Gone are the days of boundless free trials and ad-free subscriptions for every tier of subscription memberships.
It seems now that every year our favorite subscription services are threatening to increase membership plan prices or strip away benefits previously provided based on your membership tier. Streamers have claimed to be struggling with costs as well as increasing their subscriber base.
Despite people abandoning costly cable bundles in exchange for cheaper streaming services, now those costlier monthly subscription services are really adding up.
It pays to take a good look at which services you’re subscribed to already, ways you can stop overpaying and a clear look at the different plans and how they measure up against one another. Let’s check to see which services have gone up and which ones are worth sticking with.
Audit your credit card bill to discover recurring streaming charges. While looking at your bill online, sort by name over a number of months to help the recurring charges stand out. Then check your app store settings for subscriptions you may not be using any longer but are still paying for each month.
To check recurring app subscriptions on iPhone, start by tapping Settings > tap your name > and tap Subscriptions
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
To check recurring app subscriptions on Android, Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Payments & Subscriptions > Manage purchases, Manage subscriptions, or Manage reservations
To check recurring subscriptions on Amazon on your smartphone, click your account settings tab after logging into Amazon > then tap Memberships and Subscriptions to see what recurring services are subscribed to.
Over the past year, Netflix just started offering advertising-supported subscriptions at a reduced monthly rate of $6.99 (vs. the ad-free standard tier, which starts at $15.49). Disney Plus costs $7.99 a month for ad-supported streaming (vs $13.99 a month for ad-free playback).
Because most streaming services are month-to-month and offer the ability to cancel at any time, there is no reason not to start and stop your subscription.
Most streaming services offer the ability to now add users to subscription plans. When done correctly and with the right people, splitting a subscription can save you money.
Some streaming services like Disney Plus allow you to bundle multiple platforms to save you money. For instance, if you pay for the Disney Bundle Duo Basic for $9.99/month, you get Disney Plus (with ads) and Hulu (with Ads). Separately, each of those subscription levels would cost $7.99/month. That means a saving of $5.99 a month. So, double check to see if your favorite streaming platforms offer similar bundles for cost savings.
While it sounds counterintuitive, if you know you’ll keep watching a platform for a whole year, it may save you money in the long run to buy the whole year upfront. For instance, Disney Plus allows you to purchase a whole year’s subscription to the Premium tier for $139.99, which breaks down to $11.66/month or a savings of $27.89 (or two months free) compared to the monthly subscription of $13.99.
If you choose not to purchase a streaming service, there are a bunch of free TV shows and movies available on a variety of platforms. Tubi from Fox Entertainment, Amazon’s Freevee, PlutoTV, and Roku Channel are free channels to watch with ads. Be sure to check out our picks for the best sites to stream free movies, TV shows, and live news in 2024.
Some ad-free streaming services like Hoopla and Kanopy let you watch for free with an active library card membership.
In an effort to help you get a bird's eye view of how much streaming services cost, below is a breakdown of the top streamers and their cost at the time of publishing: The streaming services market is very competitive, with different platforms offering various plans and prices.
Though streaming services are adapting to economic challenges by passing along the burden to the consumer by increasing subscription costs or eliminating some benefits at the base subscription level, these services aren’t going anywhere and are a staple of most American lives. Having good awareness, however, of what you are subscribing to and adopting a savvy strategy could still have you coming up on top.
Has the rising cost of streaming services changed your viewing habits? Are you planning on incorporating any of these cost-saving strategies? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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