By Neil Shaw

Copyright dailypost

UK households are wasting £61 each – a national total of more than £1.64 billion a year – on unused or forgotten streaming subscriptions, according to new research by personal finance experts at thimbl. 49% of UK adults pay for entertainment and book subscriptions, with the average person losing around £61 each year to subscriptions they no longer use or forgot to cancel.

Joe Lytwyn, personal finance expert for thimbl.com, said: “These numbers are eye-watering for subscriptions that people don’t even use. In a cost-of-living crisis, this is money people simply can’t afford to waste.”

Earlier this year, research from Visa revealed that people spend an average of up to £305 per month on subscription services. Streaming was once sold as the cheaper alternative to satellite or cable TV, but for many families, the combined cost of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ now rivals or exceeds traditional TV bundles.

Joe said: “Streaming is no longer the budget option. When you factor in multiple platforms it’s no wonder many are shocked when they add up what they’re spending each year, it’s the cost of a holiday, a new boiler, or Christmas for the whole family.”

According to industry data, two-thirds of UK households subscribe to at least one of Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+, nearly one in five homes now pay for all three and 44% of households now use an ad-tier streaming service, meaning they are both paying and still being served advertising.

“What’s striking is that people are not just stacking subscriptions, they’re even paying to watch ads,” Joe said. “The industry has cleverly normalised spending that, a few years ago, would have seemed outrageous. For many, it’s become the default to sign up and forget about it, without ever questioning whether it’s still good value.”

According to Citizen’s Advice, so-called “dark patterns”, such as free trials that auto-renew without clear warning, cost UK consumers £688m in 2023–24. Joe said: “It’s not just our own forgetfulness, it’s the way some subscription services are designed. A free trial is rarely free. Companies rely on people forgetting to cancel, and they make the cancellation process deliberately fiddly. This isn’t consumer choice, it’s a trap.”

thimbl.com says subscription spending has crept into every corner of modern life, from streaming and music to recipe boxes, fitness apps, pet food deliveries and even household essentials.

“Ten years ago, a subscription meant your phone contract and maybe Netflix,” Joe added. “Now, we’ve normalised subscribing to everything, it feels easier to ‘set and forget’ than to shop around. But what starts as £7.99 here and £10.99 there soon adds up to hundreds of pounds a year.”

Which streaming services give the best value?

thimbl.com ’s analysis also compared the catalogue size of leading TV and film platforms against their monthly cost. The findings show that value varies dramatically depending on the service:

Amazon Prime Video offers the best value for money, with around 1,352 titles per pound spent. Its extensive catalogue of more than 12,000 films and TV shows and competitive £8.99 monthly cost make it the most cost-effective option for viewers who want both variety and affordability. Subscribers also benefit from Prime’s additional perks, adding even more perceived value beyond streaming alone. Netflix ranks second, offering around 750–870 titles per pound. Despite recent price rises, its vast and frequently updated library keeps it competitive on value. BBC iPlayer follows closely behind: while it isn’t a direct subscription, factoring in the £174.50 annual TV licence fee gives roughly 94–378 hours of content per pound, demonstrating strong value for money given the breadth of free, ad-free British programming it delivers. Disney+ and Sky Cinema (NOW) represent the poorest value per pound. With smaller catalogues, roughly 1,700–2,000 titles for Disney+ and around 1,000 films for Sky Cinema, viewers are paying higher relative prices for limited content libraries. Both still appeal for their exclusive offerings (Marvel, Pixar, Sky Originals), but on sheer cost-to-content ratio, they fall behind broader platforms like Prime and Netflix.

Joe said: “When you break subscriptions down into cost per title, it really shows where you’re getting value, and where you’re not. Amazon Prime remains unbeatable when you factor in hours per pound, while services like Sky Cinema deliver a much smaller library for a similar monthly fee.”

Joe’s tips to cut subscription waste

To help consumers take back control, Joe recommends a few simple steps:

Check your bank statement once a month. Make a habit of scanning for recurring charges, you’ll often spot services you haven’t used in months. Set calendar reminders for free trials. Treat the sign-up date like a bill due date, and cancel before it auto-renews. Audit by category. Do you really need three streaming services, two fitness apps, and a recipe box? Try a “one-in, one-out” policy. Share where you can. Household accounts and family plans are often cheaper than multiple individual sign-ups. Ask: is it value for money? If you’re not getting £10 worth of value each month, it’s time to cancel.

Joe said: “The best way to think about subscriptions is the same way you’d think about gym membership. If you don’t use it, you wouldn’t keep paying for it. Apply the same logic to your digital life.”

With streaming costs now outpacing the licence fee and billions wasted on unused services, thimbl.com is urging households to take a closer look at where their money is going.

“Subscriptions can be of great value, they give you flexibility, convenience, and access to things you love. But they only work if you actually use them,” Joe concluded.

“In tough times, every pound matters. By cancelling what you don’t use, you can give yourself the equivalent of a pay rise, without changing jobs or cutting back on the things you truly enjoy.”