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Netflix is undoubtedly the leader in the streaming wars, boasting 269.6 million paid subscribers worldwide as of the first quarter of 2024. With its excellent catalog of original series like "Stranger Things," "Bridgerton" and "Wednesday," as well as crowd-pleasing films like "Nimona," "Damsel" and "Hit Man," it's easy to see how Netflix became the industry leader it is today.
However, because it is the most popular service, Netflix doesn't offer many deals or discounts. The streamer has chosen other methods of boosting subscriber numbers, such as introducing a lower-cost ad-supported plan and cracking down on password sharing.
Unlike most other major streamers, Netflix does not offer a free trial. The company discontinued all free trials in the U.S. back in 2020 and is not expected to bring promotional trial periods back any time soon.
Still, it's free Netflix, which is not nothing, and being able to stream new seasons of "Cobra Kai," "Emily in Paris" and "Bridgerton" for the low cost of nothing at all is still pretty appealing for those looking to save on streaming.
Amanda Kondolojy is an entertainment journalist based in Florida with over 15 years of experience covering film, TV, theme parks and more. When not in front of a screen you can find her reading something at the beach (usually by Neil Gaiman, Grady Hendrix or Brandon Sanderson) or dancing around the kitchen to her favorite showtunes. "}), " -0-11/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Amanda KondolojySocial Links NavigationWriterAmanda Kondolojy is an entertainment journalist based in Florida with over 15 years of experience covering film, TV, theme parks and more. When not in front of a screen you can find her reading something at the beach (usually by Neil Gaiman, Grady Hendrix or Brandon Sanderson) or dancing around the kitchen to her favorite showtunes.
Netflix is the world's largest streaming service, with 183 million subscribers (as of March 2020) paying monthly to watch shows like Stranger Things, The Crown and the rest of the streamer's extensive movie and TV catalog. Until recently, it also had one of the most generous free trials of any streamer, with new subscribers able to get a whole month of the service free.
However, in October 2020, the service removed its free trial in the U.S., with a spokesperson for Netflix saying, "we're looking at different marketing promotions in the U.S. to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience."
This removal of the Netflix free trial reflected the massive changes in the streaming sector is the short term in response to the coronavirus pandemic and in the long term since Netflix launched its first original series in 2013.
In the short term, a number of streaming services dropped their free trial in 2020 as a result to minimise any losses they were making after bringing movies originally destined for cinematic release to streamers.
When Disney+ released Hamilton onto its service, as well as Pixar movie Soul, these were major releases that would bring millions to the service, but they would also bring a significant audience of people who would watch these films on a free trial and then cancel their subscription.
Whereas newer streamer services like Disney+ or HBO Max have one or two breakout shows like The Mandalorian or Raised By Wolves, Netflix has some of the most-watched shows in the world, like Stranger Things, The Crown and Ozark. So if the newer streamer could build an audience without luring people in for free, then presumably the thinking was that so could Netflix, especially as millions around the world found themselves at home due to the coronavirus, with few options other than binge-watching endless TV.
In the long-term, meanwhile, the market has been moving away from free trials in general, with the trials offered getting smaller. The first three major streaming services in the U.S. were Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, all of which offered (or in the latter two cases, still offer) 30-day free trials. This was based on the model of cable services like Showtime, which offered month-long free trials for potential viewers.
Now, however, the norm is seven days, with media companies trying to recoup the millions they have pumped into joining the 'streaming wars' as quickly as possible. Among the services that offer a week free trial are Peacock, Apple TV+ and Discovery+, all of which launched in 2020.
Quibi, meanwhile, offered viewers who signed up before it released a 90-day free trial, then a 14-day free trial after it aired, which industry commentators cited as one of the many reasons it shutdown just six months after it launched.
Rather than offering new subscribers unfettered access to the whole catalog for a length of time, the streamer has introduced Watch Free, a segment that allows viewers to watch selected episodes of its biggest shows, hoping to get viewers hooked enough to pay to watch the whole thing.
Among the shows currently available to watch free are episodes of Stranger Things, Grace and Frankie, Spanish teen soap Elite, kid's content like Boss Baby: Back in Business and the acclaimed mini-series When They See Us.
Netflix, the world's biggest subscription video service with more than 192 million paying members, was increasingly an outlier among its rivals by offering a month-long free trial. As a raft of new rival services have launched in the last year, many set their free trial periods at a single week, including HBO Max and NBCUniversal's Peacock. And Disney Plus, as strong growth lifted its number of subscribers above its initial projections way earlier than expected, stopped offering free trials altogether in June.
Other established apps like CBS All Access and Starzlimit their free trials to seven days too. Hulu Showtime and Amazon Prime, however, still offer a month free to new subscribers. (Note: CBS All Access and Showtime are owned by ViacomCBS, the parent company of CNET.)
Typically free trials set up an auto-renewing subscription which you need to manually revoke before it is first called on if you don't want to continue with the subscription at the end of the trial. See View, change, or cancel your subscriptions - Apple Support for details. You can cancel the subscription and potentially request a refund via for the most recent payment that was taken, particularly if you can argue that you haven't made any use of the service.
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Samson, a seasoned writer with over 3 years of experience in the VPN niche at Cloudwards, specializes in bypassing geoblocks using VPN technology. His expertise extends to evaluating VPN providers and analyzing how they maintain internet privacy and network security, especially in the context of accessing geographically restricted streaming services. With his degree in mathematics from Maasai Mara University, Samson applies his critical thinking and analytical skills to offer insightful VPN reviews, focusing on features like IP address masking and content access. Apart from his work for Cloudwards, he has contributed to Financesonline.com and Timeero.com.
The Netflix free subscription in Kenya was the latest option to watch Netflix movies and shows without paying a dime. Users worldwide could connect to a VPN with a Kenyan server and sign up on Android phones without a credit card.
Even though the content was limited, the Netflix free subscription gave users an ad-free experience. Moreover, new users got personalized recommendations and options to create multiple profiles, as well as set up parental controls to protect the little ones.
Sadly, in October 2023, the streaming provider announced plans to discontinue the free trial in Kenya as of Nov. 1, 2023. Instead, Netflix urged users to switch to one of their paid plans. As of the time of writing this article, there are no Netflix free trial countries that you can use with this trick.
Getting a discounted Netflix gift card is another way to reduce your bills. For example, you can buy discounted gift cards from Raise.com or MTCGame. The platforms buy unused or partially used Netflix gift cards and sell them at a discount.
Before the Netflix password-sharing crackdown, you could share an account with members outside your household. These days, only members of the same household can share an account. If you live under the same roof with your friend, leverage this option to split your Netflix subscription bills.
For example, if you split the U.S. Netflix Premium price among three friends, everyone pays $6.66 per month. Netflix Premium allows up to four devices, meaning each person can stream movies on their devices without a hitch.
You may incur a small cost to buy the best VPN to access Netflix in another country and get an uninterrupted streaming experience. Luckily, some of the best free VPNs offer servers in countries with cheap Netflix. For example, Windscribe has a free server in Turkey, whereas TunnelBear offers a free server in Kenya.
The Netflix trial offer may no longer be available, but there are plenty of options for how to get Netflix cheaper. You can split the bill with friends and family, or get a discounted gift card to save money. Note, though, that the former may require you to jump through the latest Netflix password-sharing hoops.
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