We spend £786 a year on subscriptions, on average, according to a survey by credit card provider Aqua.
You could easily be paying more than this, as the cost of direct debits and recurring payments can quickly pile up: you forget to cancel that free trial, your streaming service hikes its prices or, in the worst cases, you may not have even realised you were signing up to a subscription in the first place.
But analysis from pension provider Standard Life shows that redirecting that money to your pension could boost your pot by thousands of pounds by the time you retire.
Here, we explore how much you could save and share four tips for spring cleaning your pensions.
How unused subscriptions could boost your pension
One in five people in the UK pay for a subscription they rarely use, according to Aqua’s research.
But cancelling unused direct debits and redirecting that money to your pension could significantly increase your retirement savings.
According to Standard Life’s analysis, if you begin working at the age of 22 with a salary of £25,000 and pay the minimum into your pension (5% from you and 3% from your employer), you can expect to have saved £210,000 by the time you reach 68.
Making an additional contribution of £19.50 a month – roughly the cost of Disney+ Premium (£14.99) and Uber One (£4.99) – could boost your pension pot by £18,000.
Saving an additional £39 – roughly the cost of Disney+ Premium (£14.99), Netflix Premium (£18.99) and Uber One (£4.99) – could increase your projected pension fund by £37,000.
This table shows how much someone who starts with a salary of £25,000 and pays the minimum into their pension from the age of 22 could save by the time they turn 68.
Notes: Calculations by Standard Life. Figures assume 3.5% salary growth a year, 5% annual investment growth and an annual management charge of 0.75%. Figures allow for 2% inflation. Direct debits increase by 2% in line with inflation. The figures are an illustration and are not guaranteed. Earning limits aren’t applied.
My direct debit reckoning
Jenny Ross, Which? Money editor
‘This winter, as the weather turned and the sofa beckoned, my partner and I came to an uncomfortable realisation: we’d become accidental streaming service addicts and our collective list of direct debits had begun to buckle under the weight of all our viewing options.
‘We haven’t embraced the strict subscription rotation approach – where you have one at a time, watch what you want, then cancel and move on to the next. But we have started to whittle down those direct debits and we’ve managed to cut the cost of the services we’re yet to ditch.
‘We switched our Apple TV account into my name to take advantage of a three-month free trial, and got 50% off the price of Now for six months by starting the cancellation process and accepting the sweetener for staying put.’
How to spring clean your retirement savings
1. Take stock of your spending
Review your bank statements to see how much you’re spending on subscriptions each month and whether you’re paying for services you rarely use.
Pay particular attention to any recurring payments you don’t recognise: a 2025 Which? Money investigation revealed that fake Facebook competitions were linked to expensive subscription traps.
Even if you don’t want to cancel any of your subscriptions outright, you could save a considerable amount by taking advantage of retention offers, switching to a cheaper tier or making use of free trials.
- Find out more: 26 ways to save and make money in 2026.
2. Review your contributions
If you pay into a workplace pension scheme, contributions are set at a minimum of 8% of your ‘qualifying earnings’ (earnings between £6,240 and £50,270). This is made up of 5% from you and 3% from your employer, and your contribution is taken directly from your salary.
You’ll benefit from tax relief on your contributions – meaning if you’re a basic-rate taxpayer, for every £80 you pay, the government will contribute £20.
If you can afford to, speak to your employer about increasing your contributions and it will update payroll. Some employers will match your contributions, which will further boost your pot.
If you can’t afford to increase your regular contributions, consider making a one-off payment from time to time.
- Find out more: how to boost your pension.
3. Track down lost pots
If you’ve had multiple jobs, you’ve likely got a few different pension pots – and this can make it hard to keep track of your retirement savings.
Make sure you’ve got the details of your pension scheme for all your previous employers and check that the information each scheme holds on you is up to date.
If you can’t find a pension pot, contact your employer or use the government’s pension tracing tool.
- Find out more: how to find old pensions.
4. Consider combining your pensions
Consolidating your pensions into one pot can make it easier to keep track of your retirement savings – and could save you money if you move to a scheme with cheaper charges.
Before transferring your pensions, check whether there are any exit charges or benefits you may lose.
- Find out more: should I combine my pensions?