The Disney Plus password sharing crackdown officially started in the US in September, and as of this week we now know how much it will cost to add an extra member to your subscription – and it's not good news.
Disney outlined the new rules in an article on its site titled 'Paid Sharing on Disney Plus' on Wednesday (September 25), saying that anyone outside of your 'Household' will be required to be added as an 'Extra Member' or sign up for a new account.
There are two fees for the 'Extra Member' add-on (see table above with costs for the US and UK – Australia is yet to be confirmed but we've reached out to Disney and will update this article if we hear back), which apply to the Standard and Premium subscription tiers.
What's most noteworthy is that the add-ons cost more than 80% of the price of taking out a Standard subscription (with ads), so a lot of people would probably be inclined to simply sign up for a new account. While that percentage will reduce to 70% on October 17 when Disney Plus subscription prices are raised by $1-2 in the US, it still accounts for more than half the price of a subscription.
You'll be able to purchase the Extra Member add-on to your account starting this week in the US as well as Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, the UK and the Asia-Pacific region. However, the add-on is only available to standalone subscribers and won't be purchasable if you're signed up to a Disney Plus bundle, whether that's the Duo Basic with Hulu or the Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu mega bundle.
How does Disney Plus' password sharing pricing compare to Netflix?
The Disney Plus password sharing clampdown has been underway since the start of 2024 and while it officially came into effect on June 1 in some regions like the UK, it didn't start in the US until September.
The crackdown follows in the footsteps of Netflix's password sharing changes that were rolled out in May 2023 in the US, but it's notably more expensive than its rival. Netflix charges a fixed fee of $8 more to add an extra member to either its Standard (no ads) or Premium plans. Meanwhile, Disney is asking for $7 for an add-on to its basic accounts with ads, and an even higher fee of $10 more for its tiers without ads.
That's a blow to anyone that's just started watching the new series Agatha All Along using a shared account, which is set to wrap up on October 30. If you still want to catch the best Disney Plus movies and best Disney Plus shows, then there are some offers that you can take advantage of, including one for Disney that's one of this month's best streaming deals.
Fortunately, there's still one day left for you to dodge the Disney Plus price hike with this incredible deal that gets you Disney Plus Standard with Ads for 3 months for just $1.99 a month. You'll have to be quick though because the deal ends on September 27.
