how a student saves about $60 monthly by tracking their subscription renewals
last updated
written by
James Chimdindu
Nadine went from hearing about xtrackr to becoming an active subscriber in two months, all because of one painful experience. she had been billed €52.99, about $60, for a linkedin premium trial subscription she forgot to cancel, and she swore never to be caught in that situation again.
she started with a monthly plan to test the waters, then switched to an annual subscription the next month — a testament to the value she was already getting from xtrackr.
if you are a student using free trials, student discounts, or recurring tools, Nadine’s story is familiar. the problem is not signing up for helpful services. the problem is forgetting what renews, when it renews, and how much it will cost when the “free” period ends.
xtrackr’s co-founder, James Chimdindu, reached out to fellow student Nadine to learn about her xtrackr experience. see the transcript, or continue reading.
James: hi, I'm James, co-founder of xtrackr and with me is…
Nadine: Nadine.
James: nice to meet you, Nadine. so we're here to discuss xtrackr. Nadine has been a subscriber for like a month.
James: from when you knew about xtrackr to when you subscribed, how long was that? and what made you subscribe?
Nadine: two months. okay, um, I had it before… i mean, like, later on, i had to subscribe because i got some kind of unexpected payment.
James: alright. the unexpected payment… which was it? and what was the bill?
Nadine: linkedin? i probably hope they don’t sue me, but 52.99 euros for a student is crazy, no?
James: i agree with you. really really crazy.
Nadine: so, yeah… it was linkedin, and it was 52.99 euros for like, monthly subscription… for premium.
James: yeah, i guess it was one of those free trials.
Nadine: yeah. yes, free trial. after a month and then you have to pay.
James: i do a lot of that and xtrackr has saved me a lot
James: how long did it take you to find the subscriptions you forgot about? If there were any.
Nadine: i don't know, i didn't even remember. i feel like xtrackr did the work for me. i didn't need to go and look for like some subscription hidden somewhere or something like that. because i feel like the bank statement literally brought everything. so i didn’t have to find them, you know?
James: alright, that’s cool. yeah. so, if you could wave a magic wand and have a feature automatically appear in xtrackr, what feature will that be?
Nadine: so when you like want to buy something or like subscribe to anything, you have to maybe upload your bank statement, or you enter it manually for xtrackr to be like, oh, you're adding like one-year subscription…
James: okay…
Nadine: if there could be like a case where it's just linked to my bank account, i don't know how, but since you said magic wand, if there’s a thing where it's just linked to, like for every payment I make, maybe i just get like a notification, like, “oh, is this a subscription you want to add to xtrackr?”, and then i say like, “yes/no”, and then it just automatically adds, i think like, yeah, i'll do that.
James: so, um, my last question would be, “would you recommend this to a friend?”
Nadine: yes. yes and yes. i feel like i've already recommended to some people.
James: okay…
Nadine: because, i won't lie, linkedin did me bad.
James: it's okay…
Nadine: it was so much for me at that point in time. and like, i could not handle it. the stress was too much.
James: okay....
Nadine: someone will say, “oh, it's just like that amount”. but i feel like it was too much for a student in december of all times…
Nadine: of all the months, in december. so I think it's an app that everyone needs. professional, student, i feel like we all need it. so yes, i will.
*
read full transcript
why student free trials turn into surprise charges
for many students, like Nadine and myself, opportunities for free premium trials abound. from career tools like linkedin premium and microsoft 365, to ai and creative tools like gemini, perplexity, cursor, and framer, the list is endless. some of these offers are available for as long as 12 months and can span a good part of one’s student life.
however, as empowering as these “free” tools are, there comes a time when you have to actually pay — either immediately after the trial ends or when your student access expires. that is when you can get hit with an unexpected bill in dollars or euros.
in Nadine’s case, it was €52.99 for a single subscription: linkedIn premium. in my case, the visible subscriptions in my tracker already add up to over €600 — a huge amount for any student or recent graduate to lose track of.
Nadine’s €52.99 linkedin premium charge
1
James' list of student subscriptions and free trials
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how Nadine avoided another unexpected renewal
after Nadine subscribed to xtrackr, she quickly added her renewed linkedin subscription. imagine her relief when she realized she no longer had to worry about missing the next renewal.
it was so much for me at that point in time. i could not handle it. the stress was too much. someone will say, ‘oh, it’s just that amount,’ but i feel like it was too much for a student in december of all times…
*
one more thing remained: she needed to find all her hidden subscriptions so that a shock like that would not repeat itself.
however, apart from her linkedin subscription and internet fees, she could not remember any more recurring payments — and rightfully so.
how to find subscriptions you forgot about
the subscription model has migrated into almost every corner of our lives:
software and utilities: icloud, adobe creative cloud, microsoft 365
health and wellness: gym memberships, meditation apps like headspace, yoga streaming
delivery and shopping: amazon prime, food delivery passes, clothing boxes
professional tools: linkedIn premium, industry journals, cloud storage
to mention but a few.
when you have two or three subscriptions, they are easy to track. when you have fifteen? it becomes a part-time job. it is easy to lose track when different payments renew on different dates, through different services, cards, and accounts.
for Nadine, xtrackr already had a built-in solution. unlike manual budgeting spreadsheets that require you to itemize every purchase, xtrackr uses automatic subscription detection.
you upload your bank statement, and xtrackr does the hunt for you — a hunt that would otherwise be stressful, time-consuming, and full of questions:
are they billed to your debit card?
your credit card?
paid through paypal?
deducted directly from your apple or google account?
in Nadine’s words:
i didn’t need to go and look for some subscription hidden somewhere or something like that, because i feel like the bank statement literally brought everything. so i didn’t have to find them.
*
how to use xtrackr's document upload feature to find hidden subscriptions
3
how xtrackr helps students track recurring payments
beyond finding subscriptions, xtrackr helps you stay ahead of recurring expenses before they become surprise charges. you can track payments that repeat, see what is coming up, and make better decisions before money leaves your account.
for Nadine, that meant tracking her linkedin subscription, internet fees, rent, bus/travel card, memberships, and grocery shopping with xtrackr. that way, she stays on top of her budget instead of being caught off guard by another unexpected debit alert.
track your renewals before the next charge
if you rely on free trials, student discounts, or recurring memberships, the safest time to track them is before they renew — not after they hit your account.
use xtrackr to find your recurring payments, stay ahead of renewals, and avoid the next surprise charge.
watch Nadine’s full interview to see how she did it.
useful student subscription links
offers verified on may 24, 2026. student offers can change and may vary by country, school, and eligibility status, so check each provider’s page before signing up.
xtrackr helps you find and track your recurring payments before they turn into surprise charges.
visit xtrackr: https://xtrackr.app
get 12 free months of microsoft 365 premium as a student.
microsoft 365 student offer: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing
gemini for students: an ai from google that helps you study.
gemini student offer: http://gemini.google/students
verify your student status to unlock access to comet and perplexity pro at a discount.
perplexity student offer: https://www.perplexity.ai/students
cursor offers a free year of pro for eligible students.
cursor student discount: https://cursor.com/help/account-and-billing/student-discount
framer gives eligible students free access to its basic plan, worth $120 per year, for hosting a portfolio or personal site. it also includes access to framer’s design canvas, cms, templates, and ai tools.
framer student offer: https://www.framer.com/education/students/
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