This year has brought us dozens of great TV shows and movies to stream — like House of the Dragon, Stranger Things season 4, She-Hulk and Prey — and price changes to match. At this point, your subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max and others may have you paying over $50 per month. We want to show you a trick that can help save you money on all your streaming services.
Consider it this way: You have a bunch of active streaming subscriptions, you watch until your favorite series ends its seasonal run, then look for the next thing. But is it worth keeping multiple accounts if you’re not watching anything on them? I don’t think so.
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Take a look at our budget-friendly strategy and some tips on how to master it.
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Rotate your streaming services
Waving goodbye to cable for good and switching to streaming is a money move for cord-cutters. Because you’re able to sign up for monthly plans, it’s easy to jump into a streaming service and jump out when prices increase or content dries up. But according to Deloitte’s 2022 Media Trends report, the main reasons people cancel their streaming subscriptions are because of costs and lack of fresh content. Media companies call this behavior “churn.” We’re calling this the rotation method.
The incentive? You save your coins and avoid content droughts. Let’s say a popular title like The White Lotus, Willow or Dancing with the Stars is set to premiere on a service. Find the total episode count and wait until they’re all available at once on a platform. You cancel HBO Max, Disney Plus or other service and then, once all the episodes are available, resubscribe to catch up. Alternatively, you can start streaming a show midseason to cut costs. My monthly guide on which streaming services to cancel can help you keep up.
The downside? You won’t have immediate access to every show you want to watch and will have to wait until the full season airs. And since many streaming services release new episodes weekly, you might not be caught up at the same time as your friends. If you’re someone who prefers to watch episodes immediately when they drop, you may decide it’s worth it to have multiple subscriptions at a time. If you have patience, however, you can save some money.
The strategy can also work if you have a live TV streaming service to watch a particular sport. Once the season wraps, cancel the service or move to a cheaper platform with fewer channels like Sling TV.
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Why pay for three months of Disney Plus to watch Willow when you can binge all eight episodes in January for the price of one month?
Disney Plus
Tip No. 1: Cancel your subscription before getting charged
Set calendar reminders for your billing cycle and upcoming TV show or movie release dates. Give yourself enough warning to begin or end a subscription. Apps such as JustWatch, V Time and Hobi help you track when and where TV shows and movies appear on a streaming service. And JustWatch recently added a tracker specifically for sports.
Tip No. 2: Sign up for streaming service deals
Look for discounts on streaming services. For example, Walmart Plus members can get Paramount Plus for free. You can also take advantage of the Disney Bundle, which provides access to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus in a single package for a reduced price. And eligible Hulu subscribers can add on Disney Plus for $3. Lastly, be sure to check with your mobile carrier to see which ones offer free streaming subscriptions.
Read more: Best Streaming Service Deals From Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile
Tip No. 3: Pick one or two default streaming services
Subscribe to one or two must-have services for the year, and select only one or two more options to fit your monthly budget. Rotate the bonus service(s) according to what you want to watch, ensuring you don’t miss your favorite shows while sticking to your monthly spending cap.
Tip No. 4: Stick to monthly billing
Avoid annual subscriptions and pay attention to your auto-renewal payment dates. Your billing cycle can help determine when it’s the best time to quit a service, even if you’ve only signed up for a free trial.
Tip No. 5: Don’t cancel your subscription, pause it
Hulu allows you to pause your subscription for up to 12 weeks, and Sling has a similar option with stipulations. Check with your streaming provider to see if you can take a temporary break without canceling.
Give it a shot, and if you don’t like it you can always resubscribe. For more excellent tips on streaming TV, check out this guide to Netflix’s hidden tricks and our cost breakdown on cable versus streaming.
2022’s Best TV Shows You Can’t Miss on Netflix, HBO, Disney Plus and More
Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus: How to Curb Spending Big on Streaming Services – CNET
Source: Media Star Philippines
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