Annual Plans: Save on These Streaming Services by Paying for a Year in Advance

The number of streaming services to choose from has increased dramatically over the past few years. This trend, coupled with constant price increases, has resulted in all of us paying more to stream each month. This is even more true for those of us subscribed to multiple streaming services at the same time.

Paying more in advance for a streaming service can help to save on the cost. In addition to lowering the price, paying for an annual plan can also make it easier to manage subscriptions, as subscribers can just pay and forget about them until next year.

Streaming Services With Annual Plans

Not every streaming service offers an annual plan, so this won’t be an option for every home and every service. For those that do offer an annual plan, subscribers typically get 12 months for the price of 10.

All of the streaming services below currently offer at least one annual subscription, resulting in a saving compared to paying monthly.

In spite of the benefits, some consumers may find that a monthly subscription remains the best option for them.

When Annual Plans Are the Right Choice

If you’re sure a specific streaming service is right for you, opting for an annual plan is likely to be the right option as it can save you money.

If paying for multiple subscriptions at the same time, switching as many as possible from monthly to annual plans could result in significant savings over the course of the year.

Another instance where annual plans can prove beneficial is right before a price increase.

Generally speaking, streaming services tend to announce price increases in advance. Signing up to an annual plan locks in a subscription for the next twelve months at the current price, typically resulting in even greater savings once the price increase takes effect.

When Annual Plans Aren’t the Right Choice

While annual plans can be beneficial, there can be times when they are not the best option, and a prime example is when you are not sold on a service.

Even though the average monthly cost works out to be cheaper, subscribers are committing for a much longer period of time with an annual plan.

If you’re unsure whether a specific service offers enough content to keep you interested all year, it may be better (and cheaper) to subscribe on a monthly basis.

Considering monthly plans make it easy to cancel at any time, subscribers only end up paying for the time they have used the service.

In contrast, annual subscribers have paid for a full year in advance and their subscription will remain active for the remainder of the year. Streaming services don’t typically offer refunds for unused time so the upfront commitment and payment are definitely things to keep in mind.

Deals are another reason to consider sticking with monthly plans — at least for now.

Streaming services are always looking for new subscribers and many routinely offer deals and discounts to bring new customers in.

Holding out for one of these deals may end up resulting in an even cheaper price and/or access to additional features or content.