The Streaming Trap

Why rising subscription costs — and sneaky billing — make it almost impossible to know what you’re really paying

As I continue gathering subscription data, I realized that streaming services deserve their own conversation.

I’ve discovered that our TV streaming services definitely need sorting out!

You think you’re paying attention and still miss things – because you’re working from a broken system, not from your own failings.

My husband and I signed up for FuboTV to see WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) games.

So, when the basketball season was over, we cancelled FuboTV. Then I found out during “looking” at my financial picture that we had been charged for FuboTV for 5 months after cancelling!

We called Fubo and they had no record of charging us for the extra months.

After a lot of digging and more phone calls, we discovered those FuboTV charges were on a credit card that had never been used to pay for the Fubo subscription!

Result: the credit card company said it was fraud, refunded our money, cancelled our card, and sent us a new card. But the time and stress of the situation was overwhelming.

What this showed me is that the order matters: awareness first, attention second, and then action. When we skip straight to action, we miss things — or fix the wrong problem.

I’ve also noticed that our TV subscriptions have been steadily creeping up through the years. Some have more than doubled.

And you’re rarely told about the increases. They just happen. If you’re on autopay, managing streaming services can get out of hand quickly.

What about cable vs streaming services?

There was a time when cutting cable for streaming might have been a good deal. But, it’s not so clear cut now. Many people don’t even know the cost of their streaming services. I don’t know ours. Yet.

A huge problem in selecting which streaming service with which to subscribe is the baffling mix of channels.

The Lincoln Lawyer is on Netflix. Bosch is on Prime. Law and Order is on Peacock. And True Detective is on HBO.

And those are just a few detective, crime and law series!

And what about Bridgerton? Where can you find that?

Sports? If you’re into that, you might find your favorite team on different channels at different times.

Here’s a streaming TV tool to help you find the cheapest way to stream your favorite channels. Clark Howard of Clark.com allows you to pick or key in your favorite channels to see which streaming services carry them. Then you can check out the cheapest way to watch. Click below to get started.

Streaming TV Tool: Find Cheapest Way to Stream Your Favorite TV Channels

I’ll share more tips and information about streamlining TV streaming services later.

I’ll let you know what I find and what I’m doing about it. (Because I know some changes have to be made!)