Best streaming service deals
Running out of movies and TV shows to watch? Itching for some original content to stream on your brand-new smart TV? Is your basic channel lineup no longer cutting it? Maybe it’s time to subscribe to a new streaming service.
Many of these services, including Disney Plus, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock, are running deals. Some home internet or phone service bundles can get you a free subscription to Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Paramount Plus or Peacock Premium. Meanwhile, students get cheap Hulu and people who buy the new Chromecast with Google TV get six months of Netflix. Depending on the streaming platform you’re eyeing, there could be a good deal out there.
Let’s break down the best streaming service Cyber Monday deals that are still available.
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New subscribers to Paramount Plus can get one month free on either the $5 a month Essential Plan or the $10 Premium Plan if they sign up before Jan. 3, 2022.
Both plans offer full access to Paramount Plus’s library of content, including the NFL on CBS Live, top soccer content like Champion’s League Live and 24/7 live news with CBSN. The Essential Plan comes with limited ads, while the Premium subscription offers your local live CBS station, even more sports content, the ability to download shows for later viewer and fewer ads.
While we thought that Paramount Plus offered a wide catalog of familiar shows and movies, we found that there weren’t a lot of must-see properties and were disappointed in the lack of 4K HDR content. However, kids and other Nickelodeon lovers could find a lot to like on the streaming home SpongeBob SquarePants.
Read our review of Paramount Plus.
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T-Mobile, through its Netflix on Us perk, has long offered free Netflix on some of its unlimited plans, including Magenta, Magenta Plus and its new Magenta Max option. Older plans, called One and One Plus, also have Netflix included, though exactly which version of Netflix will vary.
Higher-end options such as Magenta Plus, Max and One Plus likely have Netflix Standard (the most popular version of Netflix that runs $14 a month and streams in HD) included so long as you have multiple lines. If you have one line of Max or the base Magenta plan, you’ll get Netflix Basic included (that’s the non-HD $9 a month version of Netflix). Full details, including what you’d need to pay if you wanted to upgrade to a higher plan like the 4K-capable Netflix Premium, can be found on T-Mobile’s website.
Note: It’s one Netflix subscription per T-Mobile account, not per individual line.
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AT&T, which owns HBO Max, bundles in the ad-free version of the WarnerMedia streaming service with a number of its wireless, TV and home internet plans — though it’s likely only on the priciest options. Today, that means you can get a free HBO Max subscription with its Unlimited Elite wireless plan or the fastest 1Gbps internet plans. AT&T is also offering one-year subscriptions with its Choice or Ultimate AT&T TV packages.
Beyond its existing offers, the telecom giant also includes HBO Max with some legacy wireless offers. Older plans with HBO Max bundled in include Unlimited Choice, Unlimited Choice II, Unlimited Enhanced Choice, Unlimited Plus, Unlimited Enhanced Plus and Unlimited & More. Full details for activating HBO Max can be found on AT&T’s website.
Note: It’s one HBO Max subscription per AT&T account, not per individual line.
If you don’t have AT&T, you can save $30 by prepaying for a year of HBO Max. This will make the ad-free option $150 for the year or the ad-supported option $100.
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Whereas T-Mobile has Netflix and AT&T has HBO Max, the nation’s largest carrier has Disney.
On its recent wireless plans, the carrier includes the Disney Bundle — subscriptions to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus that run a combined $14 a month — with its Play More and Get More unlimited plans. Other plans, such as its most affordable Start and Do More plans, have six months of Disney Plus included, but not the bundle.
Verizon allows mixing and matching unlimited plans, so as long as one line on your account has a Play More or Get More plan you will be able to get the perk. Note that it is only one Disney subscription per Verizon account, not per individual line.
The deal works for both new and existing Disney Plus subscribers, so if you already have a subscription you can either cancel or, if you have the six-month trial, have the Verizon subscription run first and then have your regular subscription continue after.
Those with a Play More Unlimited or Get More Unlimited plan from before August 2020 have been able to get Disney Plus for one year, though if you haven’t activated it yet you’d only get six months of Disney Plus. If you switch to the updated version of either plan you’ll be able to get the Disney Bundle.
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Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, has added a new deal that will bundle a subscription to the ad-supported version of HBO Max with the carrier’s $60-a-month unlimited plan.
Although this version has ads and lacks 4K, offline downloads and the ability to stream new Warner Bros. releases when they hit theaters, you do get access to all HBO content as well as Max originals such as Gossip Girl, Titans and The Flight Attendant.
Note: It’s one HBO Max subscription per Cricket account, not per individual line.
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In addition to offering free Netflix, T-Mobile has added a new perk for some of its plans: a free 12-month subscription to Apple TV Plus. Normally $5 a month, the deal will be available to new and existing T-Mobile customers who have one of a variety of plans.
This includes the company’s more well-known Magenta and Magenta Max offerings as well as some specialized plans like Magenta 55 Plus, Magenta Military, Magenta First Responders and small business customers with T-Mobile for Business accounts. Those with a Sprint Unlimited Plus or Sprint Premium plan can also get a free year of Apple’s streaming service.
The deal is available until July 31, 2022.
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T-Mobile is giving new and existing customers — including ones with older T-Mobile or Sprint plans or T-Mobile Home Internet — a free year of Paramount Plus Essentials on the carrier. Normally $5 per month (or $50 if paid annually), this version of the streaming service includes access to live games from the NFL and Champions League as well as “tens of thousands of episodes and movies.”
It’s worth noting that the Essentials plan has ads when watching on-demand content. It also lacks the ability to watch your local CBS station live as well as the option to download shows and movies to watch offline.
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Hulu has a new offer for its users, a free six-month trial of Uber’s Eats Pass. Normally $10 per month, Uber Eats Pass has unlimited free delivery on orders over $15, 5% off “eligible” orders and 10% off “your first three eligible rides each month.”
Hulu’s new deal, which ends Jan. 10, 2022, is available to current Hulu users who “have not taken a free trial of Uber Eats Pass” in the past. After the six-month promotion is up you will be charged $10 per month unless you cancel your Eats Pass subscription.
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Paramount Plus normally runs $10 a month for its commercial-free (and live-CBS-included) offering. Earlier this year the company added a new option that drops the live CBS feeds and has “limited commercial interruptions” that runs $6 a month, in the process replacing a previous $5 monthly plan.
Prepaying for a year of either can effectively net you two months free, with the ad-free version running $100 for the year (a $20 savings) and the ad-supported tier running $50 (a $10 savings).
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Verizon and Sling have teamed up to offer new and existing Verizon wireless, Fios and 5G Home users the option to get free Sling TV for two months. Normally $35 a month, the two packages offer live TV, including TBS, TNT and CNN, with the Blue package also including the NFL Network, Fox News, MSNBC and (in some markets) the local feeds of NBC and Fox. The Orange package lacks those latter channels but does offer ESPN.
Sling is also offering the option of two free months for either its International package (up to $35 a month) or its Latino package (up to $15 a month) instead. Existing Sling TV users aren’t eligible for the deal, and full details can be found on Verizon’s site.
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At $14 a month the Disney bundle saves you $5 each month over the cost of separate Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu subscriptions, which is basically the same as getting ESPN Plus for free.
If you’ve already got a Hulu or ESPN account, you’ll need to combine your accounts on your desktop.
If you’re not on T-Mobile or don’t want to switch your plans, look at Google and Netflix’s bundling of six months of a Standard subscription with a Chromecast with Google TV. First introduced last year, the offer combines Google’s excellent streaming dongle with Netflix Standard for $90. A six-month Netflix subscription on its own would be nearly $84, while Google’s device normally runs $50.
The deal is capped at three purchases per customer but you can add the Netflix credit even if you already have an account (so long as that account isn’t through a third party such as T-Mobile). If you decide to return the Chromecast and keep the Netflix, $50 would be refunded, making the six months of Netflix only $40, a savings of $44 over what you’d regularly pay.
This deal will be available through the end of 2021.
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If you were on the fence about trying HBO Max and are in the market for a new streaming device, Google has a new deal for you. The search giant has a new bundle that combines its Chromecast with Google TV and three months of ad-free HBO Max for $65. With the device usually running $50 on its own, and ad-free HBO Max running $15 a month, this deal saves you $30 — the equivalent of two free months of HBO Max.
The Google Store deal will be available until Dec. 31, 2022, though you’ll need to be new to HBO Max to take advantage of it.
Spotify
Beyond getting Hulu in the Verizon bundle, there are a few ways to save on Disney’s other streaming service.
Students will want to check out Spotify’s Premium Student offer which combines Spotify Premium, Hulu’s ad-supported plan and Showtime for $5 per month. All told, the bundle would save nearly $22 a month. You need to be a student above the age of 18 who is “enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university” to qualify, and Spotify works with a third party called SheerID to verify that you’re eligible.
You will need to verify eligibility every 12 months, with the offer available for a total of four years. Full details can be found at Spotify’s site.
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College students who don’t want the Spotify and Showtime bundle can get the ad-supported Hulu for $2 a month. Hulu similarly uses SheerID to verify eligibility, with more details available on Hulu’s site.
Discovery Plus
Another recent entrant, Discovery’s streaming service runs $5 a month for its ad-supported option and $7 for the ad-free plan. As with Disney Plus, the best way to get this for free is through Verizon.
The telecom giant is offering a year of Discovery Plus’ ad-free tier for free with certain unlimited wireless plans as well as new subscribers to its Fios and 5G Home internet plans.
Wireless users will need to have either a Play More or Get More plan to get the deal, while other unlimited plans, including its Verizon Unlimited plan, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, Above Unlimited, Do More Unlimited and Start Unlimited, can get a free six months. Full details can be found on Verizon’s website.
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Comcast, which owns Peacock and its parent NBCUniversal, includes a subscription to the $5-a-month Peacock Premium for all Xfinity Flex users as well as its Xfinity X1 and video customers who subscribe to at least the Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV internet and TV packages. More details can be found on Peacock’s site.
Cable company Cox is also giving away the $5-a-month Peacock Premium subscription to those who have Cox Internet with a Contour TV Essential or higher plan. Those with Cox Internet and a subscription to Contour Stream Player or Contour TV Starter can “enjoy a limited-time preview” of Peacock Premium “at no additional cost.” Full details can be found on Cox’s site.
If you don’t have Cox or Comcast, you can get an annual Peacock subscription for either $50 a year for ad-supported Premium or $100 a year for ad-free Premium Plus.
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