Find subscriptions and recurring charges in a bank or card CSV
Subscription apps want read access to your bank. You don’t need that: your bank can already export every transaction as a spreadsheet. Drop that file into ExportDecode and it finds the charges that repeat, what they cost per year, and which ones crept up in price.
Have a CSV? Date, description and amount columns are detected automatically.
Open the recurring charges finder Try with sample dataHow to export your transactions
- Sign in to your bank or credit card website (a computer is easiest) and open Transactions, Activity or Statements.
- Look for Download, Export or a CSV option. Choose the longest date range available — 12 to 24 months is ideal.
- Some banks limit each download. Export several files if needed and drop them all in together.
- Choose CSV (not PDF, QFX or OFX).
Handle the file like a statement. It lists your merchants and amounts. ExportDecode never uploads it, but delete the download when you are done.
How detection works
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Columns | Finds the header row, then the date, description/merchant and amount (or separate debit and credit) columns. MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY and ISO dates are handled. |
| Spending sign | Banks disagree on whether spending is negative or positive. By default the more common sign is treated as spending; you can override it. |
| Merchant names | Card processors add numbers and codes. These are stripped so “NETFLIX.COM 866…” and “NETFLIX.COM 877…” group together. |
| Rhythm | Charges must repeat with steady spacing: weekly, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly. At least three charges are required (two for half-yearly or yearly). |
| Amounts | Mostly identical amounts are treated as fixed, likely subscriptions. Varying amounts (utilities) are shown only if you ask for all repeating charges. |
| Status | If no charge has appeared for noticeably longer than the usual gap, it is flagged “Stopped?”. |
What you get
- A ranked list of repeating charges with monthly and yearly cost and the next expected date
- Price creep: fixed charges that cost more now than at the start of your file
- Charges that appear to have stopped, so you can confirm a cancellation worked
- A CSV of everything found
Limits worth knowing
- Billing names that change month to month can hide a subscription; so can having fewer than three charges in your file.
- A habit like a weekly coffee can look like a subscription. Always compare the “appears as” text with your statement before cancelling anything.
- ExportDecode does not know which merchants are subscriptions and does not cancel anything for you.
Questions
Do I have to connect my bank account?
No. You only need the CSV file your bank already lets you download.
Which banks does it work with?
Any bank whose CSV has a date, a description or merchant, and an amount or debit/credit columns. If yours does not parse, the tool tells you what it could not find.
Is my statement uploaded?
No. It is processed in your browser tab. Check with your browser’s network tab or airplane mode — see the privacy walkthrough.