All tools · Subscription Audit
How Do I Figure Out What a Weird Charge on My Statement Is?
Use the free tool — Subscription Audit
What that weird descriptor probably means
Bank and card statements shorten merchant names into strange codes — something like "APLBITS 8882…" is usually an app-store purchase, not a mystery company. These are best guesses, not certainties.
- Probably forgotten: duplicate app-store charges, trial-sized amounts that recur, or two similar services in the same category — classic signs of a "zombie" subscription.
- Check if you still use it: legitimate services that people commonly stop using but never cancel.
- Looks intentional: core things like utilities, insurance, or rent-like charges.
- If a charge doesn't match any known pattern, it's unrecognized — check your email receipts for that exact amount before doing anything else.
Why it matters more than it looks
Consumer research (C+R) reports people often pay $200+/yr on subscriptions they've forgotten about. Surveys vary, but the leak is real. A single small monthly charge adds up fast once you look at the yearly total instead of the monthly one.
How to cancel it
Most app-store subscriptions cancel from your phone in about two screens: on iPhone, go to Settings → Subscriptions; on Android, go to the Play Store → Payments. See Apple's official guide for the exact steps.
For other merchants, look for an account-settings or billing page. If the merchant makes cancellation hard, the FTC's "Click to Cancel" rule says canceling must be as easy as signing up. Read the FTC rule. This is not legal advice — confirm your rights with a professional or the agency if a dispute gets complicated.
Before you paste or dispute anything
Remove any full card numbers before pasting statement lines anywhere, including into this or any tool. Always double-check a charge against your own email receipts before disputing it with your bank.
What to do next
Paste your own statement lines — one to three months is enough, and nothing is saved. The free tool reads the actual transactions you paste, names each recurring charge in plain words, shows the yearly cost that really stings, and gives the exact cancel path for each one. This is a best-effort identification, not financial advice — verify against your own records.
Subscription Audit makes best-effort identifications of recurring charges; it can be wrong and it is not financial advice. Verify with your own statements. Nothing you paste is stored.