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TalkTalk TV and PlayStation Now are MoneySavers' least-used subscriptions, new MSE poll finds

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Sophie King
Sophie King
News Reporter
18 August 2021

TalkTalk TV and PlayStation Now are MoneySavers least used subscriptions, a new MoneySavingExpert poll has found. It could be a good prompt to do a direct debit audit and check you're not paying for a service each month that you no longer use. 

More than 2,000 people voted in our poll, which ran between 10 and 17 August 2021, and asked respondents to tell us what subscription services they pay for and if they use the services everyday, a few times a week, a few times a month or a few times a year. While not a representative sample of the UK population, the poll offers a snapshot of how often people use their paid-for subscriptions each week.

We found that more than eight in ten people who shell out for TalkTalk TV (85%) and PlayStation Now (82%) told us they hadn't used them in over a year - more than any other service. This could be a good prompt to Do a direct debit audit to ensure you're not leaking cash from your bank account.

In contrast, Sky TV and Netflix were the most used with around eight in ten customers (81% and 78% respectively) watching at least a few times a week. See the full results in the table below. 

The Government said in July that it would crack down on ‘subscription traps’ to ensure firms make it easier for customers to cancel them. It comes as recent data from Barclaycard Payments, which processes nearly half of the UK's credit and debit card transactions, found that nearly eight in ten UK households are signed up to at least one subscription service. 

MSE Poll: How often do you use the subscription services you pay for?

Subscription (number of votes)

Use it daily

Few times a week

Few times a month

Few times a year

Not used in over a year

Amazon Music Unlimited (389)

20%

17%

16%

10%

37%

Amazon Prime (1,329)

9%

33%

48%

9%

3%

Amazon Prime Video (1,126)

12%

30%

35%

18%

6%

Apple Music (294)

22%

18%

11%

4%

45%

Audible book membership (274)

15%

18%

14%

12%

41%

Beer subscription box (134)

0.00%

4%

11%

13%

72%

BT TV (246)

12%

20%

23%

4%

42%

Disney+ (595)

14%

33%

33%

9%

11%

Food subscription box (249)

12%

21%

21%

11%

35%

 Gym membership (455)

8%

50%

11%

7%

23%

Magazine subscription (555)

18%

2%

35%

11%

15%

Netflix (1,367)

35%

42%

16%

4%

3%

Newspaper subscription (353)

58%

12%

5%

2%

24%

Nintendo Switch Online (176)

8%

11%

16%

14%

51%

Now TV (379)

18%

30%

20%

11%

21%

PlayStation Now (111)

9%

3%

5%

2%

82%

PlayStation Plus (192)

19%

16%

11%

7%

47%

Sky TV (624)

63%

18%

8%

1%

10%

Spotify (626)

48%

26%

11%

4%

11%

TalkTalk TV (118)

3%

1%

8%

4%

85%

Virgin TV (283) 

34%

8%

11%

5%

33%

Wine subscription box (154)

2%

5%

9%

24%

60%

Xbox Game Pass (159)

19%

13%

10%

6%

52%

Xbox Live Gold (167)

23%

14%

8%

5%

49%

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TalkTalk TV and PlayStation Now are MoneySavers' least-used subscriptions, new MSE poll finds

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