Cutting the cord and embracing streaming means getting used to change, as shows jump from library to library and services get bundled together. But one constant you can count on is the ever-upward creep of prices. If your monthly bills have you hunting in the attic for your old DVD player, check out these four tips for how to reduce your expenses without giving up your favorite shows.
If you're subscribed to multiple services, take a few minutes to analyze how much time you're spending on each platform, and you may find you can cut at least one from your budget. Maybe you decided to subscribe to watch a new series that everyone's talking about, but you haven't tuned back in much since the season finale. It's OK to cancel your subscription while you wait for the show to return with new episodes; and in some cases, the streaming service will let you pause the service for a while.
Many subscription services offer the ability to add multiple users to one account, and in many cases, it's more cost-effective to go in with someone on a plan vs. signing up for your own.
For example, Netflix's Premium plan currently costs $22.99 per month, but allows you to add up to two additional users (who don't live with you) for an extra $7.99 per month per person. By splitting the Premium plan with two other people, the effective cost is $12.99 per person per month. That's less than the $15.49 Netflix charges each month for its cheapest, ad-free plan.
Several cell phone providers offer deals where you can access streaming platforms at a discount depending on the plan you choose.
Verizon, for example, will allow subscribers to certain plans to add a Disney Bundle for an additional $10 a month. This package consists of Disney+ Premium (ad-free), Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads). Subscribing to each of these services individually would cost much more than $10, and even getting a bundle directly from Disney will run you at least $16.99 a month (for the Trio Basic plan, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ all with ads).
Similarly, T-Mobile includes in its Go5GNext plan Apple TV+, Netflix (Standard plan with ads) and Hulu (with ads). If you're getting a great deal on your cell phone bill, it may not be worth it to switch just for the streaming services. But if you're looking to make a change, see what perks the cell phone providers offer so you can potentially consolidate your streaming and cell phone bill in one easy move.
The Blue Cash Preferred card from Amex is an excellent choice if you subscribe to several streaming services. Cardholders can earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions as well as 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations, 3% cash back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more, and 1% cash back on other purchases. Terms apply.
There is a huge range of subscription services that fall into the 6% cash-back category, including Apple TV+, Prime Video and Spotify. You can see the full list in our article about how to maximize the credit card rewards you can earn when you sign up for a new streaming service.
The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. (see rates and fees).