How much do you pay for entertainment? Netflix being one of the pricey streaming platforms, the answer is a lot. And with the recent Netflix password-sharing crackdown, you have to pay even more if you share it with your friends or family. You can choose the best Netflix plan for you, but that won’t change the fact that it is still pricier than many others. So, if you’re looking to save some money on your Netflix subscription, here are 7 ways to get Netflix at a discount.
Though Netflix itself doesn’t offer discounts, there are actually plenty of ways you can legally get a discounted subscription plan for Netflix. We will take a look at all the methods you can use to save money on Netflix and answer some of the most frequently asked questions about discounted Netflix plans.
Does Netflix Offer Discounts?
Unfortunately, Netflix does not offer any official discounts. It never did, which is quite surprising because other streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and YouTube Premium at least offer students discounts. Major technology companies often use this method to lure new users to their platforms. However, you won’t find Netflix offering discounts to do so. They focus on creating quality content and expect people to join in with what they offer. The best you can get is a single-screen mobile plan for limited countries, which is still more expensive than other streaming services.
That said if you find any third-party website stating they offer Netflix discounts, stay away from it. It is highly unlikely that such an offer will be available in the future as well. Therefore, it is wise to stay away from shady websites promoting Netflix scams.
Other Ways to Save Money on Netflix Subscription
There is no need to feel down if Netflix is not offering any discount. You can always save money using nifty tricks for Netflix. For instance, groups buy a Netflix subscription and enjoy it with their friends and family. People worldwide are using this method to make the most out of their accounts. Even the company’s CEO has admitted that there are more users than Netflix accounts. Remember, the company does not promote using someone else’s Netflix account and they are trying to find a way to stop this. In fact, Netflix recently announced that they are testing a new feature where they will charge users for sharing their Netflix passwords.
Here, we bought you some lesser-known methods to save money on your Netflix subscription.
1. Buy Gift Cards
When other platforms provided a discount to bring people onto their platforms, Netflix opted for a different approach. It used to sell affordable gift cards for Netflix in retail stores, which you can redeem on its website. Such cards are hard to find at the same price these days. Still, you can buy Netflix gift cards from retailers and other sources like Amazon and PayPal.
Buying gift cards will not make the Netflix subscription cheaper. Therefore, there is a second layer to this method to save your money. You can ask your helpful friends to buy you this card as your birthday present. It’s good to go as long as they don’t mind. Or, you can use credit and debit cards that provide cashback for your purchases. You can also rely on Amazon cashback and promo codes to buy the card from Amazon’s website. This method will save you some money while purchasing the card, and you will ultimately have Netflix at slightly cheaper rates.
Note: Netflix gift cards are available in limited countries such as US and Italy. However, you might not find it in India or Algeria. Don’t worry; you can redeem your gift card in any country as long as you pay your bills in the same currency as the card.
2. Change Country Using VPN
If you didn’t know, Netflix subscription cost is variable based on the country, which you can find here. So, why not use it to our advantage? All you need is a premium VPN at your disposal. If you don’t already have one, look at our list of best VPNs to find one suitable for you. In exchange for the price of your VPN, you will get affordable Netflix plans and additional security to your system. Also, keep an eye on the Black Friday deals these VPNs provide. Beat that Netflix!
It is vital to choose your VPN wisely since Netflix does not promote changing your geolocation to access the content. If you use a free VPN, Netflix’s algorithm will detect it in no time, and you won’t be able to stream anything. Once you get your VPN active, change your location to a country that provides affordable plans. Buy your Netflix subscription from that country and enjoy the discounted price. However, there are a few points you need to look for while using this method. If you want a detailed guide on how to switch your region on Netflix, check out our linked guide.
- You need to buy a new subscription for this method to work. Therefore, wait for your current billing cycle to end, cancel your subscription, and restart your membership with an active VPN.
- Make sure you have methods to pay in the currency of the country of your choice.
- Netflix content will vary depending on the location, but you don’t have to use VPN continuously to use Netflix.
- Benefit from the VPN and watch content not available in your country.
- You might need to change Netflix’s default settings like content language, display language, subtitles, and more to your preferred language.
- Always clear Netflix cookies after joining your VPN and before using the app.
Important Note: Although this method might work, Netflix does not appreciate people using VPNs. In the worst case, if you get caught you won’t be able to stream anything and lose your account.
3. Use Promo Codes
If you are lucky enough, some companies will send you promo codes for Netflix. Netflix works with a variety of other companies and often provides promotional offers to build good relations. For instance, it can create a promotional code for employees of a VFX team who helped them with their projects. Or some marketing company who helped them boost sales. So, if a company decides to partner with Netflix and you happen to be their customer, hurray! You can quickly redeem these promotional offers on Netflix’s website.
4. Choose a Bundled Plan from Cellular Services
Many cellular service providers bundle Netflix subscriptions into their plans. However, there are some limits to it. The plans often consist of a single-screen Netflix subscription with tough demands from the service provider. For instance, T-mobile is the only cellular service in the US providing such a plan. You can get the offer by opting for the Magenta plan with two active lines to get Netflix’s Basic plan. Or, get Magenta Max with two lines to get Netflix’s Standard plan. Similarly, in India, you can get a Netflix subscription with Jio and Vodafone on their premium postpaid plans.
Note: The availability of such bundled plans varies for each country and is specific to cellular service providers in that region only.
5. Choose a Bundled Plan from Broadband Services
Just like the cellular service providers we mentioned earlier, Broadband service providers do offer bundled plans including Netflix and many more OTT services. In India broadband providers like JioFiber and ACT teamed up with the top streaming giant Netflix to offer and other OTT subscriptions on selected plans. Therefore, check out your cellular and broadband services plan before getting a Netflix subscription, it can save you some money.
Note: These bundled plans are exclusively offered by broadband service providers in specific regions, and the availability varies by country.
6. Try Changing your Netflix Membership Plan
Why not take advantage of the multiple subscription tiers available right? In our busy schedule, we often forget to try out different plans at first and fall for the premium ones even if it’s not needed as of now. There are many tiers of Netflix subscription options. So, you can switch from the Premium or Standard plan to the Basic plan to save money. To further optimize your savings, you might even choose a less expensive mobile-only plan in select nations like India, the Philippines, or Vietnam, etc. This is a comparison of the three primary Netflix subscription packages and the advantages they provide for users:
It is best to switch to a less expensive plan to reduce your expenditures if you are willing to accept device restrictions and lower video quality. You can continue your binge-watching journey along with saving money if you do it this way.
7. Pause Netflix Subscription Occasionally
Last but not least, canceling your subscription when not in use is the best way to save money on expensive Netflix plans. Netflix doesn’t want you to leave their platform. Therefore, they have made it extremely easy for you to restart your membership. Besides, your preferences are stored for up to ten months, which means you can join anytime in this period and continue where you left off.
If you are not using Netflix to watch content and have auto payments on, your hard-earned money is going in vain. Therefore, you can cancel the autopayments so that you only pay when you want to watch something, or you will need to cancel your subscription every once in a while. Remember, even after cancellation, you can use the OTT platform till the last date of your billing cycle. All you have to do is go to your Account Settings and look for “Cancel membership” in the Membership & Billing section. Then, confirm your cancellation on the next page.
Note: Deleting your app or not opening Netflix won’t cancel your subscription.
Although Netflix does not provide any official discounts, it doesn’t mean we can’t find our way around them. We have discussed some quirky tricks to save yourself from paying extra money on Netflix. Some of these methods might save you only a few bucks, but combining them all will move the needle for you. I find the VPN technique quite impressive since it has multiple benefits: the increased number of titles to watch and an extra layer of security. Let me know if you know of any out-of-box technique we should include in the comments below.
FAQs Regarding Netflix Discounts
No, Netflix does not offer discounts officially. However, you can smartly bypass this by using other ways to save money on your Netflix subscription.
No, Netflix does not offer a student discount. However, you can get Amazon Prime, Hulu, and YouTube Premium at a student discount.
With the purchase of a new Chromecast with Google TV and Netflix bundle, you’ll receive a 6-month credit for Netflix service. You can redeem it from the Google Home app. However, this facility is only available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and the UK.
Netflix does not have any active free trial plans. It used to have such offers previously which are currently suspended.
