A gym member buys a cancel-anytime monthly plan. Why might it keep charging after motivation fades?

Answer: Canceling gets postponed

Canceling gets postponed ✓ — Right. A cancel-anytime option only helps if people actually use it. Subscription research repeatedly finds that inattention, limited self-control, and small cancellation chores can keep payments alive after the original intention has faded.

Flexibility prevents inertia — Not quite. Flexibility gives you an exit, but it does not force you through that exit. That is the subtle trap: a plan can be objectively easier to cancel and still keep billing if the customer postpones the small cancellation chore.

Small fees feel harmless — Not quite. Small recurring fees can feel easier to ignore, but the charge still needs a path to continue. The mechanism here is postponed cancellation: the buyer means to act later, and later keeps arriving.