How to Save Money on Streaming Services - Consumer Reports (2024)

If you haven’t checked lately, you may be surprised at how much you’re spending on TV streaming services every month. That’s what happened to my wife and me recently when we reviewed our expenses.

Once we went through our credit card statements, we discovered that we were paying for monthly subscriptions to nine separate video services, including Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix. The total bill was more than $70 a month, or about $600 a year—on top of the not-insignificant amount we pay annually for our satellite TV service, which we have instead of cable.

1. Decide What to Do About Cable

Before we dig into streaming services, let’s first look at cable, which is the biggest chunk of many households’ monthly home entertainment bill.

My wife and I considered canceling our DirecTV satellite service but decided to keep it because it’s a good way for her to see nearly every Yankees game. You may likewise find that a traditional cable (or satellite) package is the best way to get all the network TV you want. You may be able to negotiate for a cheaper cable TV rate, but other options might still be cheaper.

One other thing to consider is that several cable companies are now offering their own lower-cost streaming packages. Comcast’s Now TV, for example—marketed under the company’s Xfinity brand—is a streaming bundle that offers more than 40 live cable channels, about 20 free channels, plus Peaco*ck Premium, for just $20 a month. There’s also a newer Now StreamSaver package that includes 40 channels of live TV, plus Apple TV+, Netflix Standard (with ads), and Peaco*ck Premium for $30 a month, or $60 a month when bundled with the company’s 300 Mbps internet service.

Likewise, Charter offers a $40-a-month Spectrum TV Stream plan for its internet customers, which includes more than 90 live channels. There’s also a Spectrum Stream Latino plan, which features 45 Spanish-language channels for $25 a month.

However, neither of these cable company plans include any live local or sports channels, so they’re not for everyone.

Of course the least pricey approach of all is to use an inexpensive indoor antenna. If you live in or near a city, it might allow you to receive all the traditional networks, including local broadcasts, for free.

If you get good reception, an indoor antenna will get ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, plus PBS, Telemundo, and dozens of digital subchannels that have been added over the past 20 years. CR has tested good antennas selling for as little as $20. Just check the return policy, in case it turns out you have poor reception in your home.

If an antenna won’t work for you, consider using a cable replacement service. It may be cheaper than your cable plan and give you much of the same programming. Cable replacement services stream over the internet, just like Netflix, but they carry local networks and many other stations found on cable. Prices for these services—Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and some others—have been rising, but they may still be cheaper than a cable or satellite package.

2. List Which Services You're Paying For

After you’ve settled the cable question, it’s time to make a list of every streaming service you subscribe to. This might be as simple as scrolling through the apps on your TV, but be sure to double-check your credit card bills, too.

To make it easier to keep track of all your streaming subscriptions, consider moving them to one credit card. Another option is to subscribe to your streaming services through your Amazon, Apple TV+, or Roku account, so the billing is all in one place. Then, each month, review every service you’re paying for and determine whether you’re still using it enough to justify the cost. This can also help you catch any price hikes.

Once you’ve made a comprehensive list of your streaming services, it might be easy to eliminate some of them. For instance, if you subscribed last year to a niche service such as BroadwayHD, for $20 a month, just to watch “42nd Street,” you can probably let that one go.

But what about the big services—like Apple TV+, Max, and Hulu—which periodically introduce really great shows that people talk about for months? There’s a solution for that.

3. Hop Among Services

Many people sign up for streaming services to watch a particular series and then continue to subscribe even after they’ve finished every episode. It just becomes part of their monthly expenses, like a utility bill. But that’s unnecessary.

Because these services don’t require contracts, you can join Disney+ to host a “Star Wars” binge party, then quit until it releases another season of “The Mandalorian.” That will save you $8 or more a month.

"Service hopping" isn’t a novel idea: More than 29 million Americans—about one-quarter of paying streaming subscribers—have canceled three or more services over the past two years, according to Antenna, a subscription research firm.

And don’t worry about missing out: Websites and apps like JustWatch and Reelgood let you keep track of when the shows you want to see become available, so you can sign up just as the new season begins.

4. Choose a Cheaper Tier With Ads

Not long ago, streaming services each offered just one pricing option. Now, many companies have added cheaper, "ad-supported" plans, where the shows come with commercials. That’s a good way to save money, especially when streaming services raise their prices. For example, in my household, we subscribe to the ad-supported versions of Hulu and Paramount+. You can now get lower-priced, ad-supported options from Disney ($8 a month), Max ($10 a month), and Netflix ($7 a month).

These ad-supported services have been less affected by recent price hikes. Disney, for example, recently hiked the prices of only the ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu. Netflix also increased prices but kept its entry-level, ad-supported plan at $7 a month.

5. Stream Shows and Movies Free

Many great shows and movies, such as “Frasier” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” are available on free streaming services like Freevee, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi. These services have original content, too. In exchange for watching, you’ll have to put up with some ads.

In addition, you might be able to take advantage of free promotions on paid services. You can no longer get Max for free from an unlimited AT&T plan, but you can get some Netflix plans through certain T-Mobile Magenta wireless plans. People with T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus plan can get Apple TV+ for free. Verizon customers with 5G Get More or 5G Play More can continue to get the Disney+ bundle for free, but those plans are no longer being offered. Those with eligible Unlimited service can get Disney+ Premium (No Ads) for just six months. However, Verizon has been shifting some subscribers to new plans that don’t include the Disney+ bundle.

Cable companies are also getting into the act. Charter’s Spectrum customers can now get the ad-supported versions of Paramount+ and BET for free. This follows an earlier deal that saw Disney+ and ESPN+ get added to some Spectrum TV packages at no additional charge.

Other options include getting Paramount+ for free when you subscribe to a Walmart+ membership, or being able to watch three months of Apple TV+ at no charge when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac. If you take advantage of promotions like this one, be sure to enter the end date of the free period on your calendar in case you want to cancel before you start getting charged.

6. Try a Bundle

Taking a page out of the cable TV playbook, streaming services are turning to bundles to keep customers subscribed. Disney, for example, offers plans that combine Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ (with ads) for $15 a month.

If you’re a Verizon wireless customer, you can get a Netflix/Max package (with ads) for just $10 a month. A Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle is offered at the same price.

This summer, we saw some streaming services—normally competitors—joining together to offer bundles that combine several of their respective services. The highest profile one so far is from Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney, which teamed up to launch a combo package that includes Disney+, Hulu, and Max for only $17 a month (with ads), or $30 if you want to skip the ads.

This fall, those companies will be teaming up with Fox to launch a streaming sports bundle called Venu Sports. Priced at $43 a month, it will include games from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, FIFA World Cup, and NASCAR, as well as college sports, golf, tennis, and soccer. There will be 14 live sports channels, including multiple ESPN channels as well as ESPN+, plus ABC, Fox and Fox Sports, TNT, and TBS.

Venu Sports will be available directly through its own app, and subscribers will be able to bundle the service with Disney+, Hulu, or Max. The service will offer a seven-day free trial. So far, there’s no official launch date.

We expect to see even more bundles emerge as media companies look to gain new customers and combat cancellations, which are on the rise. New data from research firm Parks Associates show that households are now subscribing to fewer services than they did even a year ago, and spending has dropped by about 30 percent from 2021.

8. Subscribe to Networks Directly

Let’s say the network you watch most is NBC. These days, you can sign up for NBC’s streaming network, Peaco*ck, for $6 a month to watch shows a day after they air on live TV. With the $12-a-month Peaco*ck Premium Plus plan, you also get local news, weather, and NBC shows live.

CBS has its own version, Paramount+, with the same pricing—$6 for a basic plan, and $12 for a version called Paramount+ with Showtime that provides live local TV.

In addition to the regular shows you’d find on those networks, you’ll get some streaming-only shows. For example, Paramount+ has several “Star Trek” series, plus "Tulsa King," starring Sylvester Stallone; and the reboot of “Frasier,” starring Kelsey Grammer. Peaco*ck’s original shows include “Poker Face,” with Natasha Lyonne, and "Special Ops: Lioness," from "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan. It also has the Oscar-winning movie "Oppenheimer."

And remember, you can jump into and out of these services, too. My wife and I recently signed up for one month of Peaco*ck to binge-watch all five seasons of “Yellowstone.” We then dropped it and signed up with Apple TV+ ($7) to see "Still," the Michael J. Fox documentary, and the series "Lessons in Chemistry." We were also able to cram in full seasons of "The Crowded Room" and "Silo" before we had to pay for an additional month.