Your streaming bill is quietly becoming a real line item. In just the first four months of 2026, several major services raised prices — and because most households subscribe to several at once, those "couple of dollars" increases are stacking into a meaningful monthly cost. Here is a clear-eyed way to decide what stays and what goes.
What actually went up
Netflix raised prices for the second time in little more than a year. Its standard plan now runs close to $20 a month, the Premium tier costs about seven dollars more, and the ad-supported plan sits around $8.99. Spotify lifted its base Premium tier from $7.99 to $9.99 — its first U.S. increase since 2019 — with its higher tiers climbing $2 as well, to roughly $13.99 and $17.99.
Individually, each hike is easy to shrug off. Combined across four or five services, they can add $15 to $30 a month to a household budget without anyone noticing the moment it happened.
The math worth doing
Start by listing every subscription and its current price, then multiply by 12. A $19.99 plan is nearly $240 a year; a $17.99 music tier is more than $215. Seeing the annual figure reframes the decision, because monthly pricing is engineered to feel painless.
Next, divide cost by actual use. If you open a service a few times a month, your effective cost per hour of enjoyment may be far higher than a service you use daily. That ratio, not the sticker price, is the honest measure of value.
A simple decision framework
Sort each subscription into three buckets. Keep the ones you use weekly and would genuinely miss. Rotate the ones you use in bursts — subscribe for a month to binge a specific show or season, then cancel until the next thing you want. Cut anything you have not opened in 60 days. Rotating rather than hoarding subscriptions is the single most effective way to blunt the impact of price hikes.
Don't overlook the ad tier
For services you watch passively, the ad-supported plan can cut your cost substantially for a modest interruption. If you mostly have a service on in the background, the premium ad-free price may be money spent on a benefit you barely register.
The bottom line
Price increases are not going away; if anything, the pattern of 2026 suggests more are coming. The antidote is not loyalty but attention. Review your subscriptions quarterly, run the annual math, and treat each renewal as an active choice rather than a default. A 20-minute audit can easily save you a few hundred dollars a year.
This article is general information, not financial advice; choices depend on your own budget and habits.
