Binge-watch your favourite TV shows for FREE: Crafty tips to save £450 on streaming with get 220 days of free entertainment across Amazon, Apple TV, Discovery+ and NOW Sky Cinema
- Money experts recommend maximising free subscription trials before paying
- They advise rotating, bundling and downgrading subscriptions when possible
As the cost of groceries, petrol and energy bills skyrocket millions of Britons have moved to cancel their streaming subscription services.
But there are plenty of ways savvy spenders can save up to £450 on streaming services – including getting 220 days of entertainment for free.
MailOnline has composed a list of tips and tricks to help cash-strapped TV lovers maximise savings on streaming subscriptions.
This also comes as Netflix has taken steps to crackdown on password sharing, forcing streaming ‘freeloaders’ to get their own accounts.
MailOnline has revealed that you can get 220 days of free entertainment just by signing up for trials. Some trials are as short as seven days, while others last an entire month
Subscribers can save up to £113 per year by rotating their monthly subscriptions, analysts allege. It is recommended that one audits their TV and film subscriptions and rotates them
Seven Tips and Tricks to Help You Save Up to £450 on Streaming Service Subscriptions
HOW DID VIDEO STREAMING CHANGE OVER 2022?
Two million streaming service subscriptions were cancelled in Great Britain in 2022.
Nearly 900,000 fewer homes were signed up to at least one service at the end of 2022 than the end of 2021.
This has been pinned to the cost-of-living crisis, which saw Brits prioritise spending on essentials, such as food and energy, over access to TV shows and films.
However, 55,000 more homes were signed up to at least one service in the last quarter than in the third quarter of 2022.
This was due to Brits wanting something to watch over the Christmas period.
1. Maximise your free trials
Most major streaming services offer free trials, varying in length, to potential UK subscribers.
Analysts at MailOnline, in collaboration with financial and insurance company Ocean Finance, have revealed that you can get 220 days of free entertainment just by signing up for trials.
Some trials are as short as seven days, while others last an entire month. However, those utilising a free trial must remember to unsubscribe to any subscriptions before the end of the trial period so you are not further charged.
The finance firm recommends setting and reminder in your phone or calendar so you don’t miss the deadline to unsubscribe.
Customers also get a free trial of streaming services when buying new technology. For example, some Apple technology purchases will include a free trial of Apple TV+.
2. Rotate your subscriptions
Subscribers can save up to £113 per year by rotating their monthly subscriptions, analysts allege.
For example, if one subscribes to both Disney+ and Netflix (standard) at a monthly rate, they would pay £227.76 per year in total.
But by subscribing to Disney for six months, cancelling the subscription and then subscribed to Netflix, one cuts their annual cost in half.
It is recommended that one audit their TV and film subscriptions and rotate them. Research shows that sometimes an individual is driven to subscribe to a service ahead of the release of a hotly-anticipated show and then fails to use it afterwards.
‘Remember, most streaming services have monthly subscriptions so they’re easy to start and stop — you don’t need to have several running at the same time,’ Alex Tofts, streaming expert at Broadband Genie, told MailOnline.
‘If you’re a fan of TV series and are bingeing a boxset on one platform, make sure you’re only paying for that service and only consider moving onto another once you’re finished.’
3. Bundle your subscriptions with your broadband plan
Phone networks often throw in streaming service subscriptions for free to new and existing customers.
O2 is currently offering customers six months free for Disney+ or Amazon streaming services for new contract holders. Existing customers can get the bundle by upgrading their plan.
Similarly, Virgin Media is currently offering 10 per cent credit back on its entertainment services.
TalkTalk customers can add TalkTalk TV and a NOW Entertainment Membership to any fibre plan for just £9.99 a month with no upfront costs.
Analysts say bundling your services could save subscribers up to £60, but warn one should compare the savings against the cost of the new contract to ensure they are not spending more out-of-pocket overall.
The money saving tips come as Netflix announced it will finally ban password sharing and stop ‘freeloaders’ from being able to access the platform for free through someone else’s account
On Netflix, a single account can host up to five ‘profiles’, each individually named and curated for one person. Here, Anna is the account holder who pays the monthly cost; the others are just profile holders
4. Turn your Tesco rewards into free TV
Tesco Clubcard holders can swap reward points for £8 vouchers that can be used on a 3-month Disney+ subscription, saving £15.97.
Experts note one could save £63.88 annually by cashing in a rewards voucher every three months.
5. Merge your subscriptions with other household members
HOW DID VIDEO STREAMING CHANGE OVER 2022?
Two million streaming service subscriptions were cancelled in Great Britain in 2022.
Nearly 900,000 fewer homes were signed up to at least one service at the end of 2022 than the end of 2021.
This has been pinned to the cost-of-living crisis, which saw Brits prioritise spending on essentials, such as food and energy, over access to TV shows and films.
However, 55,000 more homes were signed up to at least one service in the last quarter than in the third quarter of 2022.
This was due to Brits wanting something to watch over the Christmas period.
One of the simplest way to cut subscription costs is to merge subscriptions with the other members of your household.
Many services, such as Spotify, offer family plans that are a great value for entire households. Spotify Duo gives two people in the same household access to Spotify Premium for £13.99 a month, a nearly £72 annual savings.
Similarly, Amazon Prime allows two adults in the same household to use the same Prime subscription. If both householders were paying £7.99 a month for their own memberships, a merger could save £95.88 each year between the pair.
However, sharing subscriptions can be risky business – especially if those sharing the account do not reside in the same home.
Just last month, Netflix unveiled that people using someone else’s account will have to create their own logins and pay for their own accounts as soon as March.
Alternatively, those who still want to share an account with people in a different home will have to sign up to ‘paid sharing’ at a cost of a few extra pounds a month.
According to the Intellectual Property Office, password sharing on Netflix and other video streaming platforms breaks copyright law and is therefore illegal.
However, it is down to the companies themselves to take action through the courts if required – and there is no suggestion yet that Netflix would attempt to do so.
For years the Netflix terms of service has said users of an account must live in the same household, but its not taken any solid action until 2023.
6. Downgrade subscription packages to save up to £48 per year
Some streaming service charge a flat monthly subscription fee while others have tiered pricing – meaning subscribers pay for certain benefits.
Financial experts recommend checking to ensure that your subscription tier is appropriate for your use. If not, they recommend downgrading.
For example, Netflix subscription tiers range from £6.99 to £15.99 a month.
Subscribers should compare what’s on offer in each tier to what they actually need. If one is paying £10.99 a month for the standard tier but only really needed the basic one, they could save £4 a month, or £48 annually, by downgrading.
7. Check your eligibility for discounts
Many streaming services offer discounts to customers, namely student and family discounts, military discounts.
For example, students who have not previously subscribed to Amazon Prime can sign up to a six-month free trial of the service. The trial includes free access to Amazon Prime Video, giving them access to films, shows and some Premier League football games.
Disney+ offers 15 per cent off the annual cost of subscription to anyone over 16 and in full-time education, saving them £12 off the £79.90 price.
Discounts are not always easy to find, so consumers should search online before purchasing their subscriptions.
Netflix bans password sharing: Crackdown to come in late March
The time Netflix ‘freeloaders’ have long feared will soon arrive – password sharing will be banned by the end of March.
The company shared the news in a letter to shareholders, noting that ‘widespread account sharing’ has exceeded over 100 million viewers.
These individuals, however, will be able to transfer their profiles to a new paid account, allowing them to carry over their preferences.
‘Today’s widespread account sharing undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business.’ Netflix said in its letter.
‘While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly.’
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