The simplest way to save money on subscription services is, of course, to cancel them completely. But with the cost of living rising, for many of us watching TV is one of the most cost-effective forms of entertainment available. That doesn't mean there aren't ways to trim down how much you're spending on online subscriptions though.
Use our round up and see if there's anything that can help cut back some monthly expenses while still getting to watch your favourites, whether that's Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Umbrella Academy or Stranger Things.
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Leapfrog your streaming services
How many streaming services can you watch at one time? And how much is it costing you to keep your options open with the others while you're binge watching the latest season of Upload or whatever?
Apart from Sky, most of the most popular mainstream entertainment subscriptions now don't require you being locked into a contract for any kind of fixed period of time. This means, with some forward planning, you can 'leapfrog' between services and save some money. Excited to watch Ms Marvel as it airs on Disney+? Great.
Ditch Netflix for two months while the show airs week by week, and at the same time focus your viewing to catch up with Moon Knight, The Book of Boba Fett, Only Murders in the Building, the entire former-Netflix Marvel catalogue (we particularly recommend Daredevil and The Punisher), the new Chip and Dale movie and anything else you fancy at the same time. Then, once you've got through all those televisual delights, cancel your subscription and head back to Netflix ready for the launch of Umbrella Academy season 3 and the second half of Stranger Things season four, although for goodness' sake make sure you have some tissues to hand.
It sounds simple, but just staying on top even these two subscription services like this could save £113.88 a year, with a combined annual month-by-month subscription to Netflix and Disney+ coming in at £227.76 but £113.88 if you switched between the two.
Downgrade don't cancel
Not all streaming subscriptions are created equal, so it's worth taking a good look at the level of subscription you have. Many of them have different levels of plans and the difference in price can be striking. Netflix has three different plans ranging from £6.99 to £15.99 a month. If it turns out you can switch to the lowest level you've just more than halved your Netflix bill without noticing any difference.
Meanwhile, if you like watching Amazon Prime but don't use any of the other perks like free delivery on shopping orders then you can downgrade to their basic Prime Video membership, which would save £24 a year.
Sharing is caring
Another way to cut costs is to look at how you can share subscriptions with friends and family. It's important to check small print because some companies, notably Netflix, frown on people from separate households sharing a password and are cracking down on it. But where you can get it to work, for example using Amazon Prime, it immediately halves the cost of two separate accounts.
Account sharing particularly comes into its own with music lovers. Spotify has several options, depending on the size of your household. The Premium Duo plan is £13.99 a month which will save more than £70 a year compared to paying for two subscriptions. Meanwhile the Premium Family plan allows up to six users to use the membership for £16.99 a month - saving more than £500 on the annual cost of six annual subscriptions.
Try before you buy
Most subscription services will give you a free trial before you have to pay for anything, barring Netflix and Disney+, although if you shop at Tesco you can use Clubcard points to buy a Disney+ subscription, effectively getting that free. Amazon Prime will give you a month free, and you can get up to 3 months free Apple TV+ by signing up for Currys Rewards email, find out how here.
Meanwhile for music and podcasts, Amazon Music Unlimited should be your first stop with the internet giant offering three months free for a limited time. There's also currently one month free with Apple Music, YouTube Premium and Spotify meaning you could stream music for half a year without spending a penny.
Just remember to set a reminder to cancel before you have to start paying.
Check your other contracts
We are living in the age of the bundle, perhaps because companies are realising that people won't pay for an unlimited number of different subscriptions so by banding together there's less chance they'll miss out on our custom.
So before you sign up for anything check mobile providers and Sky if you're with them to see if your contract entitles you to any extras. If you've signed up relatively recently and are with Vodafone or EE then you might be in luck - Vodafone is offering up to 24 months of Disney+, Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium or Spotify on certain pay monthly contracts while EE offers Apple Music, Netflix or BT Sport. If you were going to get a new mobile contract anyway then this is worth taking into consideration when you make your choice.
Pay more up front
It might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but if you have a particular streaming site that you love and know you'll want year round then you can save by buying an annual membership up front rather than paying monthly.
Whether you've got Marvel and Star Wars fans or younger children who love Disney Junior, if you know you're going to be paying for Disney+ through the year then if you can afford to pay the annual fee of £79.90 you're going to save £15.98 on the £7.99 they charge as a monthly option. You can also get £10 Quidco cashback if you sign up for Disney+ on an annual basis reducing the price even further.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is also £7.99 a month or £79 for the year, effectively giving you two months free.
Read more: I saved £1,600 after making one simple change to my shopping habits
Watch free television channels and streaming apps
If there's a specific programme that you want to watch, do your research. Freeview, ITV Hub, iPlayer and All 4 are all free to use - although some of them incorporate adverts within their content, while to enjoy iPlayer you should be a BBC licence fee payer. This means if you have a burning urge to watch Peaky Blinders from the beginning you don't need a Netflix subscription, although it is available there, while all four seasons of Killing Eve are also available at no extra cost too.
It's also worth looking if you're after particular films - if BBC or Film 4 have shown them recently then often they'll be able to stream for a short while afterwards free of charge.
