Between holiday-themed content, sports and popular shows like Manifest and Titans, streaming services may be your destination for TV. But keeping the costs low for streaming can be tricky.
Though you may be considering a break from your favorite subscription to manage your expenses, this may also be a good time to try out a new service. But how can you save money without missing out on a TV show, sports event or new movie?
Many of these streaming platforms, including Disney Plus, Hulu, Paramount Plus and Peacock are running deals. Some services are offering direct discounts to customers, whether you’re a new or returning subscriber. Meanwhile, students get cheap Hulu and people who buy the new Chromecast with Google TV get three months of HBO Max. Depending on the streaming platform you’re eyeing, there could be a good deal out there.
Let’s break down the best streaming service deals that are available now.
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Are you looking for a live TV streaming option? Sling is offering a discount on its three TV packages for a limited time, giving viewers access to live channels and on-demand shows and movies.
New subscribers who sign up for Sling Orange ($40), Sling Blue ($40) or Sling Orange + Blue ($55) will receive 50% off the first month, dropping the price down to $20 or $27.50. After the deal expires, you’ll be charged the regular rate for a monthly subscription, but you can always check out Sling Free.
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In a last-chance deal, Disney Plus is offering an annual subscription for $80 to Disney Plus Premium (No Ads) if you sign up by Dec. 7. The streaming service will increase prices on all its plans and the Disney Bundle on Dec. 8, so you can lock in this rate for one year.
After the promotional price expires, the plan will renew at $110 per year, plus tax. The deal is open to new or previous Disney Plus subscribers.
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For a limited time, you can sign up for Starz for $5 a month for three months. The regular rate is $9 monthly, so this deal will save you 44% during the three-month period.
The promotional rate is available for new and previous subscribers who had the Starz app, once it expires, it will go up to the current price. The free trial is not included.
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Paramount Plus provides a 25% student discount on its $5 per month Essential Plan that is good for four years, regardless of whether you graduate early. The offer cannot be applied to its Premium Plan or for subscribers who were grandfathered in on the now-discontinued Limited Commercials plan.
The catch? You must be enrolled in an accredited, Title IV higher education institution. To sign up, Paramount Plus will verify your student credentials through a third party. The discount is good for eligible students with new or existing accounts. Those with existing Premium Plan subscriptions have the option to cancel and switch to the Essential plan to receive the special deal.
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Paramount Plus normally runs $10 a month for its commercial-free (and live-CBS-included) offering, while its Essential plan costs $5 a month. Prepaying for a year of either can effectively net you two months free, with the ad-free version running $100 for the year (a $20 savings) and the ad-supported tier running $50 (a $10 savings).
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At $14 a month, the Disney bundle saves you $5 each month over the cost of separate Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu subscriptions, which is basically the same as getting ESPN Plus for free.
If you’ve already got a Hulu or ESPN account, you’ll need to combine your accounts on your desktop.
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If you have a Hulu plan that doesn’t include the Disney Bundle, you may be eligible to get Disney Plus for $3 per month. Hulu-billed subscribers can select Disney Plus as an add-on for the reduced rate by visiting their account page.
This discount applies to the basic, ad-supported $7 Hulu plan and for the $13 ad-free version. Verify your account details to determine whether you already have access to Disney Plus and to check if you’re being billed via a third party. Go to the Manage Add-ons section of your account page and select Disney Plus. Currently, there’s no expiration date for this offer.
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If you were on the fence about trying HBO Max and are in the market for a new streaming device, Google has a new deal for you. The search giant has a new bundle that combines its Chromecast with Google TV and three months of ad-free HBO Max for $65. With the device usually running $50 on its own, and ad-free HBO Max running $15 a month, this deal saves you $30 — the equivalent of two free months of HBO Max.
The Google Store deal will be available until Dec. 31, 2022, though you’ll need to be new to HBO Max to take advantage of it.
Spotify
Beyond getting Hulu in the Verizon bundle, there are a few ways to save on Disney’s other streaming service.
Students will want to check out Spotify’s Premium Student offer which combines Spotify Premium, Hulu’s ad-supported plan and Showtime for $5 per month. All told, the bundle would save nearly $22 a month. You need to be a student above the age of 18 who is “enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university” to qualify, and Spotify works with a third party called SheerID to verify that you’re eligible.
You will need to verify eligibility every 12 months, with the offer available for a total of four years. Full details can be found at Spotify’s site.
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College students who don’t want the Spotify and Showtime bundle can get the ad-supported Hulu for $2 a month. Hulu similarly uses SheerID to verify eligibility, with more details available on Hulu’s site.
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Comcast, which owns Peacock and its parent NBCUniversal, includes a subscription to the $5-a-month Peacock Premium for all Xfinity Flex users as well as its Xfinity X1 and video customers who subscribe to at least the Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV internet and TV packages. More details can be found on Peacock’s site.
Cable company Cox is also giving away the $5-a-month Peacock Premium subscription to those who have Cox Internet with a Contour TV Essential or higher plan. Those with Cox Internet and a subscription to Contour Stream Player or Contour TV Starter can “enjoy a limited-time preview” of Peacock Premium “at no additional cost.” Full details can be found on Cox’s site.
If you don’t have Cox or Comcast, you can get an annual Peacock subscription for either $50 a year for ad-supported Premium or $100 a year for ad-free Premium Plus.
Just like Comcast and Cox, Charter is giving some of its home TV users up to a year of free Peacock Premium. The cable company, which owns Spectrum, now includes the free year of service with “most” of its cable TV plans. (It says, “Offer availability and content availability may vary by region.”) Cord-cutters who only have Spectrum Internet will be able to get a free 90 days of Peacock Premium.
If you’re already paying for Peacock Premium you’ll need to cancel the billing on your account and sign back up by linking your Spectrum account. It’s also worth noting that after these 12 months are up, or 90 days for home internet users, you’ll be automatically billed the streaming service’s regular $5 per month rate unless you cancel.
