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Spot price rises and unusual charges each month
A monthly check that compares this month's bills and regular payments with last month and flags anything that went up or looks new.
When to use it
Monthly, after your statement arrives
Step by step
Export two months of transactions
Download this month's and last month's transactions from your banking app as a CSV or spreadsheet.
Remove account details
Delete any columns with account numbers, card numbers or balances you don't want to share.
Ask for a comparison
Paste both months into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyHere are my transactions for [last month] and [this month]. Compare them and list: 1) regular payments that increased, with old and new amounts and the difference, 2) payments that appear for the first time and look recurring, 3) any charge that looks unusual, duplicated or like a fee (overdraft, late payment, foreign transaction). Present each list as a table. Then suggest which ones I should query and draft a short message for the first one. Last month: [paste] This month: [paste]Follow up
Contact the company or your bank about anything you don't recognise. If you suspect fraud, call your bank straight away using the number on your card.
What you get
Increased: Mobile £18 to £21.50 (+£3.50), Streaming £10.99 to £12.99 (+£2). New recurring: 'PhotoCloud' £2.99. Unusual: Two charges of £14.20 from TakeAway Co on 3 Nov, possible duplicate. Query first: duplicate takeaway charge.
Tips
- If you see a charge you truly don't recognise, contact your bank before anyone else.
- Keeping a sheet of last month's regular payments makes the comparison quicker.