Expensive, expensive, Netflix: almost 30 dollars for a monthly subscription! Streaming service confirms new fee in Germany

NETFLIX

May 26, 2023 at 7:55 p.m

It has been known for a long time, but now Netflix is ​​also getting serious in Germany and is charging you for shared accounts. Netzwelt reveals what the prices look like now.

• If you want to share a Netflix subscription with people from other households, you have to pay from now on.
• Not all subscription models can be upgraded and the number of accounts is still limited.
• The most expensive subscription with two additional people now costs 27.97 dollars.

Already at the beginning of 2022, when things were going particularly badly for Netflix, it was announced that the streaming service would take stronger action against account sharing in the future. In the months that followed, the idea developed into a concrete plan that was initially tested in Peru, Chile and Costa Rica.

Netflix allows people in the same household to share a Netflix subscription, but friends and family members from other households should actually create their own accounts. So Netflix had to find a way to even detect unauthorized account sharing without erroneously alienating paying customers who might want to stream on the train or on vacation.

In addition, it was decided not to ban account sharing completely, but simply to charge money for it. It is now clear that it will cost 4.99 dollars per month in Germany to add another person to the main subscription.

Not every subscription can be upgraded

The basic subscription and the standard subscription with advertising (formerly basic subscription with advertising), i.e. Netflix’s cheaper subscription models, cannot be expanded to include additional users. That also makes sense, since the standard subscription with advertising only costs 4.99 dollars and thus just as much as the surcharge for an additional person.

The standard subscription for 12.99 per month can be expanded to include a non-household account, so you end up with 17.98 dollars per month. The premium subscription can even be extended twice, from the previous 17.99 dollars to 22.98 dollars for another person or a whopping 27.97 dollars for two additional accounts.

If you currently want to create a new Netflix account, you will already be informed about the new prices for account sharing and can expand your own subscription directly. Netflix will probably not take direct action against existing customers who have shared their account with other households without paying the surcharge, after all, not all subscribers have been informed about the upcoming change.

However, Netflix will soon check whether you are streaming at the home of the subscription owner. Our article on account sharing reveals what happens if you want to stream elsewhere or simply try to ignore Netflix’s rules.

By the way: No sooner has Netflix announced the fee than the first tricks are already circulating on the net on how you can circumvent the control mechanism. But beware! In this case, there is a risk of claims for damages.