Netflix’s Password Sharing Crackdown Could Cost You
If you’re sharing your Netflix account with friends and family, you’ll soon see additional fees on top of your regular monthly subscription price.
Netflix recently announced that they would soon charge subscribers an additional fee for extra users on their accounts.
If you have a family member, friend or ex-partner still using your Netflix login, now may be the time to cut them off.
If you wish to continue supporting individuals outside your household on your account, Netflix will ask you to create a sub-account for them. Netflix has not announced how much a sub-account may cost in the US, but estimates place the fee at around $3 to $4 per person.
The proposal of a sub-account is not new for Netflix. The company recently cracked down on password sharing in other countries, including Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. Apparently, initial testing has gone well.
The password-sharing fees will go into effect in the United States in early 2023, although we don’t have a precise date at this time. We would recommend beginning to remove any authorized users from your accounts now to prepare.
Go to the Netflix Account Settings page and take these steps to remove unauthorized users from your account:
Delete any unwanted profiles from your account by clicking on your profile icon in the top right corner, then selecting Manage Profiles.
Choose the Change Password option to create a new password for your account, locking out anyone you may have shared your password with in the past.
At the bottom of the page, choose to Sign Out Of All Devices; this will log out anyone who may be using your account. To regain access, they will need to sign back in with the new password you just created.
Users losing access to an account can use the Transfer Profile tool to transfer their data to their own accounts.
If anyone you remove from your account needs a more affordable way to access Netflix (or you’re getting kicked off someone else’s account), the service recently launched a new ad-supported tier. Starting this November, for $7 a month, users can sign up for a Basic Netflix account with advertisements.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.