How to use the recurring charge finder
- Paste your transactions with a date, a description and an amount on each line. A header line is skipped.
- Choose the column order and the date format of your export.
- Read the table of possible recurring charges, each with its pattern, usual amount, next expected date and yearly cost.
- Check each one against your statement before you act on it.
Formula
merchant key = description in lower case with digits and punctuation removed
pattern = weekly (6 to 8 days), every 2 weeks (13 to 15), monthly (27 to 33), quarterly (88 to 94) or yearly (360 to 370), by the middle gap
needed: 3 or more charges (2 for yearly), at least 75% of gaps in the pattern, at least 75% of amounts within 10% of the middle amount
yearly cost = usual amount x charges per year for the pattern
The next expected date is the last charge plus one pattern length, using calendar months for monthly, quarterly and yearly patterns.
Two subscriptions among everyday spending
In the default statement a video service charges $9.99 on January 5, February 5 and March 5, a gym charges $45.00 on the 20th of each month, and a market and a coffee cart charge uneven amounts at uneven times. The tool finds the video service as monthly with a yearly cost of 12 x $9.99 = $119.88, and the gym at 12 x $45.00 = $540.00. Together that is $659.88 a year, or $54.99 a month.
The market charges on January 13, February 9 and March 2, with gaps of 27 and 21 days, so there is no pattern and it is not listed. A paper delivery that charges $6.00 every week for four weeks is found as weekly, with a yearly cost of $312.00, and a domain renewal charged a year apart is found as yearly with only two charges.
A heuristic, not a verdict
The tool looks for repeats in time and in amount, which is what subscriptions and bills usually look like. But a habit, such as a weekly coffee, can look the same, and a charge that changes a lot or moves days may be missed. Treat the list as a place to start reviewing, and check each line.
Add up what you decide to keep with the Subscription Cost Calculator. Clean a messy bank file first with the Bank CSV Normalizer. The Subscription Box Value Calculator tests whether a box is worth it, and the Annual Bills Monthly Set-Aside Planner helps with yearly charges.
Keeping your data private
Everything is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Share links are not created for the pasted text. If you want to hide names, you can edit the descriptions before pasting, since only repeats in the text matter.
Assumptions and limits
- Each line has a date, a description and an amount, separated by commas, semicolons or tabs.
- Amounts are read as positive numbers, so charges can be negative or positive in your file.
- Descriptions that differ only in digits and punctuation count as the same merchant.
- A pattern needs enough charges, so a new subscription may not be found yet.
- The output is a list of possible matches and not a financial record.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my subscription not found?
It may have fewer than three charges, uneven gaps, an amount that changed by more than 10%, or a description that changes more than digits and punctuation.
How does it read dates?
Choose year-month-day, month/day/year or day/month/year to match your export. Lines with a date it cannot read are skipped and counted.
What is the usual amount?
It is the middle value of the charges for that merchant, which ignores a single odd charge.
Can it handle refunds?
Amounts are read as positive numbers, so a refund looks like a charge. Remove refunds from the list first.