Paramount+ is raising its subscription price and cutting some promotional rates, as a wave of companies jacks up the cost of streaming during an arms race for content. The Essential tier is increasing to $8.99 a month and $89.99 for an annual subscription, while Premium will jump to $13.99 per month and $139.99 annually. Free trials are being “retired,” and the company says it is examining its practices of offering discounts. The good news: There are still smart ways to lock in savings or keep your price level.
What the New Paramount+ Prices Mean for Subscribers
For monthly subscribers, the bump is a plain one: Essential goes up to $8.99 and Premium to $13.99. Annual billing still undercuts month-to-month. At the new prices, Essential yearly ($89.99) is about $17.89 cheaper than paying monthly for a full year, Premium yearly ($139.99) roughly $27.89 less than 12 months’ worth of payments, and VIP yearly ($299) saves you an estimated $59 off what you’d pay over 12 months (coming to around half off). This is an immediate ~16% extra discount just for selecting yearly payments.
Paramount says the increase will help fund additional originals, a larger film catalog, and premium sports and live shows. That’s reflective of the larger marketplace: As streamers spend billions courting attention, subscription counts have ticked up almost universally. Industry trackers like Antenna and Deloitte observe that price sensitivity is driving churn, where parsing the right plan and timing can significantly reduce your household’s bill.
How to Save on Paramount+: Practical Ways to Cut Costs
Sign up for an annual plan before the new prices become effective. If you know for a fact that you will be tuning in for the next year, prepaying at the current rate is by far the biggest no-brainer discount. If you do miss that window of opportunity, being annual at the new prices still saves about 16% vs. month to month.
Watch for official promotional windows. In the past, Paramount+ has run aggressive promotions around big shopping holidays on an ongoing basis, such as offering up to 50% off subscription rates for annual plans. And with the company examining its discounting practices, the cadence and depth of these promos might change — so pounce when compelling offers materialize.
Leverage bundles you already have. Paramount+ Essential is free for Walmart+ members, so if you’re already using Walmart+ for shipping benefits or fuel perks, that can effectively zero out your streaming cost. Wireless carriers, broadband suppliers, and credit cards also cycle through streaming perks — Verizon’s +play, T-Mobile, and some card issuers have provided free months or statement credits for streamers before. Be sure to look at your account dashboards for targeted offers.
Consider student pricing if eligible. Paramount+ has provided a student deal that’s usually about 25% off the Essential plan. Of course, availability is subject to change as discounts are scrutinized, but it’s worth looking if you have the following: a .edu email and valid enrollment.
Use third‑party channels for intro deals. Joining through third parties such as Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV, or Roku frequently offers temporary promo rates or a free trial period when direct signups are paused. The billing would remain the same; the window dressing could be cheaper.
Try the cancel‑save loop. With many services, you’ll sometimes be surfaced retention discounts when you initiate the cancellation process — a month at a reduced rate to make it less appealing to cancel. Take it if a promo comes along that works within your viewing schedule, but then re-evaluate.
Pay with discounts and rewards. Retailers occasionally offer streaming gift cards at a discount, and some credit cards feature seasonal 5% categories, statement credits, or Amex/Chase Offers on streaming. Pair these discounts with an annual plan to add savings.
Choose the Right Paramount+ Tier for Your Household
Essential comes with the full on‑demand library and ads. With Premium, you get an ad‑free experience on demand (which is much of what’s there), offline downloading capabilities, better video specifications on supported hardware, and your local CBS live stream, as well as Showtime programming. If you don’t download much for traveling and don’t care about the CBS live feed, Essential might be enough — and dropping down a tier is an easy way to save money.
Know the sharing rules. There are multiple profiles and up to three simultaneous streams on Paramount+. Continue to watch under one household account without having to pay for additional subscriptions you may not use.
Smarter Streaming Habits That Save Real Money Over Time
Rotate, don’t hoard. Binge whatever you want to watch in a month or two, then drop the service and move on to the next. Research by Antenna shows “churn and return” is becoming more popular as consumers cut costs — take advantage of that, instead of keeping every subscription active forever.
Download, then pause. With Premium’s offline downloads, it’s simple to load up for a trip and then take a break. That way, you’re charged only for the months you were actually watching.
Avoid duplicate content. If you subscribe to live television bundles or premium channels elsewhere, you may already have access to some Paramount content. It’s a useful reminder to audit your lineup so you avoid overlap in subscriptions.
Bottom Line: What to Do Before and After Price Hikes
Paramount+ is becoming pricier and free trials are tightening, but the playbook for saving money still works: prepay annually, pounce on promos, exploit bundles you already pay for, and rotate what services line up with what you actually watch. You can do the math between annual and monthly, choosing the right tier and stacking any carrier, promo, as well as card offers — little moves that add up to lots of money back in your pocket.