A 7-day Discovery Plus free trial is available to all new subscribers, making it possible for individuals and households to check if the service is right for them before paying for a subscription.
There is actually more than one way to start a Discovery Plus free trial, and some options may suit some consumers better than others. Not to mention, some might offer the option for those that have already taken advantage of a Discovery Plus free trial to get another one.
Discovery Plus is likely to appeal to many household members, thanks to a subscription unlocking access to a variety of popular networks, including Discovery, HGTV, ID, and TLC, among others. With more than one plan available, consumers are also able to pick the one that best suits their individual needs and budget.
With the launch of Max, it is also possible to watch Discovery Plus content directly through the Max app and without signing up for Discovery Plus. However, not all of the shows are available through Max, so some may find Discovery Plus to be a better option, and especially considering Max doesn’t offer a free trial.
The standard Discovery Plus free trial lasts seven days, and the easiest way to take advantage of the free period is to sign up directly through the Discovery+ website.
| Discovery+ | |
 | $4.99/$6.99 a month On-demand library Discovery, HGTV, ID and more Discovery+ live channels 7-day free trial |
As the free trial is only available to new Discovery Plus users, those that have already subscribed to the streaming service in the past won’t be able to sign up for another free trial. Well, not directly through Discovery Plus.
If you’ve already had a Discovery+ free trial?
Signing up directly through Discovery Plus is not the only option, as there are also third-party services that offer Discovery Plus as a channel as well. One of the best examples of this is Amazon.
Through its Prime Video Channels service, Prime Members can easily sign up to Discovery Plus at the same price, and watch for free for the first seven days.
The use of third-party services like Prime Video Channels can be a good and useful way to get a second free trial. Considering the subscription is actually with Amazon, it won’t matter if you’ve already used up a free trial through Discovery Plus.
Besides Amazon, new users can take advantage of a 7-day free trial when signing up to Discovery Plus through other select third-party services, including The Roku Channel. In fact, The Roku Channel is likely to be a better option for those wanting an ad-free experience, as unlike Prime Video Channels, Roku offers a 7-day free trial with both the ad-supported and ad-free plans.
Before signing up for the free trial
Regardless of the method used to actually start a free trial, there are some things to be aware of before signing up.
Firstly, and as already mentioned, there are two Discovery Plus plans to choose from. Priced at $4.99 and $6.99 per month, the main difference between the two is the use of ads, with the more expensive plan offering an ad-free streaming experience.
New users will need to select a plan before they get access to the free trial, so this choice will also affect the free trial experience. For example, ad-free users can watch without ads during the free trial while ad-supported users will have to sit through ad breaks.
While consumers can choose the ad-free plan and switch to the cheaper ad-supported subscription before the free period ends, this will require them to remember to make the switch in time, to avoid paying the higher monthly rate.
It is also worth noting that Discovery Plus uses automatic billing. In other words, consumers will need to provide a payment option when signing up to the free trial, and the first monthly payment will automatically be taken at the end of the free trial.
The only way to avoid automatically paying for the first month is to make sure to cancel Discovery Plus before the free trial ends. The exact method of canceling the subscription will depend on how it was created. For example through Discovery+ or through a third-party service like Amazon.
It is also worth mentioning that canceling the free trial might immediately end the free trial in certain cases, so consumers may not want to cancel too early or before they have made a decision.
Discovery Plus free trial: recap
Discovery Plus offers a 7-day free trial to all new subscribers. If previously signed up directly, then it is possible to get a second free trial by signing up to Discovery Plus through a third-party service like Prime Video Channels and The Roku Channel.
Before signing up to the free trial, new users will need to decide on a plan. The $4.99 tier is the cheapest and includes ads, which does mean subscribers will also see ads during the free trial. Alternatively, the $6.99 per month ad-free plan will remove the ads, including during the 7-day free trial.
No matter how someone signs up to Discovery Plus, it is important to keep in mind that they will need to manually cancel the subscription, if they feel this isn’t the right streaming service for them.
