Disney+ has recently announced a clampdown on account sharing, implementing a new policy that will charge an additional £4.99 per user.
This move, mirroring Netflix’s recent actions, will take effect for existing subscribers within 30 days of receiving the notification email. While this might be disheartening news for many password-sharers, experts reveal there are several ways to continue enjoying free and discounted subscription plans.
Tom Church, co-founder of the money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, commented: “For those sharing Disney+ accounts with family and friends, this new charge could mean yet another bill to factor into their monthly budget. While £4.99 might not seem like a lot, it can make a significant difference, especially considering the average Brit already spends around £696 annually on subscription services.”
Tom shares his tips for benefiting from discounted subscription services to keep your monthly outgoings as low as possible:
Disney+
Uber One: By subscribing to Uber One, you can benefit from a £20 reduction on your annual Disney+ bill along with discounted Uber rides. Uber One subscriptions come with a year’s Disney+ voucher, making it a two-in-one deal.
Lloyds Bank: Club Lloyds account holders can enjoy a ‘standard with ads’ Disney+ subscription free for 12 months, provided they meet the £2,000 monthly minimum pay-in requirement. Without meeting this threshold, a £3 monthly fee is applicable.
Clubcard Vouchers: Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be used towards Disney+ subscriptions. For £7.50 in vouchers, you can get a 3-month ‘standard with ads’ subscription, or for £12 in vouchers, you can secure a 3 month ‘standard’ subscription without ads. Both offers work out as 50% off.
Lloyds Bank: Club Lloyds account holders can enjoy a ‘standard with ads’ Disney+ subscription free for 12 months, provided they meet the £2,000 monthly minimum pay-in requirement. Without meeting this threshold, a £3 monthly fee applies.
O2: Existing O2 customers with a Pay Monthly Refresh tariff or a SIM-only 12 or 18-month contract can get a premium Disney+ account for just £7.99 per month, down from the usual £10.99.
Amazon Prime:
EE: Customers on EE mobile plans in the UK can get a free 6-month trial of Amazon Prime Video. After the trial, it’s just £5.99.
Student Discounts: Students can get a 6-month free trial of Amazon Prime, which includes Prime Video, and then a 50% discount on the subscription fee (£3.99/month or £39/year).
Twitch Prime: If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can automatically get Twitch Prime (now called Prime Gaming), which includes free monthly subscriptions to Twitch channels, free in-game content, and a selection of free PC games.
Paramount Plus:
Sky Cinema: Sky TV customers with a Sky Cinema subscription can get Paramount Plus included at no additional cost. This is a great way to benefit from two services at the price of one.
BT TV: BT’s ‘EE TV Entertainment’ package includes NOW Entertainment, Netflix, Discovery+, a variety of Sky channels, and 3 months of Apple TV+. This package is charged at £44.99 a month, compared to around £80 for each service individually.
Netflix:
EE: Customers can add Netflix to their mobile plan and get the cost included in their monthly bill, sometimes with a discounted rate or additional data for streaming.
Virgin Media: Virgin Media offers bundles that include Netflix as part of their broadband and TV packages. Customers can get a discount on the overall package price by bundling these services together.
“Take a look at the channels and services you are regularly consuming content from and ask yourself, “Do I really need to pay for all of these TV and film streaming services at the same time?” If the answer is no, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ all allow you to cancel a monthly plan without an exit fee.
“Therefore, if there is a particular programme being launched that you know you will be bingeing, it’s perfectly feasible to cancel the other platforms you won’t use as much and continue alternating the platforms you pay for in order to save some money.” – Tom Church
There are also of course free streaming services; All4, ITVX, STV Player and My5 are great alternatives and have a whole host of box sets, series’, and movies available free of charge.
