John Oliver says ‘everything feels like a gym membership’ — Americans spend 2.5x what they think. Slash recurring bills

John Oliver says ‘everything feels like a gym membership’ — Americans spend 2. 5x what they think. Slash recurring bills Thomas Kent Thu, August 27, 2026 at 1:30 PM GMT+2 8 min read Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.

"Nowadays, everything feels like a gym membership," John Oliver declared on a recent episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight (1), after walking viewers through the obstacles some companies put between customers and the cancel button. Subscriptions have spread far beyond music, movies and newspapers. Oliver pointed to recurring plans for clothing, beauty products, cleaning supplies and connected cars.

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Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes Companies are switching to subscription models (2) because — unlike a one-time purchase — subscriptions offer them predictable monthly revenue, with the added benefit that consumers may not notice how quickly the charges add up. "Subscriptions are now basically everywhere, and many of us don't even realize how much we spend on them," Oliver said. He has the numbers on his side.

When C+R Research asked consumers to estimate their subscription spending, the average guess was $86 a month. After itemizing their charges, the real average reached $219 — or more than 2. 5 times the initial estimate (3).

About 42% said they had stopped using at least one service but had forgotten they were still paying for it. That gap could cost the average survey respondent $1,596 more per year than they thought they were spending. Why canceling can become an ordeal Forgetting is only part of the problem.

Oliver argued that companies can use "dark patterns," or manipulative design choices, to nudge people into subscriptions and frustrate their attempts to leave. Some cancellation policies have gone well beyond a few extra clicks. In 2022, an Idaho customer who had moved cities told Consumer Affairs (4) that she was instructed to either drive back to the club where she enrolled or mail a handwritten cancellation letter.

She said that even after sending the letter, her membership remained "pending cancellation," resulting in late fees and an outstanding balance being sent to collections. Other customers also reported having to cancel in person or by mail. Planet Fitness said at the time that it offered memberships that could be canceled at any point and was exploring ways to update its policies.

The company has since introduced online cancellation (5) for all members as of May 2025. Story Continues Planet Fitness isn't the only company accused of making cancelling difficult. Amazon agreed to a $2.

5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (6) in 2025 over allegations that it enrolled millions of consumers in Prime without consent and made cancellation difficult. Amazon was required to change its practices but denied wrongdoing. The FTC's "click-to-cancel" rule would've generally required companies to make ending a subscription as easy as starting one, but a federal appeals court vacated it before it took effect.

The agency is once again considering changes (7) to federal rules governing recurring payments for products and services. In the meantime, you might just have to find your own cancel button. Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks.

Here's where their money is actually going Find the subscriptions hiding in plain sight Oliver's simplest recommendation was to inspect your bank and credit card accounts for recurring charges. Doing that regularly can expose forgotten trials, duplicate memberships and services you no longer use. A quick daily check-in of your accounts can show you exactly where your money is going.

An app like Rocket Money can easily flag recurring subscriptions, upcoming bills and unusual charges by pulling in transactions from all your linked accounts. This can help you cut unnecessary costs, and then you can manually redirect savings straight into your retirement fund. No spreadsheets, no guesswork, no stress.

Small habits like this can make a big difference over time. Rocket Money's intuitive app offers a variety of free and premium tools. Free features include subscription tracking, bill reminders and budgeting basics, while premium features — like automated savings, net worth tracking, customizable dashboards and more — make it easier to stay on top of your retirement contributions and overall financial goals.

Put every account on one dashboard Finding subscriptions is useful, but seeing them beside the rest of your spending can reveal whether recurring costs are squeezing priorities such as debt payments, emergency savings or retirement contributions. That's why Monarch Money puts all your finances under one roof, from your banking statements to your investments. You can also add separate or joint accounts to your dashboard, which can be great for tracking grocery runs for couples or helping your child get used to big-picture financial planning as parents.

And the best part? Monarch Money offers a seven-day free trial so you can see if it's right for you. If you like what you see, you could then snag 50% off your first year with code WISE50 .

Don't overpay on insurance While canceling three forgotten streaming services may help, the largest savings could be hiding in essential bills you cannot simply eliminate. Car insurance is one recurring expense worth comparing periodically. By using a comparison platform like Insurify , you can instantly view quotes from top-rated providers to ensure you aren't paying a hidden "loyalty tax" to your current insurer.

Just answer a few basic questions, and Insurify will show you the most affordable deals in as little as 3 minutes. The process is 100% free, but you could also save up to 15% by bundling your car and home insurance . Protect your family for less Life insurance is another recurring expense that deserves an occasional review.

The right coverage depends on who relies on your income, the debts or final expenses you could leave behind, and how long you need protection. If you were sold a whole life policy that no longer fits your needs, you might want to compare its premium with new term coverage before making any changes. For example, Policygenius (8) estimated that a 30-year-old nonsmoker could pay $21 a month for a $500,000, 20-year term policy, compared with $440 for the same amount of whole life coverage — or roughly 21 times as much.

Actual rates depend on the applicant and policy, and you should not cancel existing coverage until a replacement is active. If you want to ensure your family isn't hit with unexpected costs after your death, consider signing up for term life insurance from Ethos . Ethos is rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The platform offers simple, affordable coverage for a set period of time — typically between 10 and 30 years. As a licensed third-party insurance administrator, Ethos has joined forces with some of the industry's top insurance carriers, such as Banner Life, TruStage Financial and Ameritas Life Insurance. Ethos gives you the flexibility to select coverage amounts ranging from $2,000 to $100,000 .

Premiums start at just $9. 80 a month and are guaranteed for the life of the policy. You can get coverage in 10 minutes online or by phone , with no medical exams or blood tests required.

Bottom line Subscription models have become so central to consumer life that eliminating every recurring charge may be unrealistic. But Oliver's broader argument wasn't that subscriptions themselves are necessarily the problem. He took aim at companies that make them easy to start, easy to forget and unnecessarily difficult to cancel, saying that they should spend less energy developing "labyrinthine systems to trap their customers" and more on creating products and services people actually want to keep buying.

For the average consumer, knowing which subscriptions you are paying for and regularly checking whether you still want them can keep a forgotten subscription from becoming a years-long expense. You May Also Like A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake.   Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP Robert Kiyosaki says China is 'dumping' the US as America piles on debt.

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YouTube ( 1 ); Chargebee ( 2 ); Crresearch ( 3 ); Consumer Affairs ( 4 ); Investopedia ( 5 ); Federal Trade Commission ( 6 ), ( 7 ); Policygenius ( 8 ) This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.