Budgets are tight. We get it, and we feel it ourselves. Tariffs, the weakening US dollar, and the looming threat of a potential recession might not directly impact virtual products like streaming services (yet), but wallets are tightening and costs that straddle the line between want and need are on the chopping block.
Streaming services have become a necessary facet of entertainment consumption. They're not just for cord-cutters anymore, either. There's a pretty good chance that even those with robust cable contracts might need to sign up for a streaming service here and there, thanks to exclusive rights deals for some popular sporting events (if you're an avid MLB, MLS, UFC, or NHL fan, you've probably had to sign up for Apple TV Plus or ESPN Plus, two of the best sports streaming services) and can't-miss original series that don't air on linear TV (looking at you, Max, Hulu, and Netflix).
I love saving money and finding a good deal — almost as much as I love watching TV. I consider streaming services essential and, like any fundamental, some budgeting hacks can keep your monthly costs low. We've rounded up some of our favorite tips and tricks below, and one thing that we generally don't recommend.
Wait for a deal
If there's a show or movie you want to watch now, then by all means, you should go ahead and sign up for the relevant streaming service. But if you want to sign up for something just to explore it and don't have any time-sensitive needs, then it's worth waiting around for a deal. Almost every major streaming service, except for Netflix, offers a deal at least once a year.
This often comes around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but most streamers will also drop a discount or two throughout the year. Sometimes this will be pegged to a new release (Peacock, for example, dropped one of the best annual deals we've ever seen last summer, right before hiking prices across the board ahead of the Paris Olympics). Other times, this will come out of the blue. You can explore our guide to the best streaming deals and bundles, which we update at least once a month, for the latest offers.
Take advantage of bundles
Some of the best deals are bundles, which are typically available year-round and not a part of any limited-time sales. Bundling combines multiple streaming services under one monthly charge, which is generally cheaper than what you'd pay if you subscribed separately. The streaming services usually stem from the same parent corporations, but lately, bundles have emerged for services from different companies, like the STARZ and BritBox bundle.
Time and time again, some of the best offerings we've seen come from the Disney Plus bundles, which routinely save you over 40% no matter which option you choose. There are several combinations (with ad-free or ad-supported options), including the duo combos (Disney Plus and Hulu) and trio combos (Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus or Max).
My personal favorite is the Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max bundle, which combines what I consider to be three must-have services. My household has slowly subscribed to all three streamers over the years, so I've yet to take the time to switch them under the bundle, but I kick myself every month since this means we're paying $51.97 a month in total rather than the $29.99 a month rate for the ad-free bundle.
Get annual plans for streaming services you know you'll need throughout the year…
Most streaming services offer annual subscriptions that, year-over-year, provide some savings compared to what you'd pay annually with a month-to-month subscription. Yes, there's less flexibility, and it locks you in for a year, but this isn't a bad thing if it's a streaming service you know you're going to want long-term.
Some of the best annual subscriptions (that is, the ones that offer the most savings compared to when you subscribe monthly) come from Paramount Plus ($59.99 compared to $95.88), Peacock ($79.99 compared to $95.88), Disney Plus ($159.99 compared to $191.88), ESPN Plus ($119.99 compared to $143.88), Max ($99.99 compared to $119.88), and Hulu ($99.99 compared to $119.88).
…And cancel the subscriptions you don't
There's nothing wrong with canceling a subscription you're not using. Lots of people do it throughout the year. In fact, month-to-month subscriptions exist for the sake of flexibility. If "Severance" was all you were interested in on Apple TV Plus, it's fine to unsubscribe until another show catches your eye. Similarly, if you can't see a reason for using Max once Season 2 of "The Last of Us" wraps up, why not take some time off until the third season rolls around?
Many streaming services let you pick up where you left off and just resubscribe. Often, your watch list will even be there when you reactivate, especially when you do it within a certain time frame. This was the case for our Senior Commerce Director when he signed back up for Netflix after taking a nine-month break to let a few boxsets build up while he was subscribed to other options.
Some streaming services even allow you to temporarily "pause" your subscriptions, enabling you to opt out of service and payment for a set period of time before it automatically restarts. Sling TV, one of the best live TV streaming services we've tested, offers this service on the same page as its cancellation option.
We haven't yet run into a streaming service that doesn't let you resubscribe. The only thing you need to be aware of is that many special offers, such as free trials or introductory discounts, are only available the first time you sign up for a service. Others will allow you to cash in on the offer if it's been over a year since you last canceled.
Explore free streaming services
This might seem obvious, but people often forget just how many streaming services are completely free. Tubi, Pluto, and the Roku Channel are popular options in the US. BBC iPlayer and ITVX dominate the UK free streaming world. CTV and Global TV are must-have free streaming options in Canada. 9Now and SBS On Demand are great free Australian options, and TVNZ is a one-stop shop for sports, film, TV, and news fans in New Zealand. You can learn more about streaming from abroad with our guide to the best VPN deals.
While international viewers luck out because many of their services carry key entertainment and sports programming, the free ad-supported US apps also feature a surprising suite of content for American fans. Tubi live streamed the Super Bowl in 4K earlier this year, and Apple TV Plus briefly lent Roku the rights to Season 1 of "Severance" ahead of the Season 2 premiere. Sometimes, these streaming services are even the only way to stream a show, especially older network programs. For example, the TNT procedural "Rizzoli & Isles" left Hulu and later Max, seemingly nowhere to be found unless you were willing to shell out $150+ for the seven seasons on Apple TV Plus or Prime Video. But lo and behold, all 105 episodes are now available for free (with ads) on Pluto.
See what's included in your other subscriptions
Many services, including other subscription plans, throw in access to a streaming app or two. Phone, internet, and grocery plans are often the best places to start. In fact, you might have access to a streaming service or two without even realizing it. If you subscribe to one of DirecTV's new month-to-month genre packs, you might be able to access a streaming service (or three). The MySports channel package includes an ESPN Plus subscription, and the MyEntertainment pack comes with ad-supported Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max. Philo, the best budget live TV streaming service we've tried, includes the AMC Plus catalog in its paid subscription tier.
Verizon Wireless has some of the best streaming-related perks on the market thanks to its Unlimited Plans, which enable you to get reduced rates on Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus or Netflix and Max or Apple One, depending on which plan you sign up for. T-Mobile also has a couple of sweet offerings. Certain plans come with Netflix, Apple TV Plus, and Hulu. Similarly, Metro by T-Mobile's Flex Plus plan includes Amazon Prime — and therefore, Prime Video. Even Cricket Wireless is getting in on the action. You can get free ad-supported Max if you sign up for the $60/month Unlimited plan.
All Amazon Prime accounts automatically include access to Prime Video. Walmart Plus comes with six months of Paramount Plus Essential, and Instacart Plus offers Peacock Premium. If you sign up for an annual subscription to DashPass, DoorDash will throw in a Max with Ads subscription at no extra cost. Often, these are also great ways to get free trials of services that don't normally offer one, or extend a relatively short free trial period. For example, Peacock doesn't offer any form of free trial, so Instacart Plus' 14-day free trial would allow you to sample Peacock free for two weeks. Just keep in mind that some services, like Walmart Plus, don't enable the extras until you start paying, and other perks only last for a set amount of time, often six or twelve-month periods.
Just don't downgrade to ad-supported
Don't get me wrong — ad-supported streaming tiers can be great. While most of my streaming subscriptions are ad-free, I still subscribe to ad-supported Peacock, which works well for my household's needs. While it might be annoying to see ads break up an HBO drama or a horror movie, these interruptions can be perfectly fine if you're using a streaming service to catch up on a Bravo show or reruns of "Parks and Rec."
The pain point, in my opinion, comes if you're used to watching something ad-free and then suddenly receive an onslaught of ads, which would be the case if you downgraded your existing subscription. While most services tout ad-supported vs. ad-free as the main difference between their tiers, ad-free also usually comes with some extra perks that you might not even realize aren't included in the ad-supported tier, including live streaming, downloading for offline viewing, and access to select premium programming.
Peacock's ad-free plan, Premium Plus, includes NBC live streaming. Paramount Plus' ad-free tier, Paramount Plus with Showtime, offers CBS live streaming and the full suite of content from Showtime. So if you downgraded to Paramount Plus Essential, you wouldn't be able to watch "Yellowjackets" anymore (even with ads), and you'd need to wait until the next day to watch "Survivor," rather than tuning in live. Ad-supported Max doesn't include the B/R Sports Add-on, so you'd lose access to live TNT, TBS, and truTV games (as well as live CNN programming) if you downgraded. Even Netflix, which has a whopping $10 difference between its ad-supported and ad-free tiers, omits some content from its ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions.
The bottom line is that $5 or $6 a month is often insufficient financial savings to justify how much you lose when you downgrade. Instead, we recommend finding another place to save (if you're me, that's cutting back on Uber Eats) or just nixing the streaming service altogether. You can always resubscribe.
If you're considering signing up for a streaming service, check out our streaming vertical first. We have a collection of helpful guides, honest reviews, and a roundup of the best streaming services to ensure you're getting exactly what you need.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@bjinnox.com.
