Netflix users will have to pay more if they share their password in new trial

17 March 2022, 14:36

Watch the first trailer for Netflix’s new Heartstopper series

By Jazmin Duribe

Netflix recently increased their subscription fee for new and existing customers.

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Guys, it's officially over. The days of sharing your Netflix password will soon come to an end because the streaming service is testing new ways to ensure that people don't share their passwords – and you'll have to pay more if you do.

In the next few weeks, Netflix will roll out a new fee option aimed at people sharing accounts with multiple households. For now, the test will only include Netflix customers in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, but it'll no doubt roll out across the world at a later date.

In a blog post, Director of Product Innovation Chengyi Long said: "We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households - impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.

Netflix users will have to pay more if they share their password in new trial. Picture: Netflix, Pop

"So for the last year we’ve been working on ways to enable members who share outside their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more."

They added: "Members on our Standard and Premium plans will be able to add sub accounts for up to two people they don’t live with — each with their own profile, personalised recommendations, login and password — at a lower price."

In other words, Netflix users will be encouraged to add an extra member to their package at the discounted price of $2.99. There's also an option to transfer existing profile information to a new account. That means that the person creating the new account will be able to keep their viewing history, personalised recommendations and My List.

Once the news came out, many Netflix users threatened to cancel their subscriptions.

These companies are begging Gen Z to learn how to pirate stuff without any modicum of shame in the way millennials did.https://t.co/uc9wDBq8Zt
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) March 16, 2022

Not y’all already talking about cutting your parents off from your Netflix account as soon as they announced the price increase for password sharing. The savagery 😭😫💀
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) March 16, 2022

@netflix I saw that pilot program you're launching. How do you expect families to handle password sharing in the case of divorcees, their children, or college students away from home? We already pay a lot for it, now you're just milking us for every dollar spent.
— Sam Gray (@swimmergirl427) March 17, 2022

It's cute that @netflix thinks they'll survive blocking password sharing. The only reason many people still have Netflix at all is to share it with loved ones. When will companies realize anti-consumer practices are a mistake. Smh. They don't even have good shows anymore.
— Capraclysm (@Capraclysm) March 16, 2022

Netflix will lose a lot of customers if they do this password sharing crackdown they plan to do. Charging extra and crap. Especially when they don’t carry a lot of good content anymore like some of the other streaming apps #netflix
— makhallie_shea (@makhallie_shea) March 17, 2022

To those of you who have my Netflix password.. it’s been a real one. Look like the fun is over. I wish you guys well in whatever you are using to get you entertainment
— Can I peg you, @SethRogen ?? (@MrsKhandiCoated) March 16, 2022

The news comes only a few weeks after Netflix announced that they would be upping their monthly subscription fee. In the US, Netflix's Standard plan will rise from $14 to $15.50 per month. The Basic plan is rising to $10 per month from $9, and if you want the fancy 4K plan that'll now cost $20 per month instead of $18. Prices are rising in Canada too.

In the UK, the cost of a Basic and Standard plan will go up to £6.99 and £10.99 respectively, while the Premium subscription will go up by £2 to £15.99.

Basically, enjoy scamming your parents or exes out of their Netflix accounts whilst you still can…