With the cost-of-living crisis weighing heavy on our minds, many of us are looking at where we can make a saving – and our TV subscriptions are an obvious place to start.
Streaming services such as Netflix or Disney+ don’t come cheap – but we don’t necessarily have to do without them, we just have to think smarter.
Consumer experts Which? have come up with some ingenious hacks to make the most of these entertainment providers without being out of pocket.
A simple pointer is to just share subscriptions and divide the cost between those using it – with some services actually catering to doing this, such as Spotify’s duo plan.
Costing £13.99 a month, it would save £71.88 a year compared to two individual subscriptions.
The streaming giant also boasts a Premium Family plan, allowing up to six users to get premium benefits for £16.99 a month - saving a whopping £515.40 a year in lieu of six separate subscriptions.
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Elsewhere, Amazon Prime benefits can also be shared with someone else in your house, slashing its fee in half.
Another no-brainer, but one that’s easy to overlook, is to rotate which subscriptions you use each month.
Many of us are torn about what to watch each night, with the sheer range of choice often being overwhelming – so let’s limit that choice.
Why not choose to have fewer options and switch them up each month?
This method may be too convoluted for some - but it could well be worth it, particularly as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Now TV all allow you to cancel monthly subscriptions at any time with no exit fee.
If you think ahead, it would be possible to plan the rotations according to when you know your favourite shows are coming out on each platform.
For example, if like many you’ve got an annual Disney+ and Netflix subscription at a monthly rate, you would pay £227.76.
But by alternating months instead, you would end up paying just £113.88 a year instead for six months of Disney+ and six months of Netflix.
Another avenue often left unexplored is making the most of free trials, says Which?
These are offered by the likes of Spotify and YouTube Premium, as well as checking out the free alternatives such as All 4, the ITV Hub, BBC iPlayer and My 5.
The consumer champion suggests possibly downgrading your plan if you don’t use the full service or don't mind some adverts.
Plans recently announced by Netflix to introduce a cheaper ad-supported subscription – likely to be up and running by the end of the year - could be a good option for those looking to cut costs.
Many may be unaware that Netflix does actually offer a basic plan, where you can only watch it on one screen at a time.
This is £4 a month cheaper than the standard subscription, while Amazon Prime also offers a similar basic membership for £5.99 a month just for streaming shows minus the other Prime benefits.
And finally, if you’re truly intent on keeping your streaming sites, Which? suggests buying the subscription for a year at a time rather than opting for the monthly cost.
This is a mental barrier many of us need to overcome – yes it can feel like you’re splashing a load of cash all at once (that’s because you are) but this ‘bulk-buy’ can often yield a decent saving.
Disney+ costs £79.90 a year, a saving of £15.98 compared to the monthly plan, while a year of Amazon Prime costs £79 which would save £16.88 instead of paying monthly.
So there you have it – now what are you going to watch tonight?
