Reminder: Netflix is About to Increase Prices Again (For Some)

If you were grandfathered in under older pricing tiers, your monthly subscription might be about to change.
Published
Julie Ramhold
BY:
Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst
Netflix tablet

In May of 2014, Netflix gave its subscribers a heads up that it would be increasing prices from $7.99 to $8.99 per month for its standard streaming plan. However, current customers at the time were guaranteed at least two more years of the per-month price they were used to, while new customers had to pay the higher cost. And last October, Netflix implemented yet another monthly fee jump, to $9.99 a month.

Now, all those loyal subscribers who were grandfathered in at the lower cost are about to be subjected to the price increase. At an additional $24 a year, some customers may question whether the service is still necessary in a marketplace flooded with options.

Everybody Will Be Paying the Same Price by the End of the Year

About 17 million standard accounts are due to increase in price next month. While long-term customers were given notice back in 2014, they've probably forgotten by now that their rates are about to go up. When Netflix introduced the new price of $9.99 per month last October, it again warned current customers their prices would soon increase as well.

SEE ALSO: With Much Less Content, Is Netflix Still Worth It?

Now that time has come, and by the end of the year, all Netflix customers should be paying $9.99 per month for the standard streaming plan.

Check to See When Your Price Will Increase

Based on when you signed up for Netflix (and consequently when your monthly bill is paid), your account might be changing at a different time from everyone else's. In order to see how long your pricing is guaranteed, log into your Netflix account, and go to your profile. There should be an area for "Plan Details" that shows what type of plan you have and how long your price is good for. Based on that, you should be able to roughly tell when your price will increase.

The most common changeover date floating around the internet seems to be May 9, but you should know that Netflix is planning to notify customers by email and within the service itself to alert them to the upcoming price change.

SEE ALSO: How to Cut the Cable Cord: 6 Steps to Stream TV and Save Money

More recent subscribers have a bit more time; if you subscribed before May 2014, Netflix is likely to begin charging you $9.99 per month in May. However, if you subscribed after May 2014, then your jump to $9.99 won't happen until October.

It's safe to assume that by October, we'll all be paying the same amount for the standard streaming plan on Netflix. Note that this final changeover comes as Amazon announces its streaming-only monthly Prime Video plan for $8.99.

Readers, does this price increase affect your decision to keep Netflix? Are you more likely to cancel now, or are you unconcerned? Sound off in the comments below!

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Julie Ramhold
Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst

Julie's work has been featured on CNBC, GoBankingRates, Kiplinger, Marketwatch, Money, The New York Times, Real Simple, US News, WaPo, WSJ, Yahoo!, and more. She's extolled the virtues of DealNews in interviews with Cheddar TV, GMA, various podcasts, and affiliates across the United States, plus one in Canada.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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15 comments
PNaw10
Two bucks a month extra isn't bad, considering:
(1) They have been cranking out a ton of original content without advertising. In many cases, that's still cheaper than HBO.
(2) no commercial breaks (like some other online services like Hulu and Crackle).
(3) everything you see is included (unlike Amazon, which charges extra for some movies/shows even if you have Prime).
(4) They delayed the increase for long-time customers. How many companies still reward "original" customers like that anymore? Going back to HBO/cable again, you get screwed for being a loyal customer in the form of annual rate hikes, while all the discounts/deals go to new customers. (Sure, you could call the cable company and threaten to terminate until they give you a better rate, but it shouldn't have to be that hard.)
April 21, 2016
shiv81
The other point to mention is that anyone who signed up via iTunes at $7.99 a month to Netflix will be keeping his/her price indefinitely due to the risk where if Netflix were to cancel all those subscriptions, the customers may not sign back up. There is no current way to raise the price of an iTunes subscription.
April 21, 2016
nimer
@DeletedUser169775 you hit the nail on the head! I was probably one of the earliest Netflix customers (since early 2000s when it used to take 3 days for the disc to get to you from their sole center in Cali) and worked my way through to Streaming only. I realized that sometimes I would go for weeks without the time to watch a Netflix show, especially during TV season peaks(September / October and April / May), so I got into the habit of suspending my subscription.

They save your queue as long as you come back within 8 months, and you can restart back anytime
April 21, 2016
rampo
Back in the days when video tape rentals started out, it would cost something like $5 to rent a movie for 2 or 3 days, and that was often after paying an annual or "lifetime" membership fee that could run to $100 or more. And god help you if you didn't rewind - another fee. And that was in 1980 dollars. In comparison, Netflix streaming and dvd rental fees are still a pretty good deal.
April 21, 2016
khenry1983
Will not phase me at all. I still think Netflix is a great buy. The original content is outstanding and from what I'm reading, there is a lot coming down the pipeline. I'm surprise at the anger towards Netflix over a measly $2 a month price increase. Most people, including myself, easily waste that amount daily.
April 21, 2016
Phlip
I get a text alert when I get charged for online use and I'm still $7.99 but keep forgetting to cancel it. I have rarely used it for a few months until I watched daredevil and some other series. I'm done after this month. - k o d i
April 20, 2016
mfd529
If we all got a 12.5% pay increase at work, I guess paying 12.5% more for Netflix is fair ;-P
April 20, 2016
jdaniels100
ill probanly be cancelling as i think the programming has dropped off as well
April 20, 2016
jaydub1804
Good through June 16, 2016 smh
April 20, 2016
DeletedUser169775
If you are looking to break even on your annual Netflix bill simply suspend service for about 2 months. Netflix for most people will be increasing by about $24/year. Therefore you are saving $20 on the year, paying almost the same and sending a message to Netflix at the same time. Any original content on Netflix will still be there after two months. And lets be honest, House of Cards has really sucked since season 2.
April 20, 2016
portezbie
Scares me a little to think how much more they could raise it and still get me to pay for it. I just love my netflix so, and they have been releasing so much original content. There is something new almost every week.

$9.99 still seems totally worth it.
April 20, 2016
stupersyn
Not a big deal, prices increase for everything we buy, continuously. Inflation applies to everything.
April 20, 2016
satyrrr
Probably a good strategic move to suspend Netflix for the next few months to send a message :-)
April 20, 2016
jake2011
Still at $7.99 was due to go in May now pushed back till at least June.
April 20, 2016
tleaf
If the amazon ipad app had video profiles like netflix where I could specify "kids" only content it would be hard decision not to keep netflix. As much as I have come to love Netflix's original content, I could live with only subscribing for a month to binge on any new seasons of shows they put out, while amazon video is included with my prime membership. But until I can make sure my kids aren't browsing adult content when they want to watch something I'll definitely keep netflix.
April 20, 2016