Is “subscription creep” sneaking into your life?
More and more Americans are falling victim to the modern financial pitfall thanks to a combination of the requirement to “subscribe” to so many everyday services and the ease with which these services let you “set it and forget it” with automatic payments.
This is particularly easy to do with “small fee” services like video streaming services. A $10-15 per month commitment feels small at first, but it becomes a potential problem when you’ve committed to five or six different services at that price without really thinking about it.
Money expert Clark Howard has long warned against becoming complacent with these recurring fees.
He suggests reviewing the monthly statements on each of your credit cards EVERY month. This protects you against charges you may not have authorized, but it also helps you identify things you may be paying for that you don’t really need.
But it doesn’t have to stop there. A Clark listener recently reached out and shared a credit card tip to further help with “subscription creep,” which grabbed Clark’s attention. Let’s take a look.
Podcast Listener Delivers Subscription Advice That Clark ‘Loves’
Clark’s advice on monitoring your credit card statements for unauthorized, unnecessary or unwanted spending items should help people identify “subscription creep” in their lives, but a podcast listener took things to the next level with an idea that will make it crystal clear how much you’re spending on recurring subscriptions each month.
Susan in Georgia Writes:
“Another way to track subscriptions you haven’t mentioned: Put them ALL on the same credit card, preferably not your everyday card. You’ll have a complete list of them on every monthly statement.”
Clark Responds:
“Susan, I love this. I love this so much! It helps with what I’ve talked about with the subscription creep on all the different things, and trying to figure out what you’ve got that you don’t really need.”
Clark went on to tell a story about how he recently found that live TV streaming service Fubo charged $109 for a monthly subscription to one of the cards his family has designated as an emergency card for his son at college. It reiterates the importance of monitoring your monthly credit card statement for transactions you may not have approved. Had he not caught it immediately, that would’ve been a recurring monthly charge on that card indefinitely.
You can hear his full discussion on this topic during the July 8, 2026, episode of The Clark Howard Podcast.
Which Credit Card Should You Use To Put This Strategy Into Practice?
If you’re going to follow Susan’s tip to put all of your recurring subscription charges on an isolated credit card, you may be wondering which rewards credit card makes the most sense to keep in your wallet for this purpose.
First, I want to make sure you’re following Clark’s advice of having an “everyday spender” that gives you unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases with no categorical restrictions. This one will be the ideal card for swiping on one-time purchases.
But if you have that squared away, finding a credit card that will give you great rewards for subscriptions makes sense as the standalone spender for that category.
As Susan proposes, you could limit your transactions with this card to subscriptions so that you can have a real-time list of all the commitments you’ve made. That’s a GREAT way to keep “subscription creep” in check!
Though not every monthly subscription will have a rewards card that gives you more than 2% back for it, there are some that focus on streaming subscriptions for TV and music. Some even offer to cover the cost of selection subscriptions for you.
Here are two of my favorite suggestions for cards that may best reward subscription-based spending:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
card_name
Annual Fee:
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates & Fees)
Rewards Program Details:
Earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.
Terms apply.
Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
Learn More →
Annual Fee:
$0.00
Rewards Program Details:
Earn unlimited 3X points on the following:
Restaurants: dining in, take-out, catering, and delivery
Travel: airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises
Gas: gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
Transit: subways, ride shares, parking, tolls and more
Popular Streaming Services
Phone Plans: cell phone and landline providers
Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
Do you have a credit card you use for subscriptions? Another idea that could help emphasize Clark’s strategy for subscription creep? We’d love to hear about it in the Clark.com community.
Not all available financial products and offers from all financial institutions have been reviewed by this website.
To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards featured, please visit the following links: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees.
All information about the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card has been collected independently by Clark Howard, Inc. and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
The post This Credit Card Tip Could Save You Big Money on Subscriptions appeared first on Clark Howard.