Money hacks How to make the most of TV streaming services

Many of the streaming services offer free trials, so you could sign up to one, binge-watch the shows everyone is talking about, and then cancel before you are rolled over into a paid-for subscription. Read the T&Cs very carefully.

- Rupert Jones

Amazon Prime has a 30-day free trial, allowing you to check out new shows such as The Girlfriend. Apple TV+ is running a free seven-day trial - maybe enough time to work your way through The Morning Show or Severance. Netflix does not currently offer free trials.

Often you can only sign up once, but depending on the rules, if there are several people in the household, one person signing up after another may enable you to enjoy multiple trials.

Toggle between services

Many people are forking out for multiple TV streaming services then not watching much on one of them every month.

If that sounds like you, rotate your services to save cash. Andy Webb at Be Clever With Your Cash says: “You're never going to get value for money if you are trying to watch three or four services at the same time. So pick one, binge it, then move on to the next.”

Quite a few TV shows and films are duplicated across two or more services - for example, at the time of writing, the Coen brothers movie Inside Llewyn Davis was on both Netflix and Amazon Prime. The JustWatch app and website can help you find where the content you want to watch is available.

Watch more ads

Some TV streaming services charge less for plans with adverts. Disney+ now costs £5.99 a month with ads, while you'll pay £9.99 for the ad-free option. Netflix’s with-ads plan is also £5.99.

Some plans charge more for “better” picture and sound quality and the number of screens your household can watch at the same time. But are you paying for more than you need?

Get it with something else