Subscription price increases: how to know before you pay

How a price rise reaches you

A rise usually reaches existing subscribers at their next billing date after the notice, not on one day for everyone. Recent UAE examples from Rasid's price increases list:

The Spotify rise was reported by Khaleej Times on 17 August 2025, which said existing subscribers had a one-month grace period to cancel before the higher rate.

Disney+ revised its UAE prices for new subscribers from 30 September 2025, and for existing direct subscribers from their first bill on or after 4 November 2025. People who pay through a partner were told to check with that partner (Disney+ Help Centre). The full, dated list is on our price increases page.

Why your streaming bill went up

If a streaming or music subscription charged more than you expected, check these in order:

1. A price notice. Search your email for the service's name and words like "price", "change" or "update". The notice gives the old price, the new price and the date.
2. Who bills you. If you pay through Apple, Google Play or your phone company, the notice and the charge come from them. Disney+ told partner-billed subscribers to check with the partner.
3. The plan. A move to a different plan changes the amount.
4. A free trial or offer ending. The first full-price charge after a trial often looks like a rise.
5. Two subscriptions to the same service. See forgotten and duplicate subscriptions.

How to monitor price changes automatically

You have three choices:

• By hand. Keep a list of what you pay and compare each receipt with it. It works, but only if you read every receipt.
• Email filters. A Gmail search such as "price" newer_than:3m with the senders you pay finds notices you missed. You still have to run it.
• An app that reads the notices. Rasid reads billing email in Gmail with read-only access. When a provider, Apple or Google Play emails a new price with a start date, Rasid records the old price, the new price and the day it starts, and tells you once, before the new price applies.

How to stop an unexpected price increase

You can't stop a provider changing its price, but you can choose before it reaches you:

• Keep it, if it's still worth it. Do nothing and the new price applies at your next billing date.
• Move to a smaller plan or a yearly one, where the service offers them. Paying yearly means the next rise reaches you only at renewal.
• Cancel before the date. Our cancellation guide has the steps for the App Store, Google Play, du and e&.

UAE telecoms give notice too. du's agreement says it gives at least 28 days' notice of a price increase, by post, email or text, and you can cancel in that time without an early cancellation fee (du, Consumer Services Agreement, clauses 17.2 and 20.1). e&'s terms give 28 days' notice of price increases, during which you can cancel the affected service without penalty (e&, General T&Cs (Consumer), clause 25(e)). See Etisalat (e&) price changes and why a du bill increases.

How Rasid helps

• Price rises, once and early. The old price, the new price and the day it starts, from the provider's own email, before it applies.
• A reminder before every renewal. Three days before by default, or on the day, one day or seven days before, per subscription.
• Like-for-like savings. Rasid's Discover tab compares what you pay with the same service's yearly plan, a smaller plan or a bundle, and with rivals in the same category, using prices read on each provider's UAE page.
• No bank login. Rasid works from billing email, statements, spreadsheets, screenshots and what you add by hand.

Rasid does not cancel or change a subscription for you. You do that with the provider.

Join the Rasid waitlist

Related pages

• Subscription price increases in the UAE, on record
• UAE subscription prices
• Forgotten and duplicate subscriptions
• How to cancel subscriptions in the UAE
• The best subscription tracker apps in the UAE