Most Using Subscriptions on the Sly Are Millennial, Gen Z

As the belt-tightening continues across categories, subscription services are seeing slight declines, adding fuel to the fire over subscription “cheaters” who use the services of legit subscribers surreptitiously, which is sometimes called “stealing” by the less charitable.

In September’s “Subscription Commerce Conversion Index: The Challenge Of Cheaters,” a PYMNTS and sticky.io collaboration, we surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers about how the current economic climate is impacting their use of subscriptions.

It isn’t surprising that we found an alarmingly high incidence of subscription cheaters in the latest sounding.

“Elevated inflation and fears of recession are prompting consumers to tighten their belts. One strategy that many are adopting is to ‘cheat’ the subscription game: 60% of subscribers admit to at least occasionally exploiting subscription benefits — such as introductory offers and referral codes — in ways providers do not intend,” the study noted. “More than half of all subscribers polled said doing so was very or extremely easy for six of the seven ‘cheating’ methods we studied.”

What’s more, those most likely to be sneaking into the subscriptions of others are millennials, bridge millennials and Gen Zers, as the following chart and analysis illustrates.

Get your copy: The Subscription Commerce Conversion Index

In something of a shocker, the latest Subscription Commerce Conversion Index found that high earners are outperforming low-income consumers when it comes to subscription cheating, be it using another’s login credentials, using referral schemes and exploiting program loopholes or simply having a friend or family member pay their subscription fees.

The giveaway on where this activity is heaviest starts with this finding in the analysis: “Nearly half disclosed that they are very or extremely likely to attempt to [cheat] in the coming year. We see little variation across generations, except among baby boomers and seniors, who displayed little propensity for cheating.”

Take baby boomers and seniors out of the equation, and we’re left with three demographic cohorts that really should know better — and generally speaking can afford subscriptions.

As the study states, “The incidence of cheaters varies little across age groups, with one exception. Sixty-nine percent of millennial, bridge millennial and Gen Z consumers self-identified as cheaters, followed by 63% of Generation X consumers. However, whether out of ethics or a lack of tech-savviness, only 16% of baby boomers and seniors admitted to cheating.”

See it now: The Subscription Commerce Conversion Index