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Want to Spend Less on Streaming TV? Here’s How

Stop paying a tone of money each month on Disney Plus, Netflix, and other streaming services.

In the face of growing prices for necessities, you might be seeking for ways to lower your monthly spending. Have you given your streaming services any thought? If you add up the price of each one, you might discover that you pay $500 or more year. But you can cut it down.

Assume you have subscriptions to several streaming services. You watch one or two of them until your favorite show’s season finale, at which point you search for the next offering. Nevertheless, if you’re not using all of those accounts, is it even worthwhile to keep them all active? Not in my opinion.

Take a look at this money-saving strategy to help you tame your streaming costs.

Put your streaming services on a rotation

For cord-cutters, going from cable to streaming is a cunning financial move. It’s simple to join up for a streaming service and then cancel it when the cost rises or the content becomes scarce because monthly subscriptions are available. Yet, pricing and a lack of new content are cited as the two primary reasons individuals abandon their streaming subscriptions in Deloitte’s 2022 Media Trends report. Media corporations refer to this activity as “churn.” You should try the rotation method, which is what we’re calling it.

The motivation? You avoid content shortages and preserve your coins. Let’s imagine that a well-known film, such as The Last of Us or The Masked Singer, is about to debut on a streaming platform. Look up the entire number of episodes and wait till they are all at once accessible on a platform. When all the episodes are available, you can presubscribe to HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, or another service and catch up. To save money, you may start streaming a show in the middle of the season. You can stay current by consulting my monthly list of streaming services to discontinue.

The negative? Every show you wish to watch won’t be available right away; you’ll have to wait until the entire season has aired. Also, as many streaming providers add new episodes on a weekly basis, you might not be caught up with your friends. If you like to view episodes as soon as they are released, you might decide it’s worthwhile to have many subscriptions active at once. Yet, you can save some money if you have patience.

If you use a live TV streaming service to watch a certain sport or important event, such as the Super Bowl, the method can also be used. When the season is over, either stop using the service or switch to Sling TV or another less expensive platform with fewer channels.

Need help figuring out the best way to rotate? Follow the tips below to learn how to churn streaming platforms until your wallet feels content.

Tip No. 1: Cancel your subscription before getting charged

For your billing cycle and forthcoming TV programmed or movie release dates, set calendar reminders. Give yourself adequate time to start or stop a subscription. You can keep track of when and where TV series and movies are streaming with apps like Outwatch, V Time, and Hobe. Recently, a tracker designed exclusively for sports was added to Outwatch. If you own a Google or Amazon smart home device, you can programmed reminders for particular dates and ask a voice assistant like Alexa to alert you to forthcoming bills or streaming release dates.

Tip No. 2: Sign up for streaming service deals

Check for streaming service savings. For instance, Starz is currently $3 per month for three months instead of the usual $9 per month. You can also benefit from the Disney Bundle, which offers Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus together for a discounted price. Also, qualifying Hulu users can add Disney Plus for $2. Next, make sure to ask your mobile carrier which services they provide free streaming subscriptions for.

Tip No. 3: Pick one or two default streaming services

Only choose one or two additional services to match your monthly budget once you’ve signed up for your essential ones for the year. Rotate the bonus service(s) in line with your viewing preferences to avoid missing your favorite programmed while staying within your monthly spending budget.

Tip No. 4: Use monthly billing only

Avoid annual subscriptions, and be mindful of the payment deadlines for auto-renewal. Even if you’ve merely signed up for a free trial, your billing cycle might help you decide whether it’s the best time to stop using a service. The only benefit of purchasing a yearly plan is when the cost is significantly reduced.

Tip No. 5: Don’t cancel your subscription, pause it

You can stop your Hulu membership for up to 12 weeks, and Sling offers a comparable feature with restrictions. Find out if you may take a brief break without cancelling from your streaming service by contacting them.

Try it out; if you don’t like it, you can always cancel and presubscribe. Check out our recommendations for the best VPNs and this guide to Netflix’s secret techniques for more great advice on streaming TV.