JANUARY is the perfect time to do a refresh of your finances – so why not start with your streaming subscriptions?
We’ve got eight sneaky ways to bring your costs down, including how you can get some months for FREE.
Here’s how you can cut down…
Get streaming add-ons with your mobile, broadband or TV packages
Some mobile, broadband and TV providers will throw in streaming services as part of their package deals.
BT is currently doing a January sale with £4 a month off its Entertainment package.
It’s £16 a month until March 31, although it rises to £18 a month after this.
Still, it works out at a decent price as you’ll get all 22 channels from NOW Entertainment, a discovery+ Entertainment subscription and a Netflix Standard with Ads plan.
The deal will expire at the end of this month.
Plus, certain EE mobile packages include Netflix as an add-on.
Or, you can get the Unlimited Full Works plan which includes unlimited data, uncapped speeds, roaming and a choice of Inclusive Extras which include Apple TV+.
For example, you could get an iPhone 15 with the Unlimited Full Works plan for £56.69 per month.
That would get you the handset, calls and data plan, and Apple TV+ all for that price.
Get up to £15 off Disney+ for first three months
Disney+ is currently running a deal that will get you up to £15 off your first three months.
The discount you get depends on the subscription plan you choose:
- Standard with ads – £3.99 a month for three months (usually £5.99 a month) – saving £6
- Standard – £6.99 a month for three months (usually £9.99 a month) – saving £9
- Premium – £9.99 a month for three months (usually £14.99 a month) – saving £15
The deal is available to new and returning subscribers who sign up by 11.59pm on Wednesday, January 28.
After the discount ends, you’ll be automatically moved onto the full-price plan for the tier you chose when signing up.
Get Amazon Prime for free for one month
If you’re new to Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a one-month free trial.
That will get you free delivery on Amazon, as well as shopping deals and access to Prime Video.
However you’ll need to remember to cancel your subscription before your trial finishes.
If you forget, you’ll be charged the normal £95 for a yearly subscription (or £8.99 a month if you select monthly billing).
In this case it could be worth selecting monthly payments so you aren’t landed with a big bill if you forget.
Downgrade your subscription plan
It might be worth looking at whether you need everything you’re getting on your current plan.
For example, you may need fewer screens than you originally thought or you may be willing to switch to a plan with adverts.
If you moved from Disney+’s Premium plan to its Standard with Ads, you would save £9 a month.
The Standard with Ads plan costs £5.99 a month, while the Premium plan is £14.99.
With Netflix, you could save £6 a month by switching from the Premium plan (£18.99 per month) to the Standard one (£12.99).
If you went from the Standard plan to the one with adverts (£5.99 a month), you would save £7 a month.
How to watch TV legally without paying for a licence
YOU can legally use the following services without a TV Licence as long as you aren’t using them to watch or stream live TV:
- On demand TV – such as catch-up TV and on demand previews, which are available through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You can’t watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer without a TV licence.
- On demand movies – from services such as Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
- Recorded films and programmes – either via DVD or Blu-ray, or downloaded from the internet.
- YouTube – Video clips that aren’t live through services such as YouTube.
Get an annual subscription
It can work out slightly cheaper overall to pay annually for your subscription rather than monthly.
For example, the Disney+ Standard plan costs £9.99 a month but if you pay for it annually it’s £99.90.
That saves you £19.98 compared with the monthly cost.
The Premium plan is £149.90 if you pay for it annually, or £14.99 monthly – so you would save £29.98.
Get Disney+ half price for three months with Clubcard
If you have enough points on your Tesco Clubcard, you can use your vouchers to get 50% off a three-month Disney+ subscription.
To get the Standard with Ads plan, you’ll need to swap £7.50 in Clubcard vouchers for a three-month subscription.
This would usually cost you £14.97 in total.
To get the Standard plan, you’d need £13.50 worth of Clubcard vouchers.
The subscription would usually cost you £26.97 for three months.
Make sure you’re not doubling up
It’s usually a waste of money to have more than one Netflix subscription in your household.
The Standard plan (£10.99 a month) lets you watch on two screens at the same time, and you don’t have to be watching the same thing.
So as long as you wouldn’t have more than three people watching separately, you’ll only need one subscription.
The Premium plan (£17.99 a month) lets you watch on four screens at once.
Remember, Netflix has strict rules on sharing accounts between different households so you should stick to sharing with people within your home.
Get Disney+ free for a year with this bank account
Lloyds Bank’s Club Lloyds account will give you 12 months of streaming with the Disney+ Standard with Ads plan for free.
That would save you £71.88 over the year.
The bank account is fee-free but you will need to pay in £2,000 a month minimum, otherwise you’ll be charged £5 a month.
Of course, it would make sense to pay your salary into this account if you earn over £2,000 a month after tax.
You can claim the offer for each year you have the account.
If you’re not interested in Disney+, you can choose six Odeon or Vue cinema tickets, a Coffee Club and Gourmet Society membership, or an annual magazine subscription instead.
