Subscription Spending by Generation: How Much Do Millennials, Gen Z, and Boomers Actually Pay?

The subscription economy has exploded. From Netflix and Spotify to meal kits and cloud storage, subscriptions are everywhere. But here’s what most people don’t realize: your age might determine how much you’re actually spending.

In 2025, the average consumer has 8.2 subscriptions and spends around $118 per month. That’s $1,416 per year on recurring payments. But dig deeper into the data, and you’ll find massive differences between Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

How Much Each Generation Spends On Subscriptions

Let’s start with the numbers that matter:

That’s a 38% spending gap between Millennials and Boomers.

But the money tells only half the story. The real difference isn’t just how much each generation spends, it’s also what they’re buying, how they manage subscriptions, and whether they even remember what they’re paying for.

Understanding how much you're actually spending on subscriptions is the first step to taking control.

Let’s dive a little deeper now and explore each of the generations’ subscription spending habits.

1. Millennials Subscription Spending

Millennials (ages 29-44) are the subscription economy’s biggest spenders. At $124 per month, they’re putting nearly $15,00 annually into recurring payments. And, they aren’t slowing down either, a 69% increase in spending just last year.

Why Millennials Spend More

This generation came of age with the subscription model. They were the first to adopt Netflix, Spotify, and more. Now they’re in their peak earning years with families to support and careers demanding convenience.

Their spending reflects their life stage:

1. Multiple streaming services for family entertainment
2. Meal kit services and grocery delivery to save time
3. Cloud storage for work and personal files
4. Wellness subscriptions (meditation apps, fitness streaming, health tracking)
5. Professional tools and software for side hustles

Millennials spend an average of $115 per month on wellness alone — $20 more than Gen Z. This includes fitness apps, beauty boxes, mental health services, and nutrition subscriptions.

44% of Millennials spend over $100 monthly on subscriptions, compared to just 24% of Baby Boomers. They're also the most likely to increase spending year-over-year, with 51% growing their subscription portfolio compared to only 11% shrinking it.

However, this aggressive expansion creates a problem: subscription fatigue. Millennials are juggling more subscriptions than they can track, leading to wasted money on services they barely use.

What Millennials Actually Subscribe To

The average Millennial has 8.2 active subscriptions. Here’s where their money goes:

1. Streaming services: $67/month average (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+)
2. Music: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium
3. Delivery & groceries: Amazon Prime, DoorDash DashPass, Instacart+
4. Wellness: Peloton, Headspace, Noom, beauty boxes
5. Professional tools: Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, Canva Pro

Streaming alone increased 30% from $48 in 2023 to $61 in 2024. If you're trying to find all your streaming subscriptions, you're not alone — most people have lost track.

2. Gen Z Subscription Spending

Gen Z (ages 13-28) spends $118 per month on subscriptions. They’re close behind Millennials in spending, but their habits are quite different.

This generation grew up in the subscription economy. They’ve known a world without Netflix, Spotify, or Amazon Prime. But they’re also more budget-conscious and savvy about managing subscriptions than older generations.

Gaming Subscriptions Dominate Gen Z Spending

Here’s where Gen Z stands out: 42% subscribe to gaming services — the highest of any generation. Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, Discord Nitro, and Twitch subscriptions are essential to their entertainment.

Gaming isn't just entertainment for Gen Z. It's social infrastructure. They use Discord to talk with friends, subscribe to game passes for multiplayer access, and pay for in-game content subscriptions.

According to data, over 25% of all subscriptions are game subscriptions, and Gen Z drives most of this market.

The Subscription Sharing Economy

Gen Z has pioneered the account-sharing economy. Less than half of 18-24 year-olds fully pay for all their subscriptions themselves. They rotate services, share family plans, and split costs with friends.

This isn’t freeloading. It’s smart money management. Gen Z understands they don’t need permanent access to every service. They subscribe for a month to binge on a show, then cancel. They share Spotify family plans with roommates. They rotate between streaming services based on new releases.

3. Gen X Subscription Spending Habits

Gen X (Ages 45-60) gets overlooked in subscription discussions. But they shouldn’t be.

Gen X is expected to lead global consumer spending through 2033, surpassing $20 trillion. They are in their peak earning years, managing households, caring for aging parents, and financially supporting adult children.

Their subscription spending sits between Millennials and Boomers at approximately $110 per month. But what makes Gen X unique is how they approach subscriptions:

Skeptical Subscribers

G X is skeptical of marketing. They research before buying. They read reviews. They compare prices. In short, Gen X won’t subscribe just because everyone else is, they need to see clear value.

What Gen X Actually Subscribes To

Gen X subscriptions reflect their sandwich generation status:

1. Streaming services: $62/month average (family entertainment)
2. Elder care subscriptions: Medical alerts, health monitoring, caregiver services
3. Home & pet care: Gen X has the highest spend on pet care subscriptions
4. News & magazines: Higher than younger generations but lower than Boomers
5. Professional subscriptions: LinkedIn Premium, industry publications

Gen X allocates 4.8% of their CPG budget to pet care — the highest of any generation. They're buying subscription pet food deliveries, pet insurance, and specialized pet care services.

Understanding whether annual vs monthly subscriptions actually save money is especially important for Gen X's strategic approach.

4. Baby Boomers Subscription Spending

Baby Boomers (ages 61-79) spend $90 per month on subscriptions. The lowest of any generation, but that doesn’t mean their spending is declining; it's actually stabilizing.

23% of Boomers increased their subscription spending in 2024, while 20% decreased it. That’s the tightest spread of any generation, indicating stable habits rather than aggressive expansion or contraction.

News & Traditional Media Dominance

45% of Boomers subscribe to news and magazine services, significantly higher than any other generation. This reflects both content preferences and established reading habits.

Common Boomer Subscriptions

1. News subscriptions: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
2. Streaming: $53/month average (lower than younger generations)
3. Traditional cable: Many still maintain cable subscriptions alongside streaming
4. Health & wellness: Medication delivery, health monitoring services
5. Travel: AARP memberships, travel booking services

54% of Boomers spend between $0-$50 monthly on specific subscriptions, such as news, which is 10% higher than Gen X, 30% higher than Millennials, and 26% higher than Gen Z.

Adapting to Digital Subscriptions

Boomers are increasingly adopting digital subscriptions. 62% use social media, and they're making more online purchases than ever before.

Card-not-present transactions now represent 40% of credit spending on Visa for consumers aged 60-69, only slightly lower than the overall average of 40.3%. Boomers are shopping online, subscribing to streaming services, and managing digital payments.

But they approach subscriptions with caution. They emphasize content quality and service reliability over novelty. They want subscriptions that work consistently and deliver clear value.

Take Control of Your Subscription Spending

The subscription economy isn’t going anywhere. The global market is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025, and it’s growing 13.3% annually. Every generation is spending more year-over-year.

But you don’t have to be a passive participant. Understanding how your generation approaches subscription gives you perspective. Understanding where your money actually goes gives you power.

Whether you’re a Millennial juggling eight subscriptions, a Gen Z user strategically rotating services, a Gen X skeptic demanding value, or a Boomer seeking simplified digital access, these are the things you should do to ensure you have complete control of your subscription spending:

1. Audit your subscriptions today. Right now. All of them.
2. Calculate your actual monthly spending, not your estimated spending.
3. Cancel anything you haven't used in 30 days.
4. Set calendar reminders for all billing dates.
5. Review your subscriptions quarterly — not just once.

Or use Chargeback to automate the entire process. The AI detects subscriptions acros your inbox and financial accounts, tracks free trials, and cancels unwanted services automatically, before you even realize you’re being charged.

Take control. Know what you're paying for. Cancel what you don't use. And stop letting forgotten subscriptions drain your bank account.

Because whether you're spending $90 or $124 per month, every dollar should be intentional.