KS3 PSHE/Citizenship lesson: spot subscription, direct debit and buy now pay later “money leaks”, and keep, pause or cancel. Editable PPTX, worksheets, answers.

One ready-to-teach KS3 lesson on the money that leaks out without anyone noticing: subscriptions and free trials, direct debits, and buy now, pay later. Fictional characters only, so nobody shares family money.

What’s inside

• 15 editable PowerPoint slides with speaker notes

• 4-page B&W worksheet (PDF + DOCX), including a household “Money Leaks Audit”

• Full answer sheet

• 2-page teacher notes: timings, sensitivity guidance, curriculum map, fact-check box

• 50–60 minutes, with a 25-minute tutor-time cut marked

Students will

• Explain the difference between a direct debit, a standing order and a recurring card or app payment
• See how free trials and small monthly subscriptions add up over a year
• Understand that buy now, pay later is borrowing, and why stacking several plans is risky
• Audit a fictional household statement and make a keep / pause / cancel plan

UK facts, checked Nov 2026: the Direct Debit Guarantee; stopping a recurring card payment through your bank; buy now, pay later regulated by the FCA since 15 July 2026; new subscription rules from 1 January 2027 (reminders, cooling-off). Sources named in the teacher notes; all figures are labelled examples with fictional brands.

Why teachers like it: non-specialist friendly · no brand names or logos · no tax · KS3-appropriate (students analyse adults’ and a household’s spending) · answers included.

Curriculum: KS3 Citizenship: “the functions and uses of money, the importance and practice of budgeting, and managing risk”. PSHE Association Programme of Study 2026, KS3 Economic Wellbeing: attitudes to finance including debt; assessing and managing risk in financial decisions; managing influences on spending and what makes something good value for money.

Also in this series: Budgeting on your first wage (KS4, free) · Bills when you leave home (KS4).

Educational resource, not financial advice. Example figures, Nov 2026.