Disney Plus offers both monthly and annual plans with the yearly subscription a good way to save on the cost over the course of 12 months. Compared to some other streaming services, Disney Plus is not the most expensive service and throughout the year there are often other ways for consumers to save on the cost. As a result, and although the annual plan is cheaper over 12 months, it may not be the right option for everyone.
The standard cost of a Disney Plus subscription is $7.99 per month. For that price, consumers get unlimited access to all of the content including originals. The $7.99 cost does represent an increase on the original launch price and the cost is also due to go up again soon. Disney has already confirmed that the price will increase on December 8, 2022. At which point, the unlimited and ad-free plan will cost $10.99 per month, with the option to pay $7.99 for a new, ad-supported version.
For those that would prefer to pay once for the year and be done, it can actually result in a saving on the overall cost. The current price of the annual Disney Plus plan is $79.99 per year, which breaks down to around $6.65 per month. Signing up for the annual plan essentially means a home gains access to Disney Plus for 12 months but only pays for 10 months of the year.
As mentioned, the cost of the monthly Disney Plus subscription is due to increase this December and this also means that the cost of a yearly subscription will increase as well. Once December 8 rolls around, the Disney Plus annual plan will cost $109.99 per year. Once again, this works out to be around $9.15 per month on average, or the equivalent to only paying for 10 months while receiving access to 12 months.
It is worth noting that the new $109.99 annual plan price is specifically for the ad-free version of Disney Plus. Although the company does also plan to launch a Basic (With Ads) Disney Plus subscription, priced at $7.99 per month, there are currently no plans to offer an annual version of the ad-supported subscription.
Is it worth paying for the annual plan?
Opting for the annual plan is certainly cheaper than paying each month for the full 12 months. However, that is based on the consumer remaining a subscriber for the full year. For any homes that think they might not need access to Disney Plus all year, then it may make more sense to just pay monthly and retain the ability to easily cancel when there’s nothing to watch.
The annual plan also only makes sense when compared to the monthly ad-free – Premium (No Ads) – plan. Considering the cost of the Basic (With Ads) plan will be priced at $7.99 per month, this works out to be $95.88 over the course of a full year, which is almost $15 cheaper than the only annual plan that will be available from this December.
Of course, there is also the Disney Bundle to take into consideration. One of the easiest and best ways to save on the cost of Disney Plus is to bundle it with other services. Specifically, Basic Hulu and ESPN Plus. At present, the Disney Bundle costs $13.99 per month and unlocks access to all three services. Once the December 8th change takes effect, consumers will be able to bundle Disney Plus with just Hulu and pay as little as $9.99 per month. Depending on their need for ESPN Plus, and their willingness to sit through ads to save money, the current or future bundle options may work out to be a better deal than paying for a standalone annual Disney Plus subscription.
Disney Plus annual plan summary
Disney Plus does offer an annual plan and it is a good way to save on the cost of a subscription. However, it is not the only way to save and that’s an important distinction. For those that only want to subscribe to Disney Plus, and know that they will remain an active subscriber for the full 12 months, then the annual plan makes sense and is worth signing up to. In particular, Disney is set to increase the cost of its monthly and annual plans this December, so signing up to the annual plan before that price increase will greatly save on the overall cost of a subscription over the next 12 months.
For those that are less sure of how much Disney Plus they will watch, it may be better to subscribe on a monthly basis and retain the ability to cancel the subscription when wanted. Alternatively, it may also be worth considering bundling Disney Plus with basic Hulu and ESPN Plus to save on the cost of all three streaming services. From early December, Disney will also be offering an entertainment-focused bundle which only includes ad-supported Disney Plus and ad-supported Hulu and that may be another cheaper option that’s worth considering.
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