Feb. 4 Update: Verizon just announced the latest version of its free Netflix deal, we've got details below.
If Netflix's price hike to $13 a month is pushing you away from the streaming giant — or its pricing has always been a deal-breaker — we've looked into ways you can save.
From one trick built right into Netflix to services that include Netflix as part of their own membership, you may not have to pay for the streaming video service.
MORE: Streaming Netflix? Here's the Best Stuff to Watch
Sharing is caring
This might sound cheap of me, but I don't pay for Netflix, I just share it with my parents. From the Netflix start up screen on your TV (or the Manage Profiles page online) select "+ Add Profile" to create a new user, or open the Manage Profiles page.
Then, type in that user's name and click Continue. Now, that user's activity won't mess with the recommendations for the main user.
It's an approach that requires an understanding parent, generous roommate or someone other benefactor, but it's a way to save yourself $13 each month.
Note that the entry-level $9 per month Netflix service doesn’t allow for simultaneous streams, which is limited to the $13 per month Standard package (2 streams at once) and the $16 per month Premium option (4 streams at once).
Free trials
The most traditional way to sample Netflix for free are its free 1-month trials, which you can sign up for here. Each time you want to use a free trial, you'll need a new email address and credit card number, though, which means you won't be able to create too many before running out of opportunities.
You'll want to keep an eye on those email accounts, though, as Lifewire notes that Netflix often sends additional free trial offers to lapsed members.
Remember to cancel those trials, if you don't want to pay. This is why I love the Reminders app on my iPhone, which I use to ping myself when free trials are about to come to an end..
T-Mobile One
Use T-Mobile? Able to switch to the self-titled 'Un-Carrier'? You can get Netflix for free if you sign up for the right data plan.
T-Mobile says it will pick up the cost of Netflix's standard two-screen subscription when you've got two or more lines of its T-Mobile One plan. Two T-Mobile One lines regularly cost $120 a month — the carrier sometimes runs promotions on multiple lines — but at least you won't have to pony up another $13 on top of that. Other T-Mobile plans, like its lower-cost Essentials unlimited offering or its discounted plan of seniors, aren't eligible for free Netflix.
MORE: Netflix Hidden Gems: Best Shows and Movies You've Missed
Verizon Fios
If Verizon's speedy Fios service is available in your area, you have another option. Verizon just announced its latest version of its free Netflix offer on Feb. 1: new customers purchasing Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection Internet or Fios Gigabit Connection Triple Play, provided they sign a 2 year contract.
That's not just any Netflix, but the $15.99 Premium package, which includes HD streams, with UHD content when available, and up to 4 concurrent streams at once.
