Review Photography tools
Presentation
Homework:
Download the Excel or PDF form
Review your own subscriptions, add to form
Use the methods suggested to find other subscriptions
Create a plan to rotate them (if desired).
Did you miss class? Here is a recording of Tuesday's class.
Zoom classroom: https://sdccd-edu.zoom.us/j/9191959460?pwd=OXh0RE9ZTVZTWElTMUQ0ZzAxQzExdz09
Passcode: emeritus
Digital subscriptions are services or products that people pay for regularly—usually monthly or annually—that are delivered or accessed online.
Instead of buying a product once, you're paying for ongoing access.
They often renew automatically, which makes them convenient—but it's also important to keep track of them.
They can be paused or canceled, but many require doing so manually.
Example: Think of a magazine—before, you'd get it in the mail every month. Now, you might subscribe online and read it on your computer or tablet.
When I initially thought of this class, it was going to be centered around streaming services. However, as I began to research, it became evident that there would be way more options than originally planned. With so many options, it is useful to find a way to identify them all. Hopefully, this class will help you to see what you are paying for each month, and to help you develop a plan to use your subscriptions effectively.
Common Types of Digital Subscriptions
Streaming Services: Access to TV shows, movies, or music. Examples: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video
Software & Apps: Tools you use on your computer or device. Examples: Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, antivirus software, Zoom Pro
Artificial Intelligence apps: ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Copilot,
News & Magazines: Digital access to articles, newspapers, or magazines. Examples: The New York Times, The Washington Post, AARP Magazine Online
Meal Kit & Grocery Services: You subscribe to get meal ingredients or groceries delivered. Examples: HelloFresh, Blue Apron, Amazon Fresh
Books & Audiobooks: Access to digital or audio books. Examples: Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Scribd
Health, Fitness, & Wellness Apps: Includes workouts, meditation, or therapy services. Examples: Calm, Peloton app, Noom, MyFitnessPal Premium
Membership Services: Ongoing services or perks you get by subscribing. Examples: Amazon Prime (free shipping + video/music), Costco online membership
Learning and online education: Provide ongoing access to digital courses, tutorials, and skill-building platforms. Examples: Masterclass, LinkedIn Learning
Gaming services: Provide platform for online gaming. Examples: Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation
Financial tools: Online tools to balance finances. Examples: Rocket Money, Quicken
Food delivery and grocery membership: Services to do the shopping for you and deliver to your home. Examples: Instacart+, DoorDash, Grubhub+
Computer and Digital protection: Providing protection to your devices and your identity. Examples: Norton 360, Experian Premium, LifeLock
This lesson includes the hard way and the easy way. The hard way is to review your email, bank accounts, smartphone settings, common subscription sites and more. These instructions will follow.
Before you begin, we will be taking a poll on Zoom. Click here to take the poll.
The easy way is to generate a form with all possibilities (or at least most of them) and use this list to manage your accounts. Fortunately, we have just this tool:
Click on the box with the arrow to open the file in a new page
Look for the downward facing arrow in the top right (download arrow) and click on it.
Choose where to save the file.
It will be saved as a PDF
Are we missing something? We can add it to the master sheet.
Is there any incorrect sources? Are there things that you have not heard of? Do the links work?
Which method works best for you?
Will you use it online or print out?
Try both methods to see what works best for you
If you are not sure what you are subscribing to, here is how you discover this. This part of the class will walk you through a number of ways to determine what subscriptions you are paying for. Note that some of these solutions will work for some subscriptions, but not all of them.
Most subscriptions send monthly or yearly receipts or confirmation emails. Search for words like:
“Receipt,” “subscription,” “your payment,” “auto-renewal,” “invoice,” “thanks for your purchase”
Use the search bar in Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.
Tip: Create a folder to organize all subscription emails.
Review your statements for recurring charges. Look for:
The same charge appearing every month
Company names like "Apple," "Google," "Netflix," "Microsoft," etc.
Tip: Many subscriptions are small monthly amounts—easy to overlook!
iPhone or iPad:
Go to Settings
Tap your Apple ID name at the top
Tap Subscriptions
You'll see a list of active and expired subscriptions managed by Apple.
Android Phone or Tablet:
Open the Google Play Store app
Tap your profile icon (top right)
Tap Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions
This will show subscriptions paid through Google.
NOTE: You can also go to https://myaccount.google.com/ and look under "Payments and Subscriptions" and then
Subscriptions".
Amazon manages subscriptions for Prime, Kindle, Audible, and more.
Go to Amazon.com
Click Accounts & Lists > Memberships & Subscriptions
Review your active and inactive subscriptions
If you signed up for services like: Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, New York Times, etc., go directly to their websites, sign in, and look for:
“Account” or “Subscription” sections
Your billing history and renewal dates
Some free or low-cost apps help track subscriptions such as: Truebill (now Rocket Money), Bobby (iOS), Subby (Android)
Caution: These apps may ask for financial access—use only if comfortable and secure.
Also, financial tracking software like Quicken can be used to look across your different accounts to find subscriptions. This is useful if you have identified them as such while using them.
Check your email for confirmation or billing receipts.
Look at your bank/credit card statement for recurring charges.
Check app store subscriptions:
iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions
Android (Google Play): Open Google Play > Profile Icon > Payments & Subscriptions > Subscriptions
Once you know where it's coming from:
Log in to the service's website or app
Go to "Account," "Billing," or "Subscriptions"
Look for a button that says "Manage," "Cancel," "Pause," or "Change Plan"
Note: Some companies hide the option or ask you to confirm multiple times. Stay persistent.
Most subscriptions continue until the end of the current billing cycle.
• If you cancel on March 10 but paid through March 30, you’ll still have access until March 30.
• Take a screenshot of your cancellation confirmation.
Some services remove content immediately; others let you keep access:
You keep access after canceling:
• Apple/Google App Purchases: If you bought a song, movie, or app (not rented or subscribed), it's yours.
• Amazon Prime Video: If you buy a movie, it stays in your library even if you cancel Prime.
You lose access after canceling:
• Streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, etc.): You lose access when the billing period ends.
• Apps with cloud storage (like iCloud or Google One): You may lose access to storage or features, and need to download your files first.
Set reminders to review your subscriptions every few months.
Use a subscription tracker app (e.g., Rocket Money, Bobby).
Downgrade instead of canceling if you still want basic features.
Look for “Pause” or “Snooze” options if you're unsure about quitting.
Subscription services are becoming more flexible and personalized. Here are a few new directions:
• Bundled Subscriptions
Companies are packaging multiple services together for one price.
Example: Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+), Amazon Prime (video, music, shipping).
Expect more cross-industry bundles (e.g., phone service + streaming + cloud storage).
• Micro-Subscriptions / Pay-Per-Use
Smaller, short-term access for specific features or time frames.
Example: Pay $1.99 to read one premium article or access a meditation session for a week.
• Personalized and Tiered Plans
Subscription levels based on usage, preferences, or time of day.
Example: Music or audiobook platforms offering sleep-only or workout-only tiers.
• Subscription-as-a-Service (SaaS) for Everything
More products becoming subscriptions: clothing (Stitch Fix), cars (Porsche Drive), electronics (Google Pixel Pass).
Access over ownership is growing.
People are starting to feel overwhelmed by too many subscriptions. The industry is responding with:
• Simplified Management Tools
• One dashboard to see and cancel all subscriptions (e.g., Rocket Money, Mint, Truebill).
• Apple and Google are improving subscription visibility in device settings.
• Flexible Pause or Snooze Options
• Instead of canceling, some services now allow users to “pause” subscriptions.
• This encourages retention while easing financial or emotional fatigue.
• Subscription Sharing or Family Plans
• More group options to split costs.
• Example: Spotify Family Plan, YouTube Premium Family
• Smarter Notifications
• More companies sending reminders before renewal or asking if you still want the service.
Here are some tech trends that will shape how we interact with subscriptions:
• AI-Driven Subscription Assistants
• AI tools (like ChatGPT) helping users track, recommend, or cancel subscriptions based on behavior or usage.
• Future idea: “You haven’t used Paramount+ in 2 months. Would you like me to cancel it?”
• Universal Subscription Wallets
• One platform (like Apple Wallet or PayPal) that holds and manages all your subscriptions in one place.
• Voice-Controlled Management
• Managing subscriptions via smart assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant:
“Alexa, cancel my HBO subscription.”
• Blockchain & NFTs for Media Access
• Subscriptions tied to secure, digital ownership (blockchain), making sharing or reselling digital access possible.
In this activity, we find out which subscriptions we have, how we feel about managing them, and whether we've experienced subscription fatigue—feeling overwhelmed or frustrated by too many services.
Follow up poll
We will now take a second poll, now that you know how many subscriptions you have.
2. Group Discussion (10–15 minutes)
Breakout groups (3–5 people) to discuss these questions:
Which digital subscriptions do you currently have?
(TV, news, health, groceries, software, etc.)
Which one do you use the most?
(Or the one you feel is most “worth it.”)
Have you ever forgotten you were subscribed to something?
Have you felt “subscription fatigue”—like it’s hard to keep track or it’s costing too much?
Have you ever successfully canceled a subscription? What helped you do it?
3. Group Share-Out (5–10 minutes)
Come back together and ask each group:
“What was one subscription that everyone seemed to have or talk about?” “Did anyone have a good tip for managing subscriptions?”