ORLANDO, Fla. – Last month we did a story on streaming fatigue, the idea that streaming platforms, launched initially as inexpensive add-ons to home entertainment, have now grown into all-encompassing services that can quickly take over a good part of anyone’s monthly entertainment budget.
That story led to the idea of today’s topic: subscription fatigue.
Let’s start with a definition: For this story, subscription fatigue refers to consumer frustration caused when companies impose recurring fees for services or product features that were once inclusive or free with the initial purchase. Consumers’ growing frustration in this area is fueled by a combination of increasing subscription costs and the sheer number of services people now pay for each month or year.
Bottom line: it’s becoming a widespread consumer headache, fueled by increasing costs and subscription overload.
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Here’s some background: According to a recent CNET survey, 80% of American adults have paid for one or more subscriptions in the last 12 months. The average subscription spending in the U.S. has reached roughly $90 to $118 per month, translating to a range of $1,080 to nearly $1,420 annually. Millennials, who have both a higher usage intensity and greater adoption of digital services, tend to spend the most on subscriptions, averaging around $101 each month.
The subscription economy is on track to grow to around $1.25 trillion in 2025 and America consumes 53% of all digital subscriptions worldwide. Subscription categories span everything from entertainment streaming to monitored security systems, fitness programs, and even connected device features. And despite these heavy financial commitments, many subscribers underuse or forget about their subscriptions, contributing to what experts warn is a submerged cost burden on household budgets. About one in four consumers have already canceled one or more subscriptions, often citing cost and perceived low value.
By far however, the most infuriating part of the subscription boom (and the heart of this story) is when companies force subscriptions onto consumers for features or products they once owned outright, sparking notable consumer pushbacks and, in several cases, forced companies to roll back subscription charges on previously owned features.
Looking for some examples? We have lots.
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In the automotive industry, BMW’s foray into subscription services started when the company began to charge customers monthly fees in 2019 for Apple Car Play and then again in 2022 for, of all things, heated seats. Known as software tethering (when manufacturers use their product’s software-server connection to enable post-purchase control), BMW’s announcements ignited public outcry as consumers en masse balked at paying extra for features already built into their cars and SUVs.
Apple Car Play had been available in some new vehicles – for free – since 2016. BMW wanted to take that same feature and turn it into a money-making stream through subscriptions requiring very little effort on BMW’s part to collect the revenue (a simple digital upgrade into the car’s computer). BMW attempted to do the same with heated seats in the summer of 2022.
Consumers were not happy with either action.
After significant customer pushback, the German automaker removed the fee for Apple CarPlay by the end of 2019 and scrapped the heated seats subscription idea by 2023, signaling the limits to consumer tolerance for monetizing basic vehicle functions after purchase.
In a rare but welcome win for consumer advocacy against forced digital monetization, chalk one for the consumer.
Like BMW, Hewlett-Packard faced controversy when it locked certain printer ink usage behind its Instant Ink subscriptions. Instant Ink was launched as a convenience service to automatically deliver ink to HP printers based on usage, but not on capacity. Translation: HP’s program was especially frustrating because a printer could have a full ink cartridge installed, but if the owner wasn’t subscribed to Instant Ink, the cartridge would be digitally locked and rendered useless.
Consumers could cancel Instant Ink but still be forced to buy new HP cartridges because on top of Instant Ink, the company also had “Dynamic Security” or “Cartridge Protection” firmware installed on many of its printers, rendering third-party ink non-compatible with some HP models.
HP’s approach to generating more revenue raised questions about ownership and control of physical devices in an era of digital product locks. In effect, HP consumers didn’t realize they didn’t own the ink in their new Instant Ink printers – they were renting the ink from HP.
To make things even more maddening, HP Instant Ink was offered as a three-month trial with new printers featuring HP+. Many of those printers were e-series, printers – model numbers with a “e” at the end that generally stood for “enhanced”, upgraded, or improved over a base model. Often, these models featured added capabilities such as mobile printing, Wi-Fi connectivity, and of course, compatibility with the HP Instant Ink service.
To review, HP has layers of tech baked into its printing ecosystem: HP Instant Ink, HP Dynamic Security, HP Cartridge Protection, HP e-series printers, and HP+. Again, all that just to print words or images on pieces of paper.
HP’s CEO Enrique Lores candidly explained the strategy behind these moves during a CNBC interview in 2024:
“…our goal was to reduce the number of what we call ‘unprofitable customers’ because every time a customer buys a printer, it’s an investment for us. We’re investing in that customer, and if this customer doesn’t print enough or doesn’t use our supplies, it’s a bad investment.”
Wonderful.
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We’ll call this one a draw. Although HP has stopped rolling out HP Instant Ink, the program is still available to customers previously enrolled. HP has phased out e-series printers but still uses HP Dynamic Security and HP Cartridge Protection in many of its printers and still offers HP+.
And then there’s Garmin.
Garmin was a big hit at the turn of the century with its portable GPS devices (some with SD cards for audio!) that were easily transferred from one vehicle to another and cost just pennies on the dollar compared to factory-installed units. With the advent of smartphones and then Apple Car Play and Android Auto, Garmin GPS units became less of an “I-must-have” to more of a “do-I really-need-that” kind of device (full disclosure: I still have a portable Garmin GPS with lifetime maps).
By the 2020s, the company made significant headway into diversifying across a wide range of connected devices: home audio systems, motorcycle and bicycle GPS units, satellite communicators, fitness trackers, and smartwatches.
In March 2025, Garmin triggered a flurry of online backlash when it rolled out a new premium subscription service. Known as Garmin Connect+, the new service immediately drew user frustration that quickly spilled over to social media and tech forums, underscoring resistance to further paywalls on products already purchased at a premium price. The interesting thing here is that Garmin did not put any of the features it currently offered for free behind a paywall. That’s not what got users upset – what got them upset was the idea that going forward, the company could put new features behind a paywall.
Fast forward two months, and it turned out the naysayers were right. Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble told TechRadar.com that going forward, some features “…we will likely reserve for premium offerings.”
We’ll call that a straight up loss for consumers.
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I’ll bundle the last two examples together as one example when it specifically comes to software. The companies are two of the biggest in tech: Adobe and Microsoft. Both made monumental shifts from traditional one-time purchase software licenses to subscription-based models, fundamentally changing how users access and pay for their tools.
Adobe transitioned from its Creative Suite, a package of design, photo, and video editing programs sold as standalone products, to Creative Cloud, software with a recurring subscription fee that provided access to the full suite of apps, continuous updates, and cloud storage. While benefiting from steady revenue for Adobe and consistent access for users, the change sparked mixed reactions, with some customers embracing the flexibility and others lamenting the loss of perpetual licenses.
Creative Cloud also significantly lowered the barrier to entry for Adobe’s software as it can range from about $19.99 (most single app plans) to $199.99 a month (Firefly Premium). The most popular plan, Creative Cloud Pro, which includes access to 20 popular apps, runs $69.99 a month. Creative Suite on the other hand cost between $1,000 up to $2,599 (for the CS6 Master Collection). Adobe eliminated perpetual licenses entirely, forcing most users to subscribe.
Microsoft has shifted from Office’s classic box-purchase versions to Microsoft 365 Personal (formerly Office 365), converting its flagship productivity suite into a subscription offering that bundles cloud services, ongoing feature updates, and cross-device access. The Redmond, WA, giant, however, has a different pricing approach from Adobe – the company still offers a one-time purchase version for around $149.99 (Office Home & Student) or $249.99 (for Office Home & Business). The company’s subscription pricing is $9.99 a month ($99 a year) but includes installation on up to 5 devices (for one user), has access to online and mobile apps, and includes 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
Though both companies faced pushbacks, including concerns about subscription costs and the challenge of cancelling plans, Adobe and Microsoft have largely succeeded in cementing their subscription models as the industry standard for professional software. Their transitions reflect a broader tech trend toward service-oriented business models, emphasizing continuous delivery of value balanced against the risk of deepening subscription fatigue. While monthly or annual subscription costs can add up beyond the old one-time payments, subscriptions provide continuous updates, cloud access, and multi-device flexibility that older licenses lacked.
This software evolution underscores how subscriptions have reshaped user relationships with technology, reinforcing convenience and collaboration but also driving debates over ownership and affordability. The subscription fatigue trend, however, reveals important lessons for companies: consumers are wary of opaque pricing, forced payments for embedded features, and convoluted cancellation processes.
While subscriptions are a powerful revenue model, to truly thrive, businesses must carefully balance recurring income goals with clear value for the customer while preserving the customer’s trust and goodwill.
In closing, we’ve touched a lot on the “Dollars” – here’s the “Sense,” to avoid subscription fatigue:
- Regularly review subscriptions
- Prioritize value
- Ask yourself honestly if you really need that subscription
- Use reminders to flag when free subscriptions expire
- Pay close attention to how companies are experimenting with subscriptions and even some of their ad-supported models
- Do not be afraid of leaving an ecosystem if you feel the subscription model is not in your best interest