If you’ve ever forgotten to cancel a trial subscription, you’re in good company. A recent survey found that nearly half of Americans have let a trial subscription roll over into a paid one by accident. Further, it can be a game of hide and seek on a website to find a way to cancel a subscription, and some companies require that you speak to a representative if you want to cancel. It’s easy to sign up, but not so easy to cancel.

There’s a name for the quiet pile-up of these fees: subscription creep, which refers to the gradual accumulation of subscriptions over time, often without realizing how much is being spent on them. It happens when people sign up for multiple services, and, over time, forget about some of them or lose track of how often they are used. Companies are notorious for increasing the price of existing service on short notice or without much disclosure, which means the monthly budget line for subscriptions continues to grow even if you don’t add new services. 

And we’re not talking about a few dollars. On average, people now spend more than $1,000 a year on subscription services, according to a survey by CNET conducted in March of this year. The most common types of subscriptions were for streaming services. The most forgetful consumers were millennials and Gen Z adults, with 65% and 59% of respondents, respectively, saying they had forgotten to cancel a trial at least once. Finally, one in four said they had canceled a subscription because they could no longer afford it.

Taking a cue from California’s click-to-cancel law, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced a new rule that aims to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing up. Companies offering subscriptions must make it as easy to cancel as it is to subscribe. If you signed up on the website, you should be able to cancel on the website in the same manner with no extra steps. 

For example, many streaming services renew subscriptions by default unless canceled. If you’ve ever signed up for a new app or platform — say for a trial period to binge-watch a new show — you may have found it tricky to figure out how to cancel before getting billed. Even gym memberships, audiobook services and meal-kit subscriptions often continue charging until you manually opt out.  

Under the new rule, companies must inform users in plain language if a service will automatically renew and get “express informed consent” to automatic renewal. But two requirements in the California law were removed from the FCC’s version. First, the rule does not include the requirement for companies to send annual reminders that your subscription is still active, which would address the problem of forgetting to cancel. Second, in California’s law, companies cannot offer discounts and other incentives to prevent you from canceling, but they can in the FCC rule. 

I recently canceled a Fab, Fit, Fun subscription box a month before my annual subscription was scheduled to renew. I was shown several screens with discount offers, which made me wonder why the product was priced so high in the first place. You’ll see the same thing with cellphone plans. The tactic is to get you to continue the subscription for another year and then overlook the inevitable price increase to come in the following year. 

While the FCC’s rules won’t stop people from forgetting to cancel, they should at least make the process smoother. Once the rule takes effect in six months, it will be easier to avoid paying for services you no longer need. If managing multiple subscriptions feels overwhelming, consider setting reminders on your phone or using a subscription tracking app to stay on top of renewals.

One app to try is Rocket Money, a budgeting app that can identify subscriptions and cancel them for you. Rocket Money is a budgeting app that monitors your income and expenses, helps you set savings goals and tracks all your subscriptions in one place. While it does offer a free version for basic budgeting, you’ll have to spring for the paid version at $6 to $12 a month for the subscription service. Once you’ve linked Rocket Money to your bank account, it will go to work grouping your expenses into categories. You will have the option to cancel subscriptions yourself or have the app do it for you. Rocket Money does not charge for this service.

Now is a great time to cut back on recurring expenses before the holiday onslaught. Of course, what to cancel is up to you, but you can try to trim your subscriptions to one per category or get rid of a subscription category altogether. Note to self: Cancel Door Dash because no one really needs a McDonald’s meal at midnight.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness, and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.