4 ways to save money on your Netflix subscription

Forget paying $240 a year. Here’s how to enjoy the shows you love for less.

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Key points

• Netflix offers several subscription options and you can change or cancel them at any time.
• Some mobile phone plans also include a free Netflix subscription.
• You can also try downgrading your plan or pausing it for a while.

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Netflix is ​​one of the most popular subscription services in the world, and it’s built quite a collection of TV, movies, and games over the years. This ever-expanding library is now priced from $9.99 to $19.99 per month, depending on the plan you choose.

This can put a strain on your bank account, especially since Netflix is ​​notorious for not offering discounts or coupon codes. But you can still take steps to save on your annual Netflix costs. Here are four.

1. Get it free with a T-Mobile cell phone plan

T-Mobile customers could be eligible for a free basic or standard Netflix plan, depending on the phone plan they choose. The Basic plan lets you watch Netflix on one screen at a time, and it’s available with the following T-Mobile plans:

• Magenta® Max Single Line Plan
• Magenta® multiline package
• Magenta® Military Multiline Plan
• Magenta® 55+ Multiline Plan
• Magenta® First Responders Multiline Package

You might also be eligible for a free Standard plan, which lets you watch Netflix on two devices simultaneously with one of these plans:

• Magenta® MAX multiline package
• Magenta® Military MAX Multiline Package
• Magenta® 55+ MAX Multiline Package
• Magenta® First Responder MAX Multiline Plan

This might be a good choice for you if you’re an existing T-Mobile customer or are considering a switch. But if T-Mobile doesn’t have great service in your area, it’s probably not the best way to save on your Netflix subscription.

2. Pause your subscription

Netflix lets you cancel your subscription at any time, so if there’s a month where you don’t watch as much TV or you mostly use other streaming services, you can temporarily cancel your Netflix subscription.

Netflix will not charge you during the months you have suspended your subscription. Then, when you’re ready to start watching again, you can start paying for the service again.

3. Downgrade your plan

Netflix currently offers three paid plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The only difference between these three plans is the number of devices you can watch Netflix on at once. With a Basic subscription, you are entitled to one device. A Standard subscription gives you two simultaneous streams and a Premium subscription gives you four.

If you pay for one of the higher tier plans, but only watch one Netflix show at a time, you could save a lot just by downgrading your plan. If your needs change later, you can always upgrade your service again.

4. Try the new membership tier with ads

Starting November 2022, Netflix is ​​offering a new Basic with Ads plan for $6.99 per month. This allows only one stream at a time, but you also have to deal with ads during shows and movies. Also, some shows and movies may not be available to watch if you have this level of subscription and you will not be able to download anything to your device to watch offline.

Still, if you’re comfortable accepting these restrictions, you could save up to $156 per year by switching to the ad-based plan over one of the ad-free plans.

Think about how often you use Netflix to decide which of the solutions above works best for you. And don’t forget that you can change your Netflix subscription at any time, so if you try something for a month and decide you don’t like it, you can always go back to the plan you had before.