More than 90% of people in Northern Ireland pay for an entertainment subscription, the highest proportion anywhere in the UK. But 1 in 3 people here say that they’ve been hit by unexpected subscription charges.
According to new research from leading digital bank Monzo, an equivalent of 21 million people in the UK have been caught out by unexpected charges. More than a third of adults say they’ve been hit with a surprise subscription fee – often after forgetting to cancel free trials – while one in five admit they don’t even know what they’re signed up to.
Monzo surveyed 2,000 UK adults to discover how much people spend on subscriptions, and which ones they can’t live without.
With March marking peak subscription spending in the UK, the findings highlight how easily small monthly costs can build up – and why now is a key moment for people to review what’s leaving their accounts with a subscription spring clean.
Streaming is the most popular subscription category
The research found that streaming and entertainment are the most popular types of subscription, with 83% of those surveyed investing in services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify. A third of people said Netflix was the subscription service they couldn’t live without. This was also reflected among Monzo users, as 90% of subscription spend goes towards streaming and entertainment.
Gen-Z most hit by unexpected subscription fees
Younger adults are being hit hardest. Six in ten Gen-Zers (aged 18-24) say unexpected charges have caught them out – nearly double the rate of Gen X (34%) and more than three times that of Baby Boomers (19%) – showing just how much they rely on these kinds of services.
And these fees aren’t just one-offs: over 20% have been hit with unexpected charges multiple times.
How much people actually spend on subscriptions
On average, people spend £38 a month on subscriptions, or more than £450 a year. And around a quarter (24%) spend over £50 a month.
However, 12% admit that they don’t have any idea just how much they’re spending what they are spending on subscriptions every month.
Regional subscription habits
Londoners are the most on top of their subscriptions, with 84% knowing exactly how many services they pay for.
People in the South East spend the most each month at £43.84 on average, followed by those in Scotland (£40.59) and the South West (£40.21). At the other end, those in Yorkshire and the Humber (£33.75) and the West Midlands (£34.60) are spending a bit less each month.
But lower spend doesn’t necessarily mean fewer surprises. Nearly half (47%) of people in Yorkshire and the Humber say they’ve been hit with unexpected subscription charges, along with 45% in the South West and 44% in Wales.
Subscription trends
As people’s lifestyles increasingly depend on subscriptions, from food preparation kits to streaming services, 96% of people now pay for a subscription of some kind.
According to Monzo’s internal data, these are the key subscription trends of 2026:
- 🚀 Tech and cloud storage subscriptions are up +75%
- 💄Retail and beauty subscriptions are up +36%
- 💘The number of dating subscriptions has decreased, but individual users are actually spending MORE on their love lives by signing up to premium tiers on dating apps
- ⚒️The highest per-user spending goes towards learning (£55) and AI tools (£45)
In total, 77% of people admitted to having at least one subscription they couldn’t live without, showing how dependent the UK has become on subscription services.