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Subscriptions

Subscription Management

Chamber helps you track recurring subscriptions and sends alerts before payments are due.

Table of Contents

What are Subscriptions?

Subscriptions in Chamber track recurring payments for:

  • Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)
  • Software subscriptions
  • Gym memberships
  • Cloud storage
  • Insurance premiums
  • Any regular recurring payment

Key Features:

  • Automatic expense creation on billing dates
  • Alerts before payments are due
  • Calendar view of upcoming bills
  • Track spending on subscriptions

Adding a Subscription

  1. Navigate to Subscriptions in the sidebar
  2. Click "Add Subscription"
  3. Fill in the details:

Required Fields:

  • Name - Service name (e.g., "Netflix", "Gym Membership")
  • Amount - Cost per billing cycle
  • Billing Cycle - How often you're charged
  • Next Billing Date - When the next payment is due

Optional Fields:

  • Description - Additional details
  • Alert Days - Days before due date to send alert (default: 7)
  1. Click "Save"

Billing Cycle Options

Cycle Description Example
Weekly Every 7 days Weekly meal kits
Monthly Every month Netflix, Spotify
Quarterly Every 3 months Some software
Yearly Every 12 months Annual plans, insurance
One-time Single payment One-time purchase

Note: One-time subscriptions automatically deactivate after the billing date and create a single expense.

Understanding Billing Cycles

How It Works

Chamber tracks subscriptions based on the billing cycle:

Example - Monthly Subscription:

  • Next Billing: March 15, 2024
  • Billing Cycle: Monthly
  • Chamber creates an expense on March 15
  • Next billing automatically updates to April 15, 2024

Example - Yearly Subscription:

  • Next Billing: January 1, 2024
  • Billing Cycle: Yearly
  • Chamber creates an expense on January 1
  • Next billing updates to January 1, 2025

Automatic Expense Creation

When a subscription's billing date arrives:

  • An expense is automatically created
  • Category: "Subscription"
  • Description: "[Subscription Name] - Subscription Payment"
  • Amount: Subscription amount
  • Date: Billing date

One-Time Subscriptions

For single payments:

  • Creates one expense on the billing date
  • Automatically deactivates after
  • Useful for tracking one-time software purchases

Subscription Alerts

Chamber can send alerts before subscriptions are due.

How Alerts Work

  1. Chamber checks daily for upcoming subscriptions
  2. Sends alerts based on your "Alert Days" setting
  3. Alerts are sent via Telegram (if linked)

Example:

  • Subscription due: March 15
  • Alert days: 3
  • Alert sent: March 12

Setting Up Alerts

To receive alerts:

  1. Link your Telegram account (see Telegram Bot Guide)
  2. Set "Alert Days" when creating/editing subscriptions
  3. Alerts will be sent automatically

Alert Message Format

🔔 Subscription Alert

Netflix ($15.99) is due in 3 days on March 15, 2024.

Your monthly subscriptions total: $45.97

Viewing Subscriptions

The Subscriptions page shows:

List View

  • All active subscriptions
  • Name, amount, and billing cycle
  • Next billing date
  • Days until next payment
  • Status indicator

Calendar View

Visual calendar showing:

  • All subscription due dates
  • Amount for each subscription
  • Color-coded by cycle type
  • Month navigation

Switch Views:

  • Click "List" or "Calendar" tabs to change view

Sorting

Subscriptions are sorted by next billing date (soonest first).

Editing a Subscription

  1. Go to Subscriptions
  2. Find the subscription
  3. Click "Edit"
  4. Update any fields:
    • Name
    • Amount (if price changed)
    • Billing cycle
    • Next billing date
    • Alert days
  5. Click "Save"

Common Scenarios:

Price Increase:

  • Edit the amount to the new price
  • Future expenses will use the new amount

Billing Date Change:

  • Update the next billing date
  • Future dates calculate from this new date

Pause Subscription:

  • Currently, delete and re-add when resuming
  • (Feature request: Pause functionality)

Deleting a Subscription

  1. Go to Subscriptions
  2. Find the subscription
  3. Click "Delete"
  4. Confirm deletion

What Happens:

  • Subscription stops appearing in the list
  • No future expenses are created
  • Past expenses remain in your expense history
  • Alerts stop being sent

Note: Deletion doesn't affect past expenses already created.

Calendar View

The calendar provides a visual overview of your subscription schedule.

Features

  • Month View - See all subscriptions for a month
  • Due Date Highlighting - Subscriptions shown on their due date
  • Amount Display - Cost shown for each subscription
  • Navigation - Move between months
  • Today Button - Jump to current month

Using the Calendar

  1. Go to Subscriptions
  2. Click "Calendar" tab
  3. Navigate to desired month
  4. Click on any subscription to view/edit

Tip: Use the calendar to plan your monthly budget around subscription due dates.

Best Practices

  1. Add subscriptions immediately - After signing up for a new service
  2. Set alert days - 3-7 days is a good default
  3. Review monthly - Check for services you no longer use
  4. Track all subscriptions - Include small amounts ($5/month adds up)
  5. Use descriptive names - "Netflix - Premium" not just "Netflix"
  6. Link Telegram - Get convenient mobile alerts
  7. Update when prices change - Keep amounts accurate

Subscription Spending Insights

Monthly Subscription Total

Chamber calculates your total monthly subscription spending:

Example:

  • Netflix: $15.99/month
  • Spotify: $9.99/month
  • Gym: $50/month
  • Cloud Storage: $9.99/month
  • Total: $85.97/month

Annual Cost Projection

To see yearly costs:

  • Monthly subscriptions × 12
  • Quarterly subscriptions × 4
  • Yearly subscriptions × 1
  • Sum them up

Why Track This:

  • Know your fixed monthly obligations
  • Identify subscriptions to cancel
  • Budget more accurately

Integration with Expenses

Automatic Creation

When a subscription billing date arrives, Chamber:

  1. Creates an expense automatically
  2. Category: "Subscription"
  3. Shows in expense list and dashboard
  4. Included in monthly spending totals

Manual Creation

You can also manually create subscription expenses:

  1. Add expense
  2. Category: "Subscription"
  3. Description: Service name

This is useful for one-off subscription charges.

Related Features

Questions? See the FAQ or Troubleshooting Guide.