Netflix Subscription Fee Hike?
Variety has reported that analysts believe Netflix will again raise their subscription fees, and my response to the last hike was to cancel and to plan to only subscribe for three months per year using a discounted gift card or gift card offer that includes extra Air Miles or Optimum points.
This year I think i’ll subscribe either from mid-October to mid-January or mid-November to Mid-February, when holiday programming is full blast on television because i’m not a big fan of that.
Hopefully this would coincide with the release of the last season of Stranger Things and other programs I can binge watch. But I still wonder if COVID’s impacts on production and the recent writer’s strike will cause a shortage of content at the end of this year.
I routinely browse Amazon.ca upcoming blu-ray releases to determine what might pop up later and it looks somewhat encouraging. But I know I will probably not be interested in what they’ll have to offer until next winter, unless they’re planning to release something from Europe that could be promising; I was surprised by Trapped (an Icelandic detective series) and Dark (a sci-fi series from Germany).
Quite frankly they’ll need to impress me if they keep hiking their prices this often. After all, I still have a film collection and will likely keep adding to it if they don’t. And Apple, Cineplex, Google and Prime also occasionally offer discounted rentals and purchases.
I guess all we can do is wait for Netflix to make it worth our while, again.
Netflix / Optimum Offer
Optimum Points members can obtain 7500 bonus points when purchasing $50 gift cards for Netflix and Uber at participating Shoppers Drug Mart stores from Saturday, the 11th of June to Friday the 17th of June, 2022. Click here for more details.
Adverts on Netflix?
It appears that Netflix may be introducing an advertisement sponsored tier to their subscription options shortly.
This new tier is rumoured to be scheduled for introduction at the end of 2022 and is in response to the mass subscriber losses suffered by Netflix that were recently reported by Variety, which believes another larger wave of subscribers will be pulling the plug.
Hopefully this will be done in an unobtrusive manner, by adding unanimated adverts to the main page, when one browses the titles, and on those reminders that ask you if you want to keep watching. But I suspect they will add adverts prior to the film, halfway in the film, and during the end credits, which could annoy some people if they’re more than 30 second long and run over bonus content.
If a 30 second advert ran in-between the episodes of a series, i’d be fine with that. But I don’t think I would personally like the momentum of an episode interrupted halfway, especially when the episode is 45 minutes or less.
Another option would be clickable adverts, placed strategically in the menus, with special offer coupons exclusive to Netflix that would appear on the screen prior to a film or episode. I wouldn’t mind those running on my paid subscription.
Basically they’re going to need to thread softly and consult with their customers, especially if they’re going to ask for people to both pay for a subscription and still be subjected to adverts.
Netflix Fare Hike Survival Tips
So, Netflix has decided to raise their prices by one or two bucks, depending on your subscription. And although it is a bit disappointing, I know how to save a few bucks whilst being subscribed to this film streaming service:
- I subscribe to the Standard Plan, not the Premium Plan, mainly because Ultra HD only offers a limited visual improvement on many films and some films are not made available in that higher resolution rate. And I rarely have multiple films streaming to several televisions or devices anyway.
- Netflix gift cards are occasionally discounted or sold with bonus loyalty points at some stores and gas stations in Canada so you can stock up for a year’s worth of subscriptions or more using these offers. I take advantage of Air Miles offers at Shell Gas Stations and Optimum Points offers at my Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, Loblaws, Your Independent Grocer and Real Canadian Superstore stores. These are usually advertised in their flyers.
- You might also consider cancelling your subscription to the other streaming services you don’t actually need. I personally got rid of Paramount+ because they aren’t going to be streaming the new Picard series in Canada and i’ve already watched everything I wanted on Apple+ so i’ve cancelled that one as well, although you should note that offers for free subscriptions to the latter are occasionally made with purchases from Apple.
- In regards to CraveTV, you can save a few bucks by just viewing streaming content on your tablet and/or paying for your yearly membership in advance, preferably with a discounted gift card. And yearly membership is also available on Disney+, who offer a limited amount of Ultra HD films to their subscribers at no extra cost.
- I also personally never subscribed to Spotify because Amazon Music is offered to me free via my Prime Membership at Amazon.ca, along with Prime Video, which has a decent selection of films and concerts.
- I’ve also saved on extra cable outlets by installing an omnidirectional outdoor antenna, connecting my bedroom televisions to that antenna. I was mainly watching my local television stations on those televisions anyway. And some cable companies allow streaming on tablets and/or Roku, which eliminates the need for extra cable outlets.
I hope these tips are useful to some of you.
Bonus Optimum Points
Optimum members can get bonus points on iTunes and Netflix gift card purchases:
- 7500 points per $50 Netflix gift card purchased until June 18th, 2021 at participating retailers
- 5000 points per $50 App Store & iTunes gift card purchased until June 23rd, 2021 at participating Real Canadian Superstore locations
Consult the official PC Optimum site for details.
Netflix Subject to GST/HST on July 1st
Netflix has advised their subscribers that their subscriptions will be subject to GST or HST, effective Canada Day 2021.