How to Cut Your Streaming Costs: The Rotation Strategy

Streaming was supposed to be cheaper than cable. But with price increases and more services than ever, many households now pay more than they did for cable.

The rotation strategy

Instead of paying for every service year-round:

1. Pick one or two services you use the most and keep them.
2. Subscribe to another service for one month, binge what you want to watch, then cancel.
3. Move to the next one.

Most services let you cancel anytime and keep access through the end of the billing period, so cancel right after you subscribe to avoid forgetting.

Use ad-supported plans

Ad-supported tiers can cost several dollars less a month than ad-free plans. If you watch a show or two a week, the trade-off may be worth it.

Check for free access

• Phone and internet plans sometimes include a streaming service or offer a discount.
• Your public library may offer free streaming of movies and TV through library apps with your card.
• Free ad-supported streaming services offer large libraries of movies and shows at no cost.
• An antenna picks up local broadcast channels, including many sports and news programs, for free.

Think about bundles carefully

Bundles that package several services together can be cheaper than paying for each separately, but only if you’d actually watch all of them.

Share the right way

Many services now charge extra for sharing an account outside your household. Check the rules before splitting an account.

Quick audit: For each service, ask: What did I watch on it last month? If the answer is nothing, cancel it. You can resubscribe in seconds.