You might have to shell out more for your Star Wars, Disney, or Marvel fix. Disney+ began its password-sharing crackdown this week.
Following in Netflix’s frustrating footsteps, Disney+ has limited subscription access to just one household. It detailed the new rules in a blog post in which it actually had the gall to tout the new “features and capabilities” that would expand “its paid-sharing program.” In reality, it really just means you can’t share your account outside your household without paying extra.
Let’s get into the details.
How much will adding an “extra member” cost?
To add an “extra member” to an ad-supported plan, it will cost you $6.99 per month, while adding an ad-free plan costs $9.99 per month.
That’s a pretty steep cost considering a Disney+ subscription with ads costs $7.99 per month and ad-free costs $13.99. Though those prices are set to rise to $9.99 and $15.99, respectively, next month.
No matter what, it’s a pretty big increase to upgrade as an “extra member” or to get a new account entirely.
What does an “extra member” have access to?
You might think that a hefty increase like this would get this “extra member” everything a regular user would receive. You’d be wrong.
The “extra member” is limited to one account and streaming/downloading on a single device at a time. They also “cannot have an active Hulu subscription, or an active or canceled Disney+ or ESPN+ subscription,” Disney noted. The “extra member” feature is also not available to subscriptions that are part of a Disney Bundle.
So…there are definitely some limitations.
What now?
If you’re stuck figuring out your next move, it seems like you might have to pay more. There may be ways to get around it, but those methods often prove time-consuming or annoying.
It’s just another blow to people who stream their TV, amid frequent price hikes and constant advertisements on platforms that were once ad free. Of course, if you want to be brave, it could be time to start canceling subscriptions altogether.
