a solid player on the outside. How fluid is he going to be at his size? That’s the main question that needs to be answered.

Levi Drake Rodriguez

As far as excitement level goes among the rookie class, defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez is up there simply because he is an unknown. There aren’t a ton of highlights of Rodriguez because he played his college ball at Texas A&M Commerce. He clearly has a passion for the sport, and that should serve him well as he tries to make the team. No doubt a good showing this weekend will put him on the right track.

Gabriel Murphy

The comparisons started as soon as edge rusher Gabriel Murphy signed as an undrafted free agent. The thought was that he could follow a similar path to that of linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who signed as undrafted free agent ahead of last season and turned himself into an unquestioned star for the Vikings. The biggest knock on Murphy coming out of college was the fact that he lacked the prototypical arm length of an edge rusher. He has a chance to prove the doubters wrong starting now.

Related Articles

What will Vikings’ depth chart look like next season? Here’s a projection.

Vikings exercise fifth-year option for left tackle Christian Darrisaw

Vikings drafted kicker Will Reichard because of how he handles pressure

Meet the undrafted free agents the Vikings agreed to terms with

The incredible journey that led cornerback Khyree Jackson to the Vikings

By FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Johnson’s job isn’t safe yet.

In a stunning show of unity in the often divided House, Democrats joined a majority of Republicans on Wednesday to save the GOP speaker from an attempt by fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove him from his post.

But while Democrats in the minority threw the Louisiana congressman a life raft by voting on his side, they made clear they might not do so again. That means the threat for Johnson still lingers as Greene and other lawmakers can at any time call up another motion to oust him.

The episode highlights the increasingly precarious situation for Johnson, who faces the same conservative forces that took down his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, but with an even smaller majority that has forced him to continuously rely on Democratic support to carry out the most basic functions of legislating. Republicans control the House by the barest of margins, 217-213.

Here’s what to know about how the House can remove a speaker and what’s ahead for Johnson:

WHAT IS A MOTION TO VACATE?

The current rules of the House allow any lawmaker — Democrat or Republican — to put forward a resolution declaring the speaker’s chair vacant. If the House approves the resolution, it has the effect of ousting the speaker from office.

The “motion to vacate” has existed for most of congressional history. But it had never been deployed successfully until last October when a rebel band of Republicans joined with Democrats to oust McCarthy as speaker.

McCarthy’s removal came, in part, as the result of the concessions he was forced to make to win the speaker’s gavel in the first place. Among the concessions was agreeing that a motion to vacate could be triggered by a single member — the threshold that historically has been the norm, but that had been abandoned by Democrats in the majority.

Proponents of allowing a single lawmaker to file the motion said it promotes accountability, noting its long history in the House.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

At any point, a member of the House can introduce a privileged resolution — a designation that gives it priority over other measures — to declare the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives vacant.

Once the motion is introduced, the lawmaker sponsoring it can request a vote on the House floor. Such a request forces House leaders to take action within two legislative days.

But there are procedural motions that members of either party can make to slow or stop the process — and that’s exactly what happened when Greene called for a vote Wednesday on removing Johnson.

The No. 2 House Republican, Steve Scalise, immediately made a motion to “table” Greene’s resolution, which defeats it if successful. The vote to table was fast and overwhelming, with lawmakers voting 359-43 to defeat her effort and keep Johnson in the job.

WHO IS TRYING TO OUST JOHNSON AND WHY?

The speaker had fought for months to navigate an increasingly fractured Republican conference, which has — in effect — been operating in the majority in name only since January 2023.

Republicans unanimously chose Johnson late last year to replace McCarthy after several candidates for the job failed to gain enough support. His conservative bent was seen as a welcome departure by the most extreme members of his party who had accused McCarthy for years of being too moderate.

But Greene, who became a McCarthy ally late in his tenure, has been skeptical of Johnson’s speakership from the beginning. While she criticized her fellow far-right colleagues for toppling McCarthy, she had warned Johnson for months that she would try to remove him in a similar fashion if he were to push ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.

“He should not bring funding for Ukraine,” Greene had told reporters.

But Johnson did just that last month when he advanced a foreign aid package for Ukraine to the floor where it was overwhelmingly approved and signed into law.

Other Republicans are also critical of Johnson, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who was a co-sponsor of Greene’s resolution to oust him.

COULD THERE BE ENOUGH VOTES TO OUST JOHNSON?

It remains to be seen, but the vote Wednesday showed Johnson’s job is far from safe.

Without Democratic help, Johnson could have easily been ousted. Eleven Republicans voted to proceed with Greene’s effort, more than the number of GOP votes it took to oust McCarthy last fall. Seven Democrats voted present and all but 32 of the others voted with Republicans to block the effort to oust him.

“Our decision to stop Marjorie Taylor Greene from plunging the country into further chaos is rooted in our commitment to solve problems,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said after the vote.

Asked what they might do if there were another attempt to oust the speaker, Jeffries said, “Haven’t given it a thought.”

Some Republicans are frustrated by the threats to Johnson and were dismissive of Greene. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said of those trying to remove the speaker, “They’re pretty good at getting attention, but they have not been recognized for their ability to get things done.”

He said if they keep pushing to oust the speaker, “I think you can expect more of the same: Failure.”

IF JOHNSON IS OUSTED, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT?

The speaker of the House, under the rules of the chamber, is required to keep a list of individuals who can act as speaker pro tempore in the event a chair is vacated. The list, which is oddly written by the sitting speaker at any given time, remains with the House clerk and would be made public if the speakership were vacant.

The first person on that list would be named speaker pro tempore and their first order of business would be to hold an election for a new speaker. The House then would vote as many times as it took to elect a speaker.

In the case of McCarthy, the role of speaker pro tem fell to his close confidant Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the chair of the House Financial Services Committee. He was in the role for three weeks, until Johnson’s election.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.