How should I create a subscription cost? the help says I can do this for any transaction except bill payments, customer payments, and time activities. ?

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If you're referring to your QuickBooks Online subscription, then, you can create an expense transaction to record the subscription cost. Here's how:

1. Select + New and then select Expense.
2. From the Payee field, select the supplier. 
3. In the Category details section, enter the expense info. In the Category dropdown, select the expense account you use to track expense transactions.
4. Type in the Amount and tax.
5. When you're done, select Save and close. 

If you're selling a subscription, then, you can create a Service item and add the item to your customer's invoice. Let me guide you on the process:

1. Go to the Sales menu and select the Products and services tab.
2. Click New and choose Service.
3. Add a name. Example: Subscription cost.
4. Select the category that best describes your service item.
5. Tick the I sell this product/service to my customers checkbox. 
6. From the Sales information section, enter a description. 
7. Enter an amount in the Sales price/rate field. 
8. Pick the Income account ▼ dropdown and the account you want to use to track the sale.
9. When you're done, hit Save and Close. 

You can always seek self-help articles on our QuickBooks help articles page, to get your bookkeeping and accounting task done in no time. 

Just in case, you'll want to create a recurring expense for your subscription cost, you can follow the steps in this article: Create recurring transactions in QuickBooks Online. 

Let me know how this goes and leave a response below if you have further questions about creating a subscription cost in QuickBooks. I'm always here to help. Have a good one.