The Cheapest Way to Try 7 Major Streaming Services

Get Disney+, Hulu and Spotify on the cheap (or free)

Disney Plus
Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Cord cutters dilemma: With all the existing and new streaming services, it’s very likely subscribing to more than a few of ‘em will cost as much as your current (and ridiculously high) cable bill.

Fortunately, both newcomers (like Disney+, launching in November) and veteran content platforms (like Hulu) currently offeri some excellent introductory prices and long-term offers. And, if you play things right and remember to cancel memberships, there’s a way to test out these services on the cheap.

Below, a few streaming deals:

Disney+

Your Marvel/Star Wars/family streamer is only going to cost about $70 per year when it launches on November 12, but you can knock that price down to under $4/month if you buy in bulk. You just need to join the Disney fan club D23. Just sign up, create an account, wait about 36 hours and you’ll receive a notification about the offer (3 yrs/$141). Offer ends Monday

As well, this $13/month deal that includes Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ will be ideal once it’s live.

Hulu

If you missed the Spotify/Hulu deal earlier this year (basically, subscribe-to-one-get-one free), you might want to wait and see if they offer it again. If not, or if you don’t want Spotify, you can currently get the ad-supported version of Hulu for just $2.99/month (or over half off) for six months. Offer ends Tuesday. 

CBS All-Access

If you want to see originals like Star Trek: Picard and The Twilight Zone, or catch all 300 seasons of NCIS, you’d normally pay $6-$10 per month. But currently, you can get a trial month for free. Like what you see? It’s 15 percent off if you opt for an annual plan. 

Spotify

As of last week, the streaming service now offers three months of free premium service for new users (a $30 value), up from one. It looks like this one is gonna stick around for a while, too.


Related:
These Financial Apps Will Help You Cancel Monthly Subscriptions
Offered a Free Trial? Mastercard Will Now Block Unwanted Future Billing.


Apple Music

Though neither offer is currently valid (they sell out fast), Apple was giving away limited amounts of three- and four-month free trial periods on Groupon and LivingSocial over the last week. And we’ve noticed that once Apple starts doing discounts, they keep bringing ’em back, so maybe it’s time to open those Groupon emails you’ve been ignoring since 2009.

SiriusXM

It’s pretty easy for both new and former customers to grab a free week or two of satellite radio a few times per year (seriously, check your email, you’ll certainly have an offer in there). But if you’re a student or still have an .edu email address, you can grab a streaming version of the service — not the car radio one — along with personalized stations via Pandora for just $4 per month, down from $13. (Amazon Music Unlimited has a 99 cents per month for students as well).

Netflix

You’re not gonna find great discounts here, but some cable companies and Dish have thrown in a year of free streaming when you get hooked up with their more traditional TV services. And right now, Netflix does offer one month free for new subscribers — and they’ll send you a reminder three days before your trial period is up.

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