Spotify could be planning to take more out of your wallet soon

After years of teasing and waiting, Spotify finally rolled out Lossless audio a few months ago, allowing Premium subscribers to stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality. The Lossless rollout was long expected to come along with a Premium price hike, but Spotify managed to roll out the better audio quality at the same price. That might not remain the case for long, as it seems that a price hike is on the cards for Spotify Premium.

According to a report from The Financial Times, Spotify is preparing to raise subscription prices in the US in the first quarter of 2026. The service has raised prices in several other countries in recent months, but this will be the first price rise in the US since July 2024. The report notes that Spotify declined to comment on the rumored price increase.

In markets like India, Spotify snuck in a price increase this month by creating additional Premium tiers and reallocating benefits among them. Spotify in India now offers four Premium tiers: Platinum, Standard, Lite, and Student. Spotify Premium Lite is the basic tier with “high” audio quality (up to 160kbps), Standard offers “very high” audio quality (up to 320kbps), and Platinum offers lossless audio quality along with features like AI DJ and account sharing with up to two others.

Before this change, Spotify in India offered Individual, Duo, Family, and Student plans. The Individual plan (which saw a price increase in August 2025) offered very high audio quality but still used to cost the same as the current Spotify Premium Lite plan. Users who want similar benefits now have to subscribe to the high-priced Premium Standard plan. In contrast, those seeking family sharing options or lossless audio quality must subscribe to the Premium Platinum plan.

The specifics about the price increase for the US market are not yet known, and it remains to be seen if Spotify will rejig its Premium tiers.

Spotify currently costs $11.99 per month for the Individual Premium plan in the US, which is already more expensive than Apple Music and YouTube Music Premium’s $10.99 per month plan. The price decreases further, and you get better value for your money if you factor in Apple One and YouTube Premium bundles, so it remains to be seen how Spotify navigates this challenging situation.