The Predatory Nature of Subscription Services
Evangelina Sivtseva, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Junior, Spring 2026
Subscription services have recently risen in popularity among many corporations, with commonly used platforms such as Apple and Amazon recently incorporating subscription models. Despite their rising popularity, many of these services operate on a predatory model that relies on making it easy for consumers to subscribe and much harder to unsubscribe. In fact, over "35% of Americans are paying for subscriptions without knowing it" (Pettijohn 2024), showing that many of these subscription services are preying on their customer base.
The predatory nature of subscription services lies in their savvy strategy. Subscription services are used by platforms such as Netflix and Spotify, and traditionally non-subscription based companies, like Uber or DoorDash, are also adding these models. They primarily rely on getting a consumer hooked on the subscription through a free trial or a good deal, then hoping they forget to unsubscribe or making it incredibly difficult to do so. Ruby Pfetcher, a student at Walter Payton College Prep, shares her own experience with a gym subscription service where “it was nearly impossible to unsubscribe online, and every time I called to cancel, they kept convincing me to stay.” Many people experience the same problem. In fact, “over a third of U.S. adults (34%) who have had a subscription/membership account say it’s difficult to cancel or turn off automatic payments for subscriptions or memberships" (Yates 2022). This explains exactly why these types of platforms are predatory. But why are subscription models so popular among corporations? Bryan Williams, an AP Microeconomics teacher, gives insight into the reasoning behind these predatory models. “Companies have subscription models to keep a recurring customer base they wouldn’t have without them.” This makes subscription services very beneficial for companies, but not so much for consumers.
Though it is hard to avoid subscription services entirely, with many of the most popular platforms and businesses starting to incorporate them, it is important to remain cognizant of their predatory nature. When signing up for a free trial, keep in mind when the deadline to unsubscribe is, how complicated it is to do so, and whether this is something that really requires a subscription.
Bryan Williams - AP Microeconomics teacher at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Ruby Pfetcher - student at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
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