Reduce how much you pay for your Netflix subscription.
It’s one of, if not the, best film and TV streaming services with a great range of shows to watch. It’s also one of the cheapest – if you choose the most basic tier.
Though it’s rare to find deals to save money on your Netflix subscription, it is possible to pay less. Here are a few ways to save.
In this article
1 Netflix Basic only for existing subscribers
3 Netflix prices
4 Netflix deals
4.1 Free with EE
4.2 One month free via Sky Stream
5 Netflix money saving hacks
5.1 Switch your subscription level
5.2 Add an Extra Member
5.3 Change how you pay
6 Try a different streaming service
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Netflix Basic only for existing subscribers
As of 19 July 2023, you’ll only be able to get the £6.99 Basic plan if you’re already paying for it. New subscribers or anyone changing their plan will be unable to get it. Here’s my full analysis of what this means for how much you pay.
Read more
- Netflix stealth price hike as it axes “Basic” plan
Netflix password crackdown & Extra members
From 23 May 2023 it’s no longer possible to share your Netflix account outside your household, and there will be a £4.99 additional charge each month to add an “extra member”. I’ve written a full analysis of how it’ll work and whether it’s worth it here.
Read more
- Netflix Extra Members: What you need to know
Netflix prices
Here are the different levels of Netflix you can get. Netflix prices range from £4.99 to £15.99 a month.
The big difference between each one is how many streams you can watch simultaneously on different devices and the picture quality.
The cheapest option at £4.99 a month is Standard with Ad. As the name suggests, it has commercials playing at points in the programmes you watch. You also can’t download to watch offline. Some shows are missing due to rights issues.
The others are ad-free and have the full library available. For most people, the Extra Member or Standard tier should suffice.
| Tier | Price | Number of streams | Picture quality | Notes |
| Standard with Ads | £4.99 | 2 | HD (1080p) | |
| Basic* | £6.99 | 1 | HD (720p) | No longer available for new customers or those changing plans |
| Standard | £10.99 | 2 | HD (1080p) | |
| Premium | £15.99 | 4 | 4K | |
| – | – | – | – | |
| Extra Member | £4.99 per member | 1 | Either HD or 4K (depends if added to a Standard or Premium account) |
Netflix deals
Free with EE
Selected EE contracts will give you Netflix Basic every month for free as part of your tariff. Of course, it might be cheaper to get a lower cost SIM with a different network and pay for Netflix separately.
One month free via Sky Stream
Sky Stream is a box you plug into your TV and broadband to access Sky channels without needing a satellite dish. The core package comes with Netflix and Sky Entertainment included, and you can try it free for one month.
You need to be a new Sky TV customer, and can’t have had a Sky free trial in the last 12 months. However you can be an existing Netflix user, and you can link an existing Netflix account. This will move the payment over to the Sky bill.
The Netflix tier included is the £6.99 Basic package. You can’t add “Extra Members” to this, though you can upgrade to a higher level if you want.
It’s a rolling 31 day contract, so you can cancel at any time. If you don’t do this it’ll be £29 a month. That’s more than getting Netflix and Sky channels via NOW separately – so it’s unlikely to give the best value. However, you will also get access to Freeview channels, which is handy if you don’t have an aerial.
If you cancel you’ll also have to return the Sky Puck device.
£100 gift card for £90 (expired)
This offer is over on Amazon and will save you 10%. You’ll get a physical £100 gift card for £90. It’ll come in the post.
I don’t think this is just for Prime customers, but if it is, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.
Netflix, NOW TV and Freeview box for £10/m (expired)
If you have BT broadband (or sign up for it), you can add on a BT TV package that includes Netflix and NOW at a reduced price. For £10 a month for 24 months you will get:
- Netflix Basic (rrp £6.99 a month)
- NOW Entertainment (rrp £9.99 a month)
- 1TB 4K YouView recorder
A similar model box will cost you £250, so if you are looking at ditching pay TV elsewhere, this would be a cheaper way to get hold of it, with the streaming services thrown in (though you won’t keep it if you leave BT in two years time).
However if you want HD Netflix you’ll have to pay extra – and it’s not clear how much more this is. The difference in price between the two packages when paid direct is £4 a month, so expect the cost to be the same.
Similarly if you want HD and no adverts on your NOW pass that’s another £6 a month. And it’s often possible to get cheaper NOW packages direct with NOW – that might not be the case if you pay via your BT bill.
You’ll also need to factor in if you can get broadband for less elsewhere, and that you’ll be tied in for two years. Oh, and prices will likely go up in spring 2024!
Offer ends 30 June 2023, but often returns throughout the year.
Watch Netflix for free
Sadly Netflix stopped the free trial in the UK in late 2019, though there are occasional offers.
It also briefly had a page with a limited selection of content you could watch without an account, though this comes and goes.
At launch it included:
Films
- Murder Mystery
- The Two Popes
- Birdbox
TV (1st episodes only)
- Stranger Things
- Grace & Frankie
- Our Planet
- Love is Blind
- When They See Us
- Boss Baby Back in Business
- Elite
50% off your first two months (expired)
This offer has ended, but it’s worth checking to see if it returns. It could be you see an offer when others don’t!
New users can save 50% when they first sign up to Netflix. After the first two months at this discounted price you’ll pay the full price for the level you’ve chosen.
It’s possible you’ll see a different offer, such as buy one month, get a second free. It works out you’ll pay the same amount overall, but do let me know what you see.
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Get a £17 Quidco bonus (new members only). More details
Netflix money saving hacks
Switch your subscription level
There are three levels of Netflix. The Standard with Adverts package costs £4.99, but you’ll get adverts and can’t download.
The next level is £10.99 a month and you’ll get HD and be able to watch on two devices at the same time.
The premium package is £15.99. For this you get 4K quality (if the content you want to watch is actually available with that version) and you can stream or download to four devices at the same time.
Personally I think most people will be happy with the Standard options and very few people will get the full benefit of the top tier. Switch and you could save yourself £5 a month.
Add an Extra Member
Sadly you can no longer share your subscription outside your household – unless you pay an additional charge through something called “extra members”.
This is £4.99 on top of the main fee, and you can only add one extra member to the Standard tier and two to the Premium tier.
So the total costs would be:
- Standard + One extra member: £15.98
- Premium + One extra member: £20.98
- Premium + Two extra members: £25.97
Of course, there could still be savings if you split these, but it’ll cost more.
If you do split this then make sure you’re clear with friends and family who is paying what and how they’ll pay the main account holder.
Should you share your Netflix password?
When you can and when you can’t share streaming services with other people
Change how you pay
Pay direct to Netflix
There is an option to bundle Netflix with Sky, BT TV, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. On the whole I’d avoid this. Here’s more on the best ways to pay for Netflix.
Pay with a cashback credit card
You can use a cashback credit card to earn money back on your subscription. We’re not talking huge amounts here, but even the 1% from Chase will add up.
Discounted Netflix gift cards
It’s rare to spot these, but if I do I’ll share them in the deals section of this page.
A work around might be to buy a discounted gift card for a different retailer such as Amazon or Tesco. Technically it’s not always allowed, but you might be able to then use that gift card to buy a Netflix one.
Try a different streaming service
Netflix is great, but there are other options with plenty of content – and plenty of deals. So pause your subscription for a month or two and try out free trials from the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Disney + or get dirt cheap passes for Sky channels via NOW TV. Here’s my guide to the latest offers.