Managing subscriptions on behalf of someone else
Acting on someone else's account raises access and authority questions before it raises tracking ones. What to set up and in what order.
The short answer
Sort out authority and email access before touching the subscriptions, because nearly every provider verifies through the account email and most will not talk to you without documentation. Then work the same four sources as any audit — statements, the two app stores, PayPal — and cancel from most expensive downward.
Leutrim Miftaraj
Founder, SubTracker · Updated September 5, 2026
Authority first
Most providers will not discuss an account with someone who is not the account holder, and the ones that will often should not.
With the person's involvement, the simplest route is to do it together — they log in, you navigate. That avoids the authority question entirely and is usually possible for longer than families assume.
Where a lasting power of attorney or equivalent exists, providers will generally accept it, though the process varies and some require it in advance rather than at the point of the request.
Where neither applies, you are limited to what the person can authorise in the moment, and that is a boundary worth respecting rather than working around.
Two practical notes. Email access is the real key — nearly every cancellation and password reset verifies through it. And shared credentials are convenient and are a genuine risk; a password manager with proper delegated access is better than a note in a drawer.
The four sources, same as any audit
Twelve months of statements, not three, because annual subscriptions charge once and are usually the largest.
iPhone Settings, their name, then Subscriptions. Where forgotten subscriptions concentrate, and invisible on a statement because it shows only "Apple".
Google Play, Payments and subscriptions, if Android.
PayPal automatic payments. Separate from cards, survives card replacement, runs for years unnoticed.
Write down provider, amount, interval, renewal date, which card. Then sort by annual cost.
What to look for specifically
Some patterns are more common when managing someone else's list.
Trials that converted years ago. The single most common finding.
Duplicates across old and new devices. A subscription bought on a replaced phone and again on the new one.
Services from a previous life stage. A professional membership after retirement, a magazine nobody reads, a gym unvisited since an operation.
Charitable direct debits. Sensitive, and worth discussing rather than deciding. These are frequently intentional and long-standing, and cancelling one on efficiency grounds is not your call.
Anything that looks predatory. Aggressive renewal terms, a service that is hard to cancel, a charge that appeared without a clear signup. Worth escalating rather than just cancelling.
Setting it up so it stays manageable
One card for all subscriptions where possible. One statement to check.
A written list the family can see, with account emails and payment methods. This is also what makes things straightforward if circumstances change.
Renewal reminders to you, not only to them, where the arrangement supports it — a shared workspace routes warnings to whoever can act.
A twice-yearly review together. Fifteen minutes, sorted by annual cost, one question per line: was this used in the last month.
Wo SubTracker nicht passt
Du willst, dass Belastungen gefunden werden. SubTracker sieht deine Bank nie. Rocket Money in den USA, Emma in Europa — oder ein manueller Durchgang durch zwölf Monate Kontoauszüge plus App Store, Google Play und PayPal.
Du willst, dass jemand für dich kündigt. Rocket Money übernimmt das gegen einen Anteil der Ersparnis. SubTracker nennt dir den Weg und warnt rechtzeitig.
Du verwaltest Firmen-Software im grösseren Rahmen. Freigabeketten, SSO, Vertragsverwaltung über Dutzende Mitarbeitende — das ist Beschaffungssoftware. Cledara, Vertice, Spendesk.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
Can I cancel a subscription on behalf of a relative?+
Usually only with their involvement or with documented authority such as a lasting power of attorney. Most providers will not discuss an account with someone who is not the holder, and email access is what nearly every process verifies through.
Where are forgotten subscriptions most often found?+
The App Store subscription screen — Settings, their name, Subscriptions — because on a bank statement it appears only as a charge from Apple with no service named. PayPal automatic payments are the second most common.
What should I not cancel without asking?+
Charitable direct debits and long-standing memberships. These are frequently intentional and meaningful, and cancelling one on efficiency grounds is not a decision to make on someone else's behalf.
How do we keep this manageable long term?+
One card for all subscriptions, a written list the family can see with account emails and payment methods, renewal reminders routed to whoever can act, and a fifteen-minute review together twice a year.
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