How to Save Money on Streaming Services in 2025
Over the last several year, more and more people are cutting cable and turning to streaming services. The problem is, most of those services had tripled in price. Not only that, people feel they need every one of them. Today, I am going to offer some tips on ways to save money on streaming services.
My #1 Tip to Save Money on Streaming Services
First and foremost, rotate your streaming services. You don’t need to have 6 different streaming services at once. You can simply have one or two and watch everything you want to on those. When you’re done, put your subscription on hold and move to another. Some companies even offer a discount to come back, adding another way to save money on streaming services.
Looking for more money saving tips? Check these out!
15 Guaranteed Ways to Save Money in 2025
How to Create the Best Grocery Budget in 2025
Genius Laundry Hacks to Save You Time and Money
Free Trials
If you’re interested in just watching one or two things on a platform, you can get a free trial for that streaming service. You generally need to be a new customer, but not always. Some of them let you use these free trials once a year.
Here’s some of the streaming services that currently offer a free trial:
- Hulu
- Prime Video (includes Amazon Prime)
- Apple TV+
- Discovery+
- HBO Max
- Paramount+
- AMC+
- BritBox
- MGM+
- Starz
- Frndly
- Fubo
- Philo
- Youtube TV
Just don’t forget to cancel your subscription before you’re charged! You can usually cancel right away and still watch right up until your trial ends!
Get Free Streaming Services
Some streaming services are absolutely free, you just have to watch ads. However; most streaming services require ads now unless you want to pay a hefty fee for ad-free.
Here’s some of the streaming services that are completely free:
- Tubi (My personal favorite!)
- Roku Channel
- Pluto TV
- Plex
- Crackle
- Sling Freestream (“Watch free TV, shows and movies and Win Rewards! Stream 500+ channels of news, movies and popular shows for free! Sign up to start watching & earn Rewards prizes!)
- PBS Kids
- Youtube (Includes free movies, free content from creators, and a kid-friendly version)
Pay Annually vs Monthly to Save Money on Streaming Services
If you find a streaming service you love, don’t mind paying for it, and keep it year round, paying annually is a good idea. You will usually be offered a cheaper price rate for the year subscription as opposed to the monthly subscription.
Use Reward Programs and Cash Back
One of my favorite reward programs, Rakuten, offers money back when you subscribe and pay for different streaming services. The services and pay out changes, but it’s a good idea to check before you pay for one.
You should also check with your credit or debit card company to see if they have any offers. I have Chase bank and they currently are running:
- $3 back on Paramount+
- $20 back on Youtube TV
- $10 back on Sling TV
- 15% back on ESPN+
- $3 back on Starz
I have saved almost $100 just by adding offers to my debit card and using my card at checkout. They also offer rewards on subscriptions, restaurants (some are even local), gas, and more! The best part is, if you don’t use them, no worries. You will just be credited if the transaction shows up on your bank statement. The offers are always changing. Chase Bank isn’t the only one to offer these, so be sure to check!
Look for Special Discounts
Certain streaming services will give special discounts for students or those on a low income. Prime Video is the top streaming service that comes to mind for these particular discounts. It doesn’t hurt to check though!
Get Discounts Through Providers to Save Money on Streaming Services
When Disney+ first came out, you could get it free through Verizon. We are grandfathered in to free Hulu (ad version) through our Spotify+ membership. It pays to check with your other service providers to see what perks and discounts they offer.
Choose a Bundle
Sometimes, bundling different providers ends up being cheaper or almost the same price as just paying for one. Lots of different companies are offering bundles now, such as Hulu, Disney, & Max.
Save Money on Streaming Services by Signing up for Steep Deals
Black Friday is probably the best time to look for deals to save money on streaming services. Even though they are the ad version, you can get some for several months or even a year at extremely low prices. There are other times throughout the year as well, but that is certainly the lowest time of year.
