Most households pay for 4 streaming services and watch 2
Anyone with Netflix + Prime + Disney+ + Apple TV+ + Spotify + ...
The 2026 streaming bill for a typical UK household crossed £52/month - more than a typical broadband contract. Most of that spend is paying for services you forgot you subscribed to or swapped for newer ones without cancelling the old. The audit takes 8 minutes and clears £15-£30/month for the median user.
The 5-step playbook
Audit your streaming services in 8 minutes
- 01
List every streaming charge from the last 60 days
Search your bank for: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, Apple TV, NOW TV, Hayu, Discovery, Peacock, Paramount, MUBI, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium, Tidal, Audible. Note the monthly cost.
- 02
Note last viewing date for each
Open each app. The 'continue watching' or 'recently played' timestamp tells you the truth. If it's older than 30 days for video or 14 days for music, you're paying tax on inactivity.
- 03
Cancel anything you didn't open in the last 30 days
All streaming services let you reactivate in under a minute. Cancel the inactive ones today. You can resubscribe when you actually want to watch a specific show.
- 04
Rotate, don't accumulate
Pick 2 video services and 1 audio. Cancel the rest. Rotate every 60-90 days as the shows you want shift. The Netflix-only quarter, then the Disney+-only quarter, then the Prime quarter.
- 05
Switch to family/duo plans where they work for you
Spotify Duo (2 people) is £14.99/month vs 2x £11.99 individual. Apple One Family bundles 5 services for £21.95. If you live with anyone, splitting these halves the per-person cost.
How Hustle Report does this for you
We surface every streaming charge with the last billing date and a one-click cancel link. Members report £18/month median saved on the first audit.
FAQ
Honest answers
Is it worth cancelling and resubscribing?
Yes - especially for video. Almost no service penalises you for cancel/resubscribe cycles. Many even offer reactivation discounts (30-40% off first month back) for lapsed users.
Are ad-supported tiers worth it?
Usually yes if you watch <10 hours/month on that service. Netflix Standard with ads (£5.99) is half the price of Standard (£11.99) and the ad load is moderate. Disney+ ad-tier and Prime Video ads (now default) are similar.
What about gym, app and game subscriptions?
Same logic, separate audit. App subscriptions hide on the iOS / Android billing screens, not on bank statements. Game subscriptions (Game Pass, PS Plus) almost always pay for themselves if you play 4+ hours/week of subscribed titles.
Don't just audit once. Audit weekly, automatically.
Hustle Report reads your statement every week, finds the new leaks, and emails a fresh cancel list. Plus a Monday brief with personalised side-hustle matches if you want to close the gap from both sides.
More money-leak playbooks
Further reading