What this checker works out
This checker divides a subscription's monthly fee by how many times you actually use it in a month, and compares the result against a cost-per-use limit you set yourself.
Setting the limit yourself is the point. There is no objective threshold at which a subscription becomes bad value — it depends on what the alternative costs and what the service is worth to you.
Enter your details
Before you judge a subscription
- Count actual uses over the last month, not typical or intended ones. Most services show your history.
- Use the fee you actually pay, after any discount, and divide an annual fee by twelve.
- Set your limit by reference to the alternative: a cinema ticket, a single-issue price, a day pass, a per-track purchase.
- Count shared use. A family plan used by four people is doing four times the work.
Some are insurance rather than entertainment — breakdown cover used once in three years is not poor value at £2 per use, it is a service you are glad to have needed rarely. Apply cost per use to things you consume, and a different test to things that protect you.
How this calculator works
One division and one comparison:
Cost per use = monthly fee ÷ uses per month
Verdict = within your limit if cost per use ≤ limit, above it otherwiseThe calculator treats a minimum of one use, so a subscription used zero times in a month shows its full monthly fee as the cost per use — which is the correct answer.
Worked example: £15 a month
Using the default figures — a £15 monthly fee, 8 uses a month, and a £2 limit:
- Cost per use: £15 ÷ 8 = £1.88
- This is within the £2 limit
At two uses a month the same subscription costs £7.50 a use, well above the limit. The threshold here is four uses a month — below that it fails, above it passes. Knowing that number is more useful than the verdict, because it tells you exactly what would have to change for the subscription to earn its place.
Common mistakes
- Counting intended use rather than actual use. Check the usage history where the service provides one.
- Applying cost per use to protective services. Breakdown cover and insurance need a different test.
- Setting the limit arbitrarily. Anchor it to what the alternative genuinely costs.
- Ignoring shared use. A family plan divides its cost across everyone who uses it.
- Cancelling on one bad month. Check a typical period, not the month you were away.
Frequently asked questions
What limit should I set?
Work backwards from the alternative. If a streaming service replaces a cinema trip at £12, almost any cost per use passes. If it replaces nothing you would otherwise pay for, the limit should be much lower. Many people find between £1 and £3 a reasonable range for entertainment, but the number that matters is the one you would actually pay per use in cash.
What about services I use rarely but value highly?
Cost per use is the wrong test for them. Cloud backup used once after a hard drive failure is not poor value at hundreds of pounds per use. Ask instead what it would cost you not to have it — that framing suits protective and infrequent-but-critical services much better.
Should I cancel and resubscribe seasonally?
It often works well, particularly for streaming services where content arrives in bursts. Most have no minimum term and keep your account, so subscribing for the months you will actually watch is straightforward. Watch for annual plans and introductory rates that will not be available again.
Do free trials count?
Only while genuinely free. Set a reminder a few days before the trial ends, because the great majority of unwanted subscriptions begin as trials that were never cancelled. Some services also offer a discounted rate if you attempt to cancel, which is worth discovering.
Is what I enter stored?
No. Fees and usage figures are processed in your browser and never transmitted or retained.
Related tools
References
- MoneyHelper — guidance on reviewing regular payments and reducing outgoings
- Financial Conduct Authority — consumer rights over recurring card payments and cancellations
Sources are checked at publication and can change — how I choose and check references.