Netflix provides us with lots of great titles, and even others we never knew we needed. The streaming giant has gone further in recent years and invested heavily in original content, from epic crime documentaries like Tiger King to Hollywood-type blockbusters like Extraction.
However, even though Netflix is cheaper than cable TV, its charges can add up real quick (or at least give us that feeling). One of the best ways to deal with this is to increase the value of your money by using a Netflix VPN to unlock more content, but knowing how to save a few bucks can go a long way. Here are 4 ways to save money on your Netflix account.
Share the Account, Split the Bill
Netflix provides up to 5 profiles per account, and one account can be used to stream on up to 4 devices simultaneously on the Premium plan. This means that you can share the account with four other people and effectively slash your bill from $15.99 to just $4. After one year, you will have saved $144!
If you wish to go for the standard plan which costs $12.99 a month, you can share the account with one other person as it allows up to two screens. The basic plan only allows a single screen.
In case you are wondering, Netflix says that their model is based on sharing an account within the family, but this more of a guideline, not a rule. They really don’t care even if you share it internationally.
Rotate Streaming options/ Pause Subscription
If you are signed up for another streaming service, you can cut Netflix costs by pausing the subscription for a month or so. Say, for instance, you want to hop onto Disney+ for a month and enjoy the awesome Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox content there. To save some money, you can cancel your Netflix subscription for that month.
Netflix doesn’t want to lose subscribers, so they make it easy to do this under My Account > Membership & Billing. All your details, profiles, and respective histories will be kept intact for ten months, and so you can resume where you left off. Pausing your account can also come in handy if you are going on a vacation, or you won’t be using Netflix for whatever reason.
Sometimes you don’t need 4K
4K content is awesome, and we all love it. However, in some cases, Netflix Premium can just be a waste of money. Sometimes you don’t even need 4k as the titles you plan to watch aren’t in 4k, your device doesn’t support 4k, or your internet connection doesn’t support the same – Netflix recommends at least 25 Mbps.
If any of the above is true for you, you can downgrade to 1080p even for a month or two and cut Netflix costs.
Buy Discounted Netflix Gift Cards
This is an old trick and it’s not as effective as it used to be, but it still works. Although you can no longer subscribe through iTunes or Google Play, the streaming giant still accepts Netflix gift cards. You can save a few bucks each year by buying these cards from discounted marketplaces like Raise or Cardpool. These however don’t let you save much.
A more reliable albeit harder means is checking stores near you as they occasionally offer gift cards for Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and other streaming services. If you go with this plan, you can still save more by sharing your account with friends and family.
