Nine Ways You Can Save Money on Streaming Services
Want to save money on streaming services? These nine tips will help you cut costs while watching your favorite shows.
Rachael Green
Prices for streaming services have been steadily rising as more companies enter the market, so it's no surprise that people want to know how to save on these services. Deals have become scarce, and some of the biggest names in the business have stopped offering free trials.
This is why we recommend looking out for other deals and promotions, such as the T-Mobile bundle that includes free Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+ in your phone plan, before signing up for a new subscription service. Similar special offers — like the popular Hulu, Disney+, and Max Ultimate Bundle — can save you almost half off the cost of buying each service separately.
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.
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. Share streaming services with friends and family so that everyone enjoys multiple subscriptions while only paying for a couple.
While it's becoming increasingly difficult to do with many streaming services cracking down, there are a few that remain user-friendly in this regard.
You can share your Apple TV+ password and YouTube TV credentials. Hulu, Peacock and other streaming services have all cracked down on password sharing. Netflix offers an additional user option for $7.99, which is an affordable alternative.
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 $18.49 per month, but you can usually buy seasons of TV shows for $20-$30, saving you on recurring charges.
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 $35. 99 a month, you can get access to the ad-supported tiers of Disney+ and Hulu and all the sporting action on ESPN Unlimited.
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, Youtube TV and Hulu.
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.
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 with the Experience Beyond plan get Hulu with ads and a Netflix Basic subscription at no extra cost.
- Walmart+ — Members of Walmart+ get a free membership to Paramount+ (with ads ) or Peacock Premium as long as you're a member.
- DIRECTV Stream: New customers who sign up for DIRECTV Stream get Max and Hulu, along with several other premium streaming channels, free for the first five days.
- 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+: you can get a three-month subscription to Apple TV+ 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.
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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