Pro tips: Get Netflix for free and save as much as $240 per year

Netflix can be one of the more expensive video streaming services out there, costing as much as $20 per month if you want 4K. That translates to around $240 per year, which is no chump change. You do get access to tons of titles, including new movies and shows every week, but you could do a lot with that money, including saving it for a rainy day or buying a new smartphone, to name a few.

Luckily, you can get it for free! With a little bit of time, effort, and creativity, you may not have have to spend a dime to watch the latest Netflix shows and movies. In this short guide, we’ll show you how.

Sharing is caring

To get Netflix for free now that free trials are history, the easiest way may be cozying up to friends and family who are already paying for it. Two of Netflix’s four subscription plans allow for streaming on multiple devices at the same time, and you can create a separate profile, giving you your own list of movies and shows you want to watch along with language preferences and personalized recommendations.

This used to be simpler to pull off until some recent changes at Netflix. Sharing accounts may now require that you live with the person you’re sharing an account with, at least in the US. Strictly speaking, that was always the case, but Netflix is cracking down on sharing to increase profits, and you can potentially get booted from your account if you’re using it from a different address. You can still access it while travelling, naturally.

If you have roommates, a generous sibling, or parents who live with you and can foot the bill for a household account, all you have to do is ask them to hook you up with the login info for their Netflix account. Once you have that, create your profile and start binge-watching for free.

You can’t assign a password to each profile, so be warned that the owner of a Netflix account will be able to see exactly what you’ve been watching, if they’re curious. You can delete your Netflix history if need be.

This isn’t ideal, and it’s only free to you, but it should automatically be considered.

Take advantage of free Netflix offers from carriers, ISPs, etc.

A few mobile carriers are offering free Netflix access to their customers. Yes, this method isn’t technically free either, but it’s worth considering any streaming perks when shopping for a carrier if you were planning to sign up for those services anyway.

You can get Netflix for free on eligible plans from T-Mobile, which includes Magenta and Magenta Max. Terms and conditions apply, though, with one of them being that you’ll need two or more lines on your account to get Netflix for free unless you have Magenta Max. US Mobile also offers free Netflix for customers who sign up for three or more unlimited lines.

We’ve seen similar offers from carriers outside the US as well. In the UK, O2 has offered free Netflix to its subscribers in the past, as has Vodafone. Airtel did the same thing in India.

Deals like these change quickly, so look for more of them down the line. We’ll be sure to update this post when that happens. And if we’ve missed any major ones, please do let us know in the comments.

Get (some of) Netflix for free if you’re from Kenya

This is coming to an end on November 1, 2023, but for a couple of years, Netflix has been offering Kenyans a quarter of its library for free. All you have to do is sign up with your name and email address. There’s no credit card info needed, and once you sign up, you can check out the free content without ads.

The idea, of course, was to give Kenyans a taste of the service with the hope that they’d eventually switch to a paid plan. Once November rolls around, though, the cheapest option will be a new ad-supported tier costing 4.99 pounds per month, or a little over $6.

Bonus tip: Try competing streaming services

Netflix is the biggest (paid) video streaming service out there, but it’s not the only one. To save money, you could try competing services, including Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, both of which offer free trials.

Each of these streaming services offers loads of great content. Prime Video for example features excellent original series, such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, A League of Their Own, and Reacher. Hulu is known for releasing new episodes of some of the most popular shows around a day after they’re aired on TV, along with its own originals, like The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building.

You’ll eventually have to pay for Hulu and most other option, but if you’re already an Amazon Prime subscriber, Prime Video won’t cost anything extra. You’ll just have to take a chance on shows you may be less familiar with.

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