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Streaming services are getting so expensive that some customers have decided it’s better to just cancel them. But what if you want to keep one or two that you can’t imagine losing? Are there any good deals to save some cash?
Getting a discount on a streaming service through another company has been a popular way to save money on streaming subscriptions. Examples include the “Netflix on Us” deal offered by T-Mobile, and a Hulu subscription that’s available to Spotify customers. But as streaming services hike up their prices, some of those deals are also changing. Many of the bundles no longer include the ad-free versions of streaming services, and in some cases, the bundles are more expensive.
The changes come as multiple stressors are forcing streaming services to cut costs and raise subscription prices. Those include a prolonged strike by actors and writers, and a drop in cable subscribers that’s pushed studios and distributors to seek revenue elsewhere.
Here’s what streaming fans need to know about finding a deal for their favorite service.
Read: Netflix, Disney and other big streaming names are shifting their strategy. What can you expect?
T-Mobile’s ‘Netflix on Us’ is now ‘Netflix Standard with Ads on Us’
Starting Jan. 24, the version of Netflix
NFLX,
available free to T-Mobile
TMUS,
users will switch to the one with ads. That tier costs $6.99 per month for regular Netflix subscribers but will be free for T-Mobile customers who want it. T-Mobile’s streaming deal used to give customers free access to Netflix Basic, which didn’t have ads and had a lower video resolution, but Netflix eliminated that tier in late 2023. The ad-free standard plan for Netflix now costs $15.49 a month.
Existing Netflix Basic members will still able to enjoy the ad-free version for $11.99 a month, as long as they don’t change their Netflix plan, a Netflix spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email.
The cheaper ad-supported version allows Netflix to partner with more companies on bundling deals, Netflix co-chief executive officer Greg Peters said on the earnings call Tuesday. Those bundles are also helpful for new members, he added.
“They get a better plan than basic, more streams, higher resolution with downloads. And of course, you know, the real benefit is they get access to all these amazing stories at a lower effective price through the bundle,” Peters said on the call. “We really think of this as a win-win-win.”
Previously called “Netflix on Us,” T-Mobile now sometimes refers to its streaming deal as “Netflix Standard with Ads on Us.” At the moment, the perk is available to users of T-Mobile’s more premium plans, such as Go5G Plus and Magenta Max, and to some users of Magenta. T-Mobile also released a new “Hulu on Us” plan on Jan. 24. It’s available to new and existing Go5G Next customers. The Go5G Next plan also comes with Apple TV+ on Us.
Can you still get Hulu through Spotify Premium?
Spotify
SPOT,
used to offer its Premium users free access to Disney-owned
DIS,
Hulu with ads. Now, that deal is only available to student Spotify subscribers, or to existing subscribers of Spotify Premium; it’s not offered to new subscribers. Spotify Premium costs $10.99 per month.
Spotify’s student account costs $5.99 per month. For non-student subscribers who still have access to Hulu, Spotify noted on its website that they could lose access to Hulu if they change their plan to Spotify Premium Duo, which is designed for two people, or to the family plan, which costs $16.99 for up to six people.
Spotify and Hulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Do you still get Apple TV+ free with the purchase of an iPhone?
In the past, Apple
AAPL,
offered an entire free year of Apple TV+ to people who bought an iPhone, iPad or other Apple device.
Now, your purchase of any Apple hardware device comes with three months of Apple TV+. But you have to redeem the offer fast: It expires after 90 days. Another caveat: You can’t redeem the offer if you’ve previously gotten Apple TV+ for free after a previous purchase of an Apple device.
The offer will automatically show up in the Apple TV app when a customer signs in with the Apple ID associated with the newly purchased device.
Apple TV+ offers a free seven-day trial on its own. After the trial ends, it charges $9.99 a month.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Do you still get Disney+ with Verizon?
You can get a Disney+ deal through Verizon
VZ,
but it’s not free of charge. With Verizon’s Unlimited plans, which cost either $65, $80 or $90 per month, Verizon users can choose to pay an additional $10 a month to get Disney+ with no ads, as well as the ad-supported versions of Hulu and ESPN+, according to Verizon’s website. The bundle deal costs $8.99 a month less than it would if customers paid for all of the services separately.
Verizon Unlimited plan users can also choose to get a bundle with the ad-supported versions of Netflix and the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned
WBD,
Max (previously known as HBO Max), saving $6.98 per month. A third option is Verizon’s Apple One bundle, which gives customers ad-free Apple TV+ together with Apple Music, Apple Arcade and iCloud+, saving $9.95 per month.
The bundle prices are exclusive to Verizon users and they can add as many add-on perks as they like, which means they could get all seven subscriptions for $30 a month, a Verizon spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Do you still get HBO Max with AT&T?
AT&T
T,
used to offer the ad-free version of HBO Max, now known as Max, to its Unlimited users free of charge. But AT&T stopped offering that deal to new customers in 2022.
Some existing AT&T customers have complained in online forums that they lost access to HBO Max after they changed their AT&T plans. As one disappointed Max fan wrote in an online forum for AT&T users, “AT&T – you lied to me and broke your promise of free Max for life by canceling my account with zero notice, nor explanation!”
But a company spokesperson disputed that complaint and others. “We have not removed Max from customers who are receiving the benefit via grandfathered plans,” an AT&T spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email.
Also read: Netflix’s stock jumps 8% on huge spike in new subscribers, surge in ad sales
Read more: Netflix is having its way with ads, and Wall Street could win too
Check out On Watch by MarketWatch, a weekly podcast about the financial news we’re all watching — and how that’s affecting the economy and your wallet. MarketWatch’s Jeremy Owens trains his eye on what’s driving markets and offers insights that will help you make more informed money decisions. Subscribe on Spotify and Apple.
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