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Apple Music subscribers are paying $1 more per month following a price hike in mid-July.
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It’s the latest streaming service to raise prices this year following Spotify, Paramount Plus, Netflix and others.
The price hike comes on the heels of a new report showing that “subscription creep” is hitting consumers across the board, including customer John Tolbert.
“It’s ridiculous. Especially a year in, two years in, they jack your prices up,” he said.
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Watch as a CNET tech expert shows how to trim your subscription costs:
Spending more, and wasting more
New findings from CNET show Americans aren’t just spending more on subscriptions in 2026 — they’re also wasting more.
The average adult now spends $111 a month on subscriptions, which adds up to more than $1,300 a year.
That’s up from a monthly average of $90 last year.
Of that spending, $21 a month, or $252 annually, goes toward subscriptions people don’t even use.
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“It’s OK to have what you love, but for the ones that you are not using, make sure you’re canceling them or go ahead and rotate those subscriptions,” said Dashia Milden, CNET’s senior consumer insights editor.
Subscription costs aren’t limited to streaming services like Peacock, Disney Plus, Netflix and Hulu. They also include retail memberships, music services, cloud storage, fitness apps, gaming platforms and AI services.
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“AI subscriptions are also becoming relatively popular where you want to pay to get those added features and bonuses,” Milden said.
How to cut subscription costs
CNET recommends several strategies to get subscription spending under control:
- Look for bundling deals, such as those offered by cell phone carriers
- Switch to cheaper, ad-supported plans
- Use budgeting apps like OneMain MyMoney, Hiatus or Rocket Money to track spending
Some paid versions of those apps will even help cancel unwanted subscriptions.
The key to saving money though, according to Milden, is being intentional about what you keep.
“Maybe there’s a better deal. Maybe you can even cut that subscription off,” Milden said. “But most importantly, making sure that if you’re not using it, that you are also not paying for it.”
Know what subscriptions you pay for, how much you spend, and which ones you actually use, and that way, you don’t waste your money.
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“Don’t Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”).
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For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com