If you’re among the majority of Americans who watch streaming services — 83%, according to Pew Research Center — you may share your plan with family members who live both in and out of your home.
At one time, most major streaming providers looked the other way when customers provided their account credentials to people outside their household (say, an adult child who moved away) so that they could watch shows through the plan.
But more services have been blocking access to those who don’t live with the account holder, requiring an additional fee to let them join the plan. And even within your household, you may be limited to a certain number of devices that can stream from your account simultaneously.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
For some of the most-watched services, we’ve outlined below the prices and policies for on-demand video content.
Netflix
If you have Netflix’s Standard With Ads subscription ($7.99 a month), you can’t include people from outside your household on your account.
But with the Standard plan ($17.99 monthly), you can share your subscription with one person who doesn’t live with you; it’s $6.99 monthly for the extra user to have an ad-supported plan or $8.99 monthly ad-free.
Non-household members can stream on one device at a time; within a household, you can stream on up to two devices simultaneously.
Subscribers to Netflix’s Premium plan ($24.99 monthly), which allows streaming on up to four devices concurrently within a household, can include as many as two members outside the household for monthly fees of $6.99 each with ads and $8.99 without ads. Each non-household member can stream to one device at a time.
Amazon Prime Video
This service is included with an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 monthly or $139 annually), which offers other perks, too, including free shipping on Amazon purchases. If you’d rather subscribe only to the video-streaming service, you’ll pay $8.99 monthly.
Amazon says that adults who share Prime benefits and digital content must have the same primary residential address. Within a household, two adults and up to four children can be on an account. Amazon permits up to three concurrent video streams.
For those ages 18 to 24, Amazon offers Prime for Young Adults, which includes Prime Video, at a rate of $7.49 monthly or $69 annually.
Hulu
You’ll pay $9.99 monthly for a subscription to Hulu’s ad-supported library of on-demand programming or $18.99 monthly for the ad-free version.
To allow a non-household member to stream through your account, you’ll pay an extra $6.99 monthly if you have a basic plan with ads or $9.99 monthly for the no-ad plan.
Hulu subscribers can stream from two devices at once; a non-household member who is on your account can stream from one device at a time.
You can also bundle Hulu with various other services, including Disney+, ESPN+ and HBO Max. For more, visit Hulu.com.
Disney+
Disney’s streaming service charges $9.99 monthly for a basic, ad-supported plan. For an extra $6.99 a month, you can include one person from outside your household.
If you have a commercial-free Disney+ Premium subscription ($15.99 monthly), you can share your account with one person outside your household for an additional monthly fee of $9.99.
At home, you can stream on up to four devices at once. If a non-household member is on your plan, they can stream on one device at a time.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
Related content
-
Smart Strategies for Paying Your Child an AllowanceBy giving your kids money to spend and save, you’ll help them sharpen their financial skills at an early age.
-
The Mulligan Rule of Retirement — Seven Mistakes You Can FixUse the Mulligan Rule to undo these seven costly retirement errors. While you can’t go back in time, some retirement choices allow for a “correction shot.”
-
Smart Strategies for Paying Your Child an Allowance
By giving your kids money to spend and save, you’ll help them sharpen their financial skills at an early age.
-
My First $1 Million: Retired Educator/Administrator, 67, Greenville, S.C.Ever wonder how someone who's made a million dollars or more did it? Kiplinger's My First $1 Million series uncovers the answers.
-
More Than 1 Million Toyota, Lexus and Subaru Vehicles Recalled for Camera Issue. Is Your Vehicle Affected?A software glitch in the Panoramic View Monitor system causes blank or frozen rear-camera images, triggering a massive recall of 2022-26 models.
-
My Four Pieces of Advice for Women Anxious About Handling MoneyTalking about money can help you take control of your finances.
-
Did My $50,000 Starbucks Habit Ruin My Retirement Plan?The real retirement cost may not be as devastating as it seems.
-
Costco Gold Bars Keep Selling Out. Are They a Smart Investment?How Costco's bullion program works, how to get the best deal and whether it makes sense for investors.
-
Medigap vs. Medicare Open Enrollment: What's the Difference?Nearly 10,000 people in America turn 65 every day. Why is that significant? It signals Medicare eligibility and shines a light on Medicare supplement insurance, known as Medigap.
-
A Financial Planner's Guide to a Stress-Free Adventure AbroadStart by looking at flight/accommodation costs, have a flexible schedule, seek out credit card rewards, prep for health issues and plan to cook your own food.
