Select’s editorial team works independently to review financial products and write articles we think our readers will find useful. We earn a commission from affiliate partners on many offers, but not all offers on Select are from affiliate partners.Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Instacart Express, HBO Max, Apple Music, iCloud, cable, etc. — the list of subscriptions people have can go on and on. It’s often easy to forget about the many subscriptions you signed up for and, over time, ones that you may have slowly stopped using. Unfortunately just because they aren’t being used doesn’t mean you aren’t still paying for the service.Parsing through your bank accounts to find those unused subscriptions and cancel them can be very time consuming and draining. TrueBill, however, seeks to remove some of that hassle. It’s an app and an online platform that syncs to your accounts to find subscriptions you’ve been paying for. In addition to that, the app also offers a bill negotiation service so you can lower the costs of things you have to pay for each month.Below, Select breaks down what you need to know about the TrueBill app, including each of its features, how to get started and a few other important details you should know about if you’re interested in trying the service.Subscribe to the Select Newsletter!Our best selections in your inbox. Shopping recommendations that help upgrade your life, delivered weekly. Sign-up here.TrueBill reviewTruebillOn Truebill’s secure site
- CostFree, with option to upgrade to Truebill Premium Service for fee of $3 to $12 per month; bill negotiation costs between 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of the negotiation
- Standout featuresEasily cancel unwanted subscriptions, track your spending and credit score, automate savings and get help lowering bills
- Categorizes your expensesYes, Truebill instantly identifies your top spending categories
- Links to accountsYes, bank and credit cards
- AvailabilityOffered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android), as well as online
- Security featuresTruebill accesses users’ transaction data via an encrypted token, uses Plaid API so user credentials are never stored, provides bank-level 256-bit encryption and hosts servers on secure Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is used by the Department of Defense, NASA and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Pros
- Negotiates cell phone and cable bills, plus helps you get refunds for some bank fees
- Free version available
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- Instantly finds and tracks your subscriptions
- Website says 80% of people save money by using Truebill to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions
- Provides breakdown of user spending and notifies of upcoming charges and low balance alerts
- Helps users create a budget
- Users can see their Experian VantageScore 3.0 credit score and get access to their credit report
- Provides an interest-free pay advance up to $100 directly to qualifying users’ checking accounts
- Users can set goals, save money with autopilot Smart Savings feature
- Concierge service available to identify bills to be lowered and, for a fee, Truebill will negotiate on users’ behalf for the best rates (non-refundable negotiation fee is anywhere from 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of the negotiation)
- Truebill Premium Service features include free access to Smart Savings feature, unlimited budgeting categories, custom spend categories, real-time account balance updates, premium chat, subscription cancellation concierge, “Truebill Offers” and educational material
- Coming soon: Users can track their net worth
- High Trustscore rating of 4.3/5 stars (from 392 reviews)
Cons
- Costs between $3 and $12 per month to upgrade to Truebill Premium Service
- Non-refundable negotiation fee anywhere from 30% to 60% of the 12-month savings achieved as a result of Truebill’s bill negotiation on users’ behalf
- Less than 10 Better Business Bureau reviews
- Does not negotiate internet, landline phones, cable/phone/internet bundles, alarm and security systems, satellite radio/TV or electric bills
Features and how they workOne of the main features TrueBill offers is the ability to find and cancel subscriptions you no longer use. To do this, TrueBill links to your bank accounts and analyzes your transactions for subscriptions. Once it finds subscriptions, you can choose which ones you want to keep and which ones you want to cancel.Another service TrueBill provides is bill negotiation. To use this feature, you’ll need to take a photo of your bill — like your phone bill or or cable bill — and upload it to the app or website. TrueBill’s team will then look for ways you can receive additional discounts on your bill.And for those instances where you wind up getting charged an overdraft fee for accidentally overspending or a maintenance fee for falling below your bank’s required minimum balance, TrueBill will request a refund for you. Keep in mind that it isn’t guaranteed that the refund will be granted but it’s always worth a shot — especially when you don’t have to go through the hassle to do it yourself.The app can also help you track your spending and save money on autopilot. To use these services, you’ll need to make sure your bank accounts are connected to the app. It’ll categorize your transactions, which can make it easier for you to see where your spending is highest (and lowest). From there, you can decide how much money you want to budget for each of your spending categories, and the app will alert you if you’re nearing your spending limit in any of the categories.As for the savings feature, you’ll need to create a savings goal in the app and from there, TrueBill will use your spending habits to determine how much money to save and when to save it. This way, you’ll still avoid accidental overdrafts. And if you begin using the savings feature but decide you want a more hands-on approach to stashing your cash, you can always pause this feature. You can also edit your goal or withdraw your money at any time and your savings are FDIC-insured. However, you may want to consider moving your funds into high-yield savings account, like the Marcus by Goldman Sachs High Yield Online Savings, where you’ll earn interest on your money.How to get startedThere are many features you can use through TrueBill but the first step before you can explore any of them is to create an account. You can do this by downloading the TrueBill app and inputting your name, email address and a password of your choosing.FeesThe TrueBill app is free to download, but you’ll have to pay for a premium membership to use some of its features. The app actually lets users decide for themselves how much they want to pay for the premium subscription — the amount can be anywhere from $3 – $12 a month with the option to be billed annually if you choose to pay $3 a month or $4 a month.With the premium version, you’ll have access to the ability to sync your bank accounts to the app, subscription cancellation, auto savings, customizable savings categories and unlimited budgets, to name a few.The bill negotiation feature is free to use if the TrueBill team isn’t able to successfully negotiate lower prices for you. If they are able to get you some savings on your bill, though, they’ll charge a percentage of what you can expect to save from your first year. However, you can choose how what percentage they charge (anywhere from 30% to 60%) while you submit your negotiation request.There are other subscription trackers out there that offer similar services, but different fees, compared to TrueBill, like AskTrim.com and PocketGuard. Their offerings and fee structure could potentially fit your needs better.Bottom lineIf you think you have a number of subscriptions or bills that are sucking up your money each month, TrueBill may offer an affordable way to lower some of those costs. It’s not exactly surprising that such an app charges for premium features but what stands out about TrueBill is the user’s ability to choose how much they pay for premium membership and how much of a cut the app receives for successfully negotiating down bills. This can make it feel more affordable to more users.However, if you feel comfortable calling up your banks and other service providers for your bills and negotiating lower payments on your own, then it might not make sense for you to potentially pay for TrueBill to do it for you.Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party. .
