With the economy rising prices everywhere throughout the world, it is no surprise that streaming services will hike up their prices as well. Netflix, Hulu, and Disney have increased their prices this year but plan on bringing cheaper ad-based plans.
The good news is that you can still stream from the same subscriptions and cut costs without completely cutting off your streams. One such way is to avail Disney Plus bundle deals and save extra costs by applying the following tips and tricks. Other than this, you can check out the following tips to reduce your streaming costs:
1. Sorting services
It’s an easy start to cutting down costs. You can see which streaming services you have already worn out, meaning you watched all the original shows and can unsubscribe since there is no point in keeping when there’s nothing new to stream.
You can also re-subscribe when a new season is released or find that same show in another alternative streaming service.
2. Make a bingeing scheme
A great thing about streaming platforms such as Disney Plus, Netflix, Hulu, etc., is that you can cancel your subscription anytime and re-subscribe when you want to. Most shows take a year or more to bring out another season.
During that time, you can unsubscribe from your subscri[tion, save up, and re-subscribe once the season or show has been released. You can plan out a schedule for a more efficient way to save.
Instead of subscribing to all the services at once, you can subscribe to one platform and binge all your favorites. After you’re done, you can unsubscribe and move on to another. This way, your total cost will be reduced, and your subscriptions will be active.
3. Cut the cable
With many platforms giving live streaming options, there’s only a little use left for a live cable as it will only be an extra cost for you.
Youtube TV costs $65 per month, and Hulu Plus live tv costs around $70 per month. With these costs having cable is an added cost, as there’s nothing that the cable has which is not included in the streaming services.
Most people use live tv to watch sports or news. NFL games are available to stream on prime video or paramount plus; for the news, plenty of free services provide daily news. ABC news live, CBSN, and pluto are all streaming services that stream free news.
You can also go old school and get a pull-down antenna which will bring the local tv stations. An option of a recording will only be there with additional hardware, but the airwaves don’t cost anything.
4. Make use of free trials
Almost every major streaming service offers a free trial before subscribing, apart from Netflix.
With planned bingeing, you can use these free trials and easily binge your favorite shows without paying a penny.
Be sure to keep track of the cancellation date; once that date passes, you will be billed for your streaming.
5. Opt for non-premium subscriptions
Ads may be a bit irritating, but they also help in saving a reasonable amount. Subscribing to Hulu ad-supported plan would save you $7 monthly. Paramount plus costs $10 monthly, but if you subscribe to the plan with ads, it will only cost you $5.
Secondly, most people subscribe to Netflix premium to get 4K viewing, which has four different accounts; having 4K resolution is pointless if you use Netflix on your phone, tablet, and a big TV, all these accounts to paying an extra $4.50.
So instead of going for a premium, you can subscribe to the basic plan, allowing you to binge at a lesser cost.
6. Shared subscriptions with relatives
Every streaming service has a different policy regarding password sharing. Still, if someone has subscribed to Netflix’s premium plan, which allows four profiles to be opened on separate gadgets, having the devices in the same house is optional.
Different relatives who have subscriptions to various streaming services can share passwords which would increase the services at a lesser cost.
But keep in the note of how streaming services are cracking password sharing.
7. Look for free streaming services
There are many free streaming services with a lot of good content for streaming. The ads may be a bit bothersome, but you will have access to a streaming service, good shows, and movies to binge-watch without paying a dime.
Some also give access to live news, which is a bonus. You can check out some free services: Kanopy, Freevee, Hoopla, etc.
8. Cord-cutter credit cards
The majority of credit cards provide cash back on various outlets, and some provide cashback on streaming services.
American Express Blue Card gives a 6% cashback on streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video.
Some chase cards provide offers on selective streaming services. Among them are Netflix, Hulu, and sling, so it would be worth switching to a card that offers these benefits if yours doesn’t already provide them.
9. Phones with benefits
Different phone service providers such as T-mobile provide perks such as giving a free subscription to a standard Netflix two-window account if you buy a specific phone on which they have offered.
Other companies give different offers with different streaming services. So it is worth looking for such deals when streaming gets pricy.
10. Temporary pause
Many providers offer a pause period for subscribers where they are not billed for the subscription but can’t use the services during that time.
Hulu and Sling will not bill you for a three-month pause period, and you would have to set a date to stop the pause period so you can start getting billed from that date.
Different providers have different pause periods, so it would be beneficial to check out those specific services.
Conclusion
Use these tips and tricks to have an optimal streaming experience without paying extra costs and saving money. Hope these help you in getting the most out of your choice streaming subscription.
