3 Signs You Should Cancel Your Netflix Subscription

It may be time to pull the plug.

We all need a way to decompress at the end of the day and enjoy some downtime. And to that end, Netflix is a great solution. At a fairly reasonable price point of $15.49 a month for its standard plan, Netflix is a competitively priced streaming service that's known for churning out a lot of fresh content.

But there may come a point when paying for Netflix no longer makes sense. If these signs apply to you, you may want to cancel that recurring charge on your credit card.

1. You're too busy to use it

If you spend several hours a week watching Netflix, then it's pretty easy to justify its cost. But if life has gotten busy, to the point where you can't remember the last time you actually used your account, then it's probably time to cancel it.

The great thing about Netflix is that you're not forced to commit to a year-long subscription. Rather, you can pay for it on a month-to-month basis. If you cancel now but find that you have more downtime in a few months, you can always re-up your subscription at that point. But there's no sense in paying for a service you can't take advantage of.

2. You're struggling with bills

If you're able to swing the cost of Netflix and enjoy using it, then there's nothing wrong with keeping your subscription. But if you're struggling to make ends meet, to the point where you've been dipping into your savings or racking up debt just to cover your everyday bills, then it may be time to unload some of your non-essential expenses -- and Netflix falls into that category.

Right now, living costs are up across the board due to inflation, and many consumers are struggling in the wake of higher gas, grocery, and utility bills. Those are things you can't easily cut back on. But you can make the tough decision to stop paying for things like Netflix temporarily as you work on shoring up your finances and perhaps boosting your income with a second job.

3. You've gotten bored with the content

Although Netflix prides itself on a wide range of content, it may be that you've already worked your way through most of the series that appeal to you. And if you're at the point where you can't find something you're excited to watch on Netflix, then it's probably time to cancel your subscription.

There are plenty of other streaming services that might give you access to fresh content that's more interesting to you. And if you take a few months off from Netflix and sign up again in the fall, by then, there may be plenty of fresh content for you to enjoy.

Netflix certainly isn't an unreasonable expense -- but it's only worth paying for under the right circumstances. If any of these things apply to you, you may want to cancel that subscription (at least temporarily) rather than spend money on it for no good reason.