MARTIN Lewis has issued an urgent warning to all Disney+ customers due to a major change that could cost £60 a year.
It has been revealed that Disney+ is knuckling down on password sharing.
In a recent MoneySavingExpert newsletter, it was explained that customers who share Disney+ accounts will have to pay an extra £4.99 a month.
This is on top of your existing base price plan.
Say you share an account with friends or family who don’t live with you, the cost will apply.
Add it all up and it comes to £60 a year.
If you currently have a monthly £7.99 standard plan, this will become £12.78 with the separate “extra member” price.
Or if you have a £10.99 premium plan, this will become £15.98.
Alternatively, a £4.99 standard with ads plan will become £8.98 as the extra member cost is £3.99.
Disney+ will also check your location when you access the service.
A “household” will automatically be set up for the account based on the devices you use and where your primary residence is.
Logging into your account away from home will mean completing a verification process using a one-time passcode sent to your email.
To share your account with someone else, you’ll need to buy a separate extra member profile.
You won’t be charged the extra fee automatically, instead you’ll need to buy the extra profile yourself.
However, you can only buy one per account.
This member can’t already have had a Disney+ subscription, including a free trial.
And they can only stream one device at a time.
It is worth noting that Disney+ have not revealed how exactly they will enforce this new policy.
There is a chance you might get locked out of your account if your’e not the account holder.
Sun Money has contacted Disney+ and will update this story when we hear back.
Last weekend The Sun reported on this news along with the revelation of it not being so long ago that Netflix begun charging for password sharing.
In 2023, Netflix started banning viewers from streaming the service if they didn’t live at the house of the primary account holder.
This meant Netflix users who wanted to share an account were charged £4.99 a month, the same as having your own ad-based subscription.
Here are a list of ways to cut costs.
Lloyds Bank’s Club Lloyds account gives you 12 months’ Disney+ standard with ads streaming for free – it’s normally £4.99 a month, £59.88 for a year.
The account is fee-free as long as you meet the £2,000 a month minimum pay-in – there’s a £3 a month fee if you don’t.
Or, if you have a Tesco Clubcard with enough points, you can use your Clubcard vouchers to get 50% off a three-month Disney+ subscription.
Although, this only works with standard with ads and standard subscriptions.
When you swap your vouchers, you’ll get a code that’s valid until May 1, 2025, so if you’re an existing Disney+ subscriber you can wait till your current plan expires, and then use the code.
If you’re unhappy with the changes to your subscription you can cancel anytime by following these simple steps.
It’s important to note though that if you cancel, you won’t be able to watch TV shows or any other content through the streaming platform.
You can cancel at any time and there is no fee to leave.
Start by logging into your Disney+ account online.
Then click the Manage Account button which can be found in the top corner of the screen.
From the plans and billing section, click on your subscription. Then, click cancel subscription and follow the last few steps to confirm.
Do bear in mind, that if you cancel halfway through your billing cycle, you’ll still be able to use the account until your next payment date.
MILLIONS of households across the UK are looking for ways to cut back on their spending and easy swaps can make a big difference.
Pay annually rather than monthly
Sometimes it can seem daunting to pay for a whole year’s subscription all at once.
But if you know you’re going to stick with the service, it can save you money to pay in one lump sum.
Rotate monthly subscriptions
If you have multiple TV and film subscriptions, you could save money by rotating what you pay for each month.
If you’re signed up for everything, you could be forking out a fortune
But each service allows users who pay monthly to cancel their subscription at any point with no fee.
So if you can plan what you want to watch, you could alternate which service you’re signed up to and save.
If you currently have all four services and switch to picking just one a month you could save hundreds of pounds.
Do your research and compare prices
With so many streaming options, it’s easy to lose track of which film and series are available on each.
But there’s no point paying for a subscription if it’s not got anything binge-worthy on offer for you.
If there’s a specific programme you want to watch, one tip is to research which platforms have it and choose that one.
If it’s on multiple platforms, check to see which one is cheaper.
Check for bundle deals too – some mobile phone providers offer free extras with contracts.
For example, Vodafone offers up to 24 months of Amazon prime, Spotify or YouTube Premium with certain pay monthly deals.
Calculate if it’s really worth the money
How often do you actually use your subscription?
If it’s only a few times a month, it might not be worth having them.
Make the most of free trials
Streaming services often let you try before you commit, and will give you one month for free.
Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited and YouTube Premium all currently give new users a one-month free trial, according to Which?
It’s worth taking advantage of this free period to work out if you’re actually going to use a service enough to justify paying for it.
Be sure to put the date in your diary that the trial ends so you don’t accidentally end up signing up and paying for a service you don’t want.
Cancel what you don’t use
It’s easy to lose track of ongoing subscriptions, especially if you’re paying out of several different bank accounts.
Apps like Money Dashboard and Snoop give users an overview of all their bank accounts in one place and can help you spot subscriptions you’re not using.
