Rachael Green
Prices for streaming services have been steadily on the rise as more companies have entered the market, so it's no surprise that people want to know how to save on streaming services.
Deals have become rarer and some of the biggest names in the business have stopped offering free trials, so you often can’t even test what’s on offer before putting down some serious cash. All of these changes mean that keeping up with the latest releases can be a very difficult — and very expensive — task.
This is why we recommend looking out for deals and promotions, like the T-Mobile bundle that rolls free Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV Plus into your phone plan, before signing up for a new subscription service. Similar special offers — like the popular Hulu, Disney Plus, Max Ultimate Bundle — can save you almost half off the cost of buying each service separately.
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If there are no streaming deals or offers to be found, you can get creative by sharing subscriptions or rotating streaming services to save while keeping up with all of your shows. So if you’re looking for ways to save money on streaming all year round, we’ve got a roundup of all the streaming deals, free trials and other tricks you can use to save.
Streaming Deals Quick Links
- Apple TV Plus: FREE 7-day trial or 3 months free with a new Apple device
- Disney Plus/Hulu/Max bundle (no ads): $29.99/month (was $51)
- Disney Plus/Hulu bundle (with ads): $10.99/month for both
- Paramount Plus Essential Plan: FREE with Walmart Plus ($12.95/month)
- STARZ limited time offer: $3/month when you prepay for 6 months
- Sling TV: 50% off first month plus a free month of AMC+
- YouTube TV (Live TV): Try free for 10 days
Best Deals on Streaming Services Right Now
How to Save on Streaming Services
Bundles and limited-time deals aren't the only way to save on streaming. Here are some other tricks to add to your savings kit.
1. Rotate and switch your services
With so many streaming choices, it’s tempting to load up on subscriptions and leave them running — but the cost can quickly add up. Instead, pick a couple that have shows premiering this month or shows that you've been meaning to watch. Keep those for a few months while you catch up on everything you want to watch.
Then, cancel your subscription and move on to your next batch of two or three streaming services. Once you're caught up on movies and TV series on those, rinse and repeat.
To save even more, you can try to time your switch with limited-time deals and free trials. Check back here regularly for the latest deals and offers so you can switch and take advantage of deals as soon as they become available.
2. Share subscriptions within your household
An easy way to save without the hassle of rotating is to share your access. Trade streaming services with friends and family so that everyone enjoys multiple subscriptions while only paying for a couple.
Some services make this easier than others — Hulu is still family-and-friends friendly. Even though Netflix has cracked down on password-sharing, the $22.99 per month Netflix premium plan allows four people who live in the same household to watch at the same time. And if you really want to extend your account to your relative across the country you can still do that, but it'll cost you now — a rather pricey $7.99/month for each "extra member."
3. Explore pay-per-view options
If you want access to a single show it may be cheaper than subscribing to a service. For example, a Max ad-free subscription costs $16.99 per month, but one episode of Euphoria (a Max show) on Amazon’s Prime Video costs $3.99 — or $24.99 for the entire season.
4. Bundle your services
This is another good way to trim costs, especially if you are willing to put up with ads. The Disney Bundle is one of the worst-kept secrets when it comes to saving on streaming. For as little as $16.99 a month, you can get access to the ad-supported tiers of Disney Plus and Hulu and all the sporting action on ESPN Plus.
And if you’re not a sports fan, you can save even more money with the Duo Basic bundle that gets you just the first two services. If ads are a dealbreaker, you can pay $19.99/month for the ad-free Disney Duo Premium plans.
5. Take advantage of free trials.
Over time the number of companies offering free trials has dropped but you can still try before you buy with a few, including Apple TV Plus, Paramount Plus and Hulu (which also gets you a free trial of Max — the HBO/Discovery streamer).
This is a great option if there's only one or two shows or movies you want to watch on the platform. Just grab a free trial to watch what you want and then cancel before the monthly fees kick in.
6. Try free streaming services
There are more and more services that offer shows and movies for free — in exchange for sitting through non-skippable ads. They include Tubi, PlutoTV and The Roku Channel. Amazon's FreeVee service has been integrated into Amazon Prime but you can still watch bags of movies and shows for free, just by searching Amazon.
Check your local library's website, too. Sometimes a library card gets you free access to not-free streaming services like Kanopy or Hoopla.
7. Subscribe to another service that offers TV streaming perks
There are plenty of places that give you complimentary access to a streaming service as an added perk.
- T-Mobile customers on the Go5G Plus plan can get access to Apple TV Plus, Hulu with Ads and a Netflix Basic subscription at no extra cost.
- Walmart Plus — Members of Walmart Plus get a free membership to Paramount Plus (with ads) as long as you're a member. This means members can enjoy hit movies like "Top Gun: Maverick", while also making the most of Walmart Plus benefits like free delivery and the use of mobile scan & go in-store. You can try the service out with a 30-day free trial.
- DIRECTV Stream: New customers that sign up for DIRECTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV Now) get Max and Starz, along with several other premium streaming channels, free for their first three months.
- Instacart Plus subscribers get a free Peacock Premium plan. The entry-level Peacock plan costs almost the same as an Instacart Plus membership, so it's a bit like getting two subscriptions in one.
- Buy an Apple device, get free Apple TV Plus: you can get a three-month subscription to Apple TV Plus (worth $29.97) with the purchase of any eligible Apple device.
8. Look out for time-limited offers
Typically, the best streaming deals are limited-time-only offers that you need to be ready to jump on if you want to take advantage. Keep an eye out around Black Friday. The major players usually offer colossal discounts on their streaming services.
Past deals have included up to 80% off annual plans for Hulu and Max, 50% off annual subscriptions to Paramount Plus, and bargain prices on Prime Video Channels.
Additionally, some providers offer decent discounts as part of the festivities on specific days like National Streaming Day (May 20), Amazon's two Prime Day events and Disney Plus Day.
9. Set reminders when free trials or deals run out
Streaming services will continue to bill you once your trial or promotional period expires. Therefore, set a reminder on your phone a few days before the discount expires. Doing this allows you to cancel any services you don't want to use before you pay full price for them.
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