NETFLIX streamers have just hours before they are set to be walloped by a price hike – which could cost viewers up to £24 per year.
New and existing customers need to prepare themselves for the changes by reading the list below – after the streaming giant once again increased its .
15 months after the last price hike in October 2023, the streaming service has decided that all plans will go up by at least £1 per month.
Customers who signed up to Netflix after the on February 6 have already been subjected to the increased prices.
Existing and “valued” customers were sent an email thanking them for their use of the service, and were told how much their fees would increase by.
Those with a Standard membership will see their Netflix rise by £2 to £12.99 a month.
Meanwhile, Netflix Premium members will be charged £18.99 – £1 more than before.
The cost of the Standard subscription with adverts will also increase by £1 to £5.99 a month.
And in a blow to those who share their accounts with friends and , the fee to add extra members to your plan will also increase.
It will now cost £5.99 a month to add an Extra Member without ads, which is an increase of £1.
Meanwhile, the price to add an Extra Member with ads is increasing by £1 from £3.99 to £4.99.
Netflix subscribers were sent the notice email 30 days before their next billing date – which is when the hike will come into force.
The first batch of emails were sent at the beginning of this month, which means some subscribers have just days to act before the price increase comes into effect.
But for those who want to avoid a bill hike – here is a of actions you can take to avoid the impending changes.
Buy a bundle
You could save up to £95.88 a year if you ditch yourplan and go for a TV package which includes it instead.
Sky, Virgin Media andEETV all offer packages with the streaming giant's service, which make them one of the cheapest ways to add Netflix to a pay TV bundle.
WithSkyyou can get Netflix’s cheapest plan with ads included as part of your package.
This includes customers who are subscribed to Sky’s Essential TV package, which costs just £15 a month.
The package also includes a Discovery+ subscription and access to .
Those who choose to bundle a Netflix Premium subscription with their Sky package would pay an additional £11 a month through their Sky bill.
This is £7.99 a month less than the £18.99 charged by Netflix for the same plan when it is purchased directly.
By bundling the two together you could save £95.88 a year.
Switch to a cheaper plan
If you pay for Netflix Premium but do not want all the added , then switching to a Standard plan could save you £6 a month, or £72 a year.
You could also save £13 a month, or £156 a year, if you swap from a Premium plan to a Standard one with adverts.
You may be able to save if you are happy to compromise on the number of devices you can stream on at the same time, the picture quality or the number of devices you can download TV to watch at any time.
Become an Extra Member
If you want to share Netflix with a family member or friend but you do not live together, then you can ask them to add you as an Extra Member on their plan.
This plan is similar to having your own subscription, as you will have your own account, password and profile.
But doing this could save you a lot of .
Splitting the cost of a Standard subscription would bring the cost down to just £9.49 a month.
Save without a TV licence
If you stream all of your TV and do not watch any live programmes or anything onthen you do not need a TV licence.
You could save up to £169.50 a year by not renewing your licence.
The cost of a licence will rise to £174.50 from April 1, so not renewing could save you even more .
Free Netflix with your mobile phone contract
Occasionally, mobile phone contracts include a Netflix subscription for free.
For example, Netflix is available as an Inclusive Extra on some EE plans.
You can get it when you take anyphone, SIM, tablet or laptop on a pay monthly plan which includes at least one Inclusive Extra.
Once you have chosen Netflix as an Inclusive Extra at the checkout you will be sent a text from EE and from Netflix with an activation link.
Keep an eye out for them when you are looking to switch mobile contract and want to subscribe to Netflix.
Shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal.
If the mobile contract is more expensive than others on offer then it could wipe out any savings you would get from having Netflix included.
