By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.\n <\/div>\n
Having trouble? Click here.<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Gone are the days of boundless free trials and ad-free subscriptions for every tier of subscription memberships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seems now that every year our favorite subscription services are threatening to increase membership plan prices or strip away benefits previously provided based on your membership tier. Streamers have claimed to be struggling with costs as well as increasing their subscriber base.<\/p>\n
Despite people abandoning costly cable bundles in exchange for cheaper streaming services, now those costlier monthly subscription services are really adding up.<\/p>\n
It pays to take a good look at which services you\u2019re subscribed to already, ways you can stop overpaying and a clear look at the different plans and how they measure up against one another. Let\u2019s check to see which services have gone up and which ones are worth sticking with.<\/p>\n
CLICK TO GET KURT\u2019S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO\u2019S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
Streaming on a computer<\/span> (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGET MORE OF MY SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS & EASY VIDEO TUTORIALS WITH THE FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER – CLICK HERE<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nWays to avoid overpaying for streaming services<\/strong><\/h2>\nAccording to Nielsen, “Americans streamed 21 million years\u2019 worth of content [in 2023]”, which is a 21% increase from 2022. Add up all of your monthly streaming bills, and you are likely spending more than you are aware of.<\/p>\n
Ninety-nine percent of U.S. households are subscribed to ONE or more streaming services. On average, Americans are spending around $46 per month on streaming services. Others are paying more and sometimes don\u2019t know it. There is an easy way to get a handle on out-of-control spending on streaming.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
Couple looking at their streaming bill<\/span> (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMORE: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM STREAMING HACKS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nTip 1 – Check for hidden subscription charges<\/strong><\/h3>\nAudit your credit card bill to discover recurring streaming charges. While looking at your bill online, sort by name over a number of months to help the recurring charges stand out. Then check your app store settings for subscriptions you may not be using any longer but are still paying for each month.<\/p>\n
How to check iPhone subscriptions<\/strong><\/p>\nTo check recurring app subscriptions on iPhone, start by tapping Settings<\/strong> > tap your name<\/strong> > and tap Subscriptions<\/strong><\/p>\nHow to check Android subscriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0Settings may vary depending on your Android phone\u2019s manufacturer.<\/i><\/p>\n
To check recurring app subscriptions on Android, Settings <\/strong>> Google <\/strong>> Manage your Google Account <\/strong>> Payments & Subscriptions <\/strong>> Manage purchases, Manage subscriptions, or Manage reservations<\/strong><\/p>\nHow to check Amazon subscriptions<\/strong><\/p>\nTo check recurring subscriptions on Amazon on your smartphone, click your account settings tab after logging into Amazon > then tap Memberships and Subscriptions<\/strong> to see what recurring services are subscribed to.<\/p>\nMORE: TIPS TO FOLLOW FROM ONE INCREDIBLY COSTLY CONVERSATION WITH CYBERCROOKS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nTip 2 – Change to a cheaper tier<\/strong><\/h3>\nOver the past year, Netflix just started offering advertising-supported subscriptions at a reduced monthly rate of $6.99 (vs. the ad-free standard tier, which starts at $15.49). Disney Plus costs $7.99 a month for ad-supported streaming (vs $13.99 a month for ad-free playback).<\/p>\n
Tip 3 – Start and stop subscriptions<\/strong><\/h3>\nBecause most streaming services are month-to-month and offer the ability to cancel at any time, there is no reason not to start and stop your subscription.<\/p>\n
Tip 4 – Split and share subscriptions<\/strong><\/h3>\nMost streaming services offer the ability to now add users to subscription plans. When done correctly and with the right people, splitting a subscription can save you money.<\/p>\n
Amazon Prime<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 $139 a year or $14.99 a month subscription, which includes Prime Video; can be shared by two adults at separate addresses<\/p>\n Apple TV<\/u><\/strong> <\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>offers various tiers:<\/p>\n(1) If you buy an Apple device, Apple TV+ is included free for three months.
Netflix<\/strong> is starting to check subscriber locations in some Latin American countries that could come to the U.S. in the future to enforce shared accounts at different addresses. Netflix started to enforce fees for subscribers sharing the same account but who do not reside in the same address. Netflix, however, does now have subscription levels where you can add users who can sign in with their own username and password, so the account owner doesn’t have to share the master username and password with others. Share the account, not your information.<\/p>\nHULU REJECTS TEXAS CHURCH’S AD CITING VIOLATION OF ‘RELIGIOUS INDOCTRINATION’ POLICIES: ‘FUNDAMENTALLY UNFAIR’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
Couple streaming movie on their laptop<\/span> (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMORE: BEST STREAMING DEVICES IN 2024<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nTip 5 – Bundle and save<\/strong><\/h3>\nSome streaming services like Disney Plus allow you to bundle multiple platforms to save you money. For instance, if you pay for the Disney Bundle Duo Basic for $9.99\/month, you get Disney Plus (with ads) and Hulu (with Ads). Separately, each of those subscription levels would cost $7.99\/month. That means a saving of $5.99 a month. So, double check to see if your favorite streaming platforms offer similar bundles for cost savings.<\/p>\n
Tip 6 – Purchase the annual subscription<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhile it sounds counterintuitive, if you know you\u2019ll keep watching a platform for a whole year, it may save you money in the long run to buy the whole year upfront. For instance, Disney Plus allows you to purchase a whole year\u2019s subscription to the Premium tier for $139.99, which breaks down to $11.66\/month or a savings of $27.89 (or two months free) compared to the monthly subscription of $13.99.<\/p>\n
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE<\/strong><\/p>\nTip 7 – Free streaming services<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you choose not to purchase a streaming service, there are a bunch of free TV shows and movies available on a variety of platforms. Tubi from Fox Entertainment, Amazon\u2019s Freevee, PlutoTV, and Roku Channel are free channels to watch with ads. Be sure to check out our picks for the best sites to stream free movies, TV shows, and live news in 2024<\/u>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some ad-free streaming services like Hoopla and Kanopy<\/u> let you watch for free with an active library card membership.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
Couple streaming shows and movies<\/span> (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMORE: HACKERS LATEST TRICK LOOKS LIKE FREE STREAMING MOVIES<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nTop streamer subscription cost\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn an effort to help you get a bird’s eye view of how much streaming services cost, below is a breakdown of the top streamers and their cost at the time of publishing: The streaming services market is very competitive, with different platforms offering various plans and prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nAmong the major players, Paramount has the cheapest monthly plan with ads, at $5.99, followed by Hulu at $7.99.<\/li>\n Netflix, Amazon, AppleTV, and Max all have plans without ads, ranging from $9.99 to $22.99 per month.<\/li>\n YouTube has three plans, with the individual one costing $13.99 per month.<\/li>\n The yearly plans are usually cheaper than paying monthly, except for Netflix and Hulu, which do not offer yearly plans.<\/li>\n The most expensive yearly plan is the Ultimate Ad-Free plan from Max, at $199.99.<\/li>\n Disney+ has two plans, one with ads and one without. The Disney+ Basic plan costs $7.99 per month, while the Disney+ Premium plan costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nKurt\u2019s key takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\nThough streaming services are adapting to economic challenges by passing along the burden to the consumer by increasing subscription costs or eliminating some benefits at the base subscription level, these services aren\u2019t going anywhere and are a staple of most American lives. Having good awareness, however, of what you are subscribing to and adopting a savvy strategy could still have you coming up on top.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\nHas the rising cost of streaming services changed your viewing habits? Are you planning on incorporating any of these cost-saving strategies? Let us know by writing us at <\/strong>Cyberguy.com\/Contact<\/u><\/strong>.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com\/Newsletter<\/u><\/strong>.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover<\/u>.<\/u><\/p>\n
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:<\/p>\n
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.\u00a0All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[ad_1] Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge. Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30521"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}