Russians Maintain Payments for Unwanted Subscriptions, According to VTB
08:10 29 April | Alexandra Marunina
A majority of Russians cling onto paid subscriptions, hopeful they'll need them later or simply too fearful to dump them. Here's the lowdown: over one-third of Russians juggle two to three subscriptions, yet one in four confesses to paying for services they haven't used in a year!
Dig deeper into this chaos: online cinemas (46%) top the list of wasted coin, followed closely by multi-service subscriptions (39%) and music platforms (28%). Other culprits include cloud storage (17%), gaming subscriptions (13%), fitness apps (10%), educational platforms (8%) and digital magazine/newspaper subscriptions (6%).
Lost rubles? A third shell out between 300 to 500 a month, while 8% Muscovites fork out a hefty 2,000 to 5,000 monthly! Residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region prefer edu-platforms (16%) though, while Muscovites lean on fitness apps (15%).
54% of you fail to cancel subscriptions, due to hopes of using them later. A quarter (24%) hesitate out of fear of losing discounts. Look closer: 20% are clueless about cancelling, 16% don’t bother and 13% shun the woes of unsubscribing.
Expand your financial freedom and repurpose those rubles with a quick guide to unburdening unused subscriptions:
Unshackle Yourself from the Subscription Tyranny
- Unmask Your Subscriptions: Review your expenditure, canceling those unwanted services via bank statements, email confirmations or apps like Subby. It's your key to escaping unwanted charges.
- Chop the Subscription Tree: Log into service providers' websites/apps to axe those subscriptions. For instance, Gyre requires customer support.
- Make the Most of Refund Policies: Services like Gyre refund within specific time frames (e.g., 14 days post-payment) should you choose the axe. But not all comply, so scrutinize the terms before bidding adieu.
- Check Auto-Renewal: Turn this off for the services you're binning. Usually found in billing details sections, like with services such as HubSpot.
- Brush up on T&Cs: Familiarize yourself with each subscription's terms to avoid extra fees or penalties when you cancel.
- Patrol Your Inbox/Bank Statements: Regularly monitor these to catch hidden charges. That way, you'll nab those lurking subscriptions and silence their calls for cash.
With these practical steps in hand, you can wave goodbye to those pesky, unwanted charges, and embrace a leaner wallet and a cleaner life!
Shout-out to our trusted survey cavalry: a representative sample of 1500 Russians aged 18 to 65 hailing from cities with a population of over 100,000.
- Despite the fear of losing discounts, 25% of Russians are reluctant to cancel their unused subscriptions.
- The majority of wasted money in Russia comes from online cinemas, followed by multi-service subscriptions and music platforms.
- In the Leningrad region, residents prefer educational platforms over fitness apps when it comes to subscriptions.
- A quick guide to unsubscribing from unwanted services includes reviewing bank statements, logging into service providers' websites, being aware of refund policies, and turning off auto-renewal.
