In recent weeks, YouTube very quietly introduced an annual plan for YouTube Premium and Music Premium. It currently features a rather notable discount compared to paying every month, but that ends very soon.
New subscribers to YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium are currently seeing an “Or save money with an annual, family, or student plan” option underneath the usual subscription/”Try it free” button. The last two offerings have existed for quite some time, but the annual plan is new.
Instead of YouTube Premium costing $11.99/month, you pay a discounted price of $107.99 for a year’s worth of ad-free, offline, and background playback. Users pay up front and save $3 monthly or $36 yearly. Annual YouTube Music Premium is $89.99 for savings of $2.50 every month. This promotional pricing ends Sunday, January 23 and the normal cost after that is below:
| Monthly x 12 | Promo | Savings | Normal | Savings | |
| YouTube Premium | $143.88 | $107.99 | $35.89 | $119.99 | $23.89 |
| Music Premium | $119.88 | $89.99 | $29.89 | $99.99 | $19.89 |
A support page notes that this is a non-recurring subscription and you have to manually renew every year, while partial refunds are not offered.
Annual plans are only for individual subscribers and it’s available in the following countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, India, and Japan. Those new to Premium can sign-up on Android or the web (iOS excluded) by:
- Opening the YouTube or YouTube Music app/website
- Tap your profile photo > Get YouTube Premium
- Tap Save money on annual, family or student plan
- Tap Get Annual Plan, then follow the steps to complete your purchase
Existing monthly subscribers can switch by canceling their existing membership and then signing up for annual.
9to5Google’s Take
Some people prefer paying for subscriptions once a year rather than every month, and YouTube is finally addressing that. In fact, a large name like Google doing this will hopefully encourage other companies to follow and provide this option. Meanwhile, compared to Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming video services, those that have YouTube Premium to get rid of ads or Music don’t often unsubscribe and resubscribe as they use those benefits continuously.
Before signing up, YouTube Music subscribers should consider their grandfathered monthly fee from Google Play Music. If you’re paying $9.99/month, the new annual Premium plan is ever so slightly more expensive (11¢). Those with the legacy $7.99 are still better off subscribing monthly.
More on YouTube:
- YouTube app testing ‘Smart downloads’ for videos, just like YT Music
- YouTube Music prepares Wear OS Tile showing recently played music
- YouTube for smart TVs gains updated mobile sign-in method, ‘Repeat’ video option
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