Deal Expert Reveals Top FREE Streaming Services Amid Another Disney+ Price Hike
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, reveals how UK families can avoid Disney+’s upcoming price hikes.
Disney+ is set to increase the monthly cost of its Standard and Premium plans, forcing families to pay up to £24 more a year. But with these expert tips, you can save money and explore affordable and official streaming alternatives.
Tom said, “Disney+ is not afraid of a price increase, and there’s another one coming. This time, prices for their Standard plan are rising from £7.99 to £8.99 a month and from £79.90 to £89.90 for the annual plan. For Premium users, monthly costs will rise from £10.99 to £12.99, and from £109.90 to £129.90 for the annual plan. But, there are things you can do to beat the price hikes.
1) Lock in the Lower Rate
“If you’ve been thinking of signing up to Disney+, now is the time. By switching to an annual subscription before the price hike on 16th October, you can avoid the increased monthly fees and save up to £10 for the Standard plan and £20 for Premium. This option is perfect for families who know they'll use the service throughout the year.
2) Embrace Ads
“One option is not increasing in price, their Disney+ Standard with Ads plan. If you can put up with ads you can bag Disney+ for just £4.99 a month. There’s no option for a better value plan if you sign up for the year, but it’s by far the best option when it comes to price.
3) Third-Party Deals
“There are third-party providers offering free Disney+ as part of their packages. For instance, O2 is giving six months of Disney+ free for both new and upgrading customers, and Uber One offers a free year of Disney+ when you subscribe to their service for £59.99 a year.
“You can also turn £12 worth of Tesco Clubcard points into a 3 month Disney+ Standard subscription. And, if you have a Club Lloyds account, you can get a 12 month Standard With Ads Disney+ subscription as one of your perks.
4) Don’t Forget To Cancel
“If these price hikes push Disney+ out of your budget, the good news is you can cancel without penalty before 21st November, as that’s when the price hike will kick in for existing subscribers. Many streaming platforms are now competing for your attention, and this could be a chance to reconsider your subscriptions.
5) Free Options
“Instead of Disney+, try exploring free-ish streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer, All 4, or itvX, which offer a variety of shows and films. For BBC iPlayer and any live broadcasts on the others you will need a TV license though. These platforms have made major strides in expanding their catalogue so there’s plenty to choose from. itvX, for example, now has the boxset of One Tree Hill, Heroes and more, as well as top films including Joker, Bridesmaids and Spectre.
“Also, your TV itself may come with free channels, movies, and shows. LG TV has free channels, for instance.
“Plus, research TV boxes such as Roku. You plug it into your TV and it has a large official library of free movies and shows. You can install apps, such as Plex or Pluto to find more, officially-licensed, free content.
“An often overlooked service for free movies is your local library. And no, I don’t mean renting dusty DVDs. Most libraries have digital streaming services with third parties such as Hoopla and Libby where you can download free movies and shows just like Netflix. You can even expand your access by signing up to multiple libraries which some offer.”
6) Set Up Streaming Deal Alerts on Latest Deals
“Use the Latest Deals app to set up deal alerts for Disney+ and other streaming services. This way, you’ll be notified when a discounted subscription, free trial, or special offer comes along. Deal hunters can also use the app to find tips on other streaming platforms and exclusive promotions. For example, last month a deal came up on the app for 3 months Disney+ membership for just £1.99p/m for new and lapsed subscribers.
Tom finished by adding, “There have been price rises across the board when it comes to streaming services, and it comes down to the individual to weigh up and decide whether the new price is worth it. If you’re comparing options, Amazon Prime Video has the benefit of Prime Delivery on goods, and opportunities to make the most of their Prime Deal Days which are going on at the moment”.