Canceling Dormant Subscriptions After Death: A Checklist

After a death, loved ones are confronted with an avalanche of paperwork. But alongside the familiar matters (banking, insurance), there is a new, hidden expense: the "digital legacy" of monthly subscriptions.

What happens to a Netflix account? A Spotify subscription? Monthly software charges? Newspapers and magazines?

These are "dormant subscriptions". They quietly keep running and debiting money from an account every month, sometimes for months on end, leading to unnecessary costs and a great deal of frustration.

Preventing this is one of the greatest practical gifts you can give your loved ones. Here is the checklist you can create today.

The Checklist: What Subscriptions Do You Have?

The biggest problem is invisibility. Your family simply doesn't know what actually needs to be canceled. Go through these categories and create an overview.

1. Entertainment:

• Streaming Video: Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Videoland, etc.
• Streaming Music: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer.
• Other: Lotteries, gyms, gaming subscriptions (Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus).

2. Media & Information:

• Digital Newspapers: NRC, Volkskrant, De Telegraaf.
• Magazines: Both physical and digital (e.g., Readly).
• Software: Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, antivirus software, specific (work) software.

3. Household & Utilities:

• Essentials: Gas, water, electricity (energy supplier).
• Connectivity: Internet provider (Ziggo, KPN), mobile phone.
• Insurance: (This is a major category in itself: health, car, home contents, liability).

4. E-commerce & Delivery:

• Memberships: Bol Select, Amazon Prime.
• Meal Kits: HelloFresh, Marley Spoon.

The Problem: A List Alone Isn't Enough

Suppose you create a perfect Excel sheet. You save it in "My Documents". This leaves three problems not unsolved:

1. Findability: How will your loved ones find this specific file on your computer?
2. Access: How How do they log into your computer to find the file? (See our blog on Apple access).
3. Information: The list says "Volkskrant", but what is the customer number? Which email address was used? Your partner still ends up spending hours on the phone with helpdesks.

The Solution: A Shareable Vault

You don't need a list. You need a guide vault for your loved ones.

The guided process from Veault is specifically designed to solve this problem. Instead of you coming up with a list yourself, we ask you the questions.

• "Do you have a Netflix account?"
• "Do you have a Spotify account?"
• "Who is your energy provider?"

For every item you add, we provide simple fields to fill in the crucial information that your loved ones really need:

• Service: Netflix
• Username/Email: [your-email@gmail.com]
• Customer number (optional): [123456]

Conclusion: Replace Chaos with a Checklist

You don't even need to share your passwords to solve this. You just need to provide an overview.

By taking half an hour today to put this list in a central, shareable vault like Veault, you save your loved ones hours of frustration and hundreds of euros in unnecessary costs down the line. It is the ultimate practical act of care.

Prevent your estate from becoming an administrative burden. A clear overview of your subscriptions is a crucial part of your digital planning.

Read more about organizing your complete Digital Legacy.