STREAMING GIANT NETFLIX has quietly increased the prices of its monthly subscription plans.

The platform’s ‘standard’ plan cost €16.99 for Irish customers in recent weeks – but sign up today, and you will pay €18.99.

The Journal has also confirmed that Netflix’s cheapest, ‘basic’ plan, which cost €10.99 as recently as July, has now gone up to €11.99 for new customers. 

A premium plan – popular with families, as it allows four devices to watch at the same time – will now cost €25.99, up from €23.99 in July.

How quickly will the higher prices hit customers with existing Netflix accounts?

Darragh Cassidy of price comparison website Bonkers.ie explained that while new customers signing up will be hit straight away, higher charges usually take a few weeks to filter through to those with existing accounts.

Price hikes of €1-2 are pretty standard for subscription services, Cassidy added.

“It happens all the time. Disney and Apple TV came in with really low prices, but as they became more popular and increased the amount of content they increased the price,” he said.

Irish audiences have been hit by other subscription increases this year. Music and podcast platform Spotify increased prices for most plans in May, while Youtube Premium is increasing its monthly charge from €13.99 to €15.99 this month.

How to save money

Cassidy advised that Netflix customers should check they are not paying for a plan that’s more expensive than they need. For instance, if kids have flown the nest it might not make sense to pay for premium, when basic or standard would probably do for a single adult or couple.

Netflix’s basic plan offers lower video and sound quality than the standard plan, and allows streaming on only one rather than on two devices with standard.

Cassidy added that it’s worth bearing in mind that if you pause your Netflix subscription, all your account data and viewing history will still be there if you sign back up after a few months, “and hopefully a whole raft of new shows you want to watch”.

Finally, there is almost certainly no point in having more than two streaming services on the go, as you’re likely to be overwhelmed by choice and probably paying for something you don’t need.

British media outlets reported today that Netflix has quietly upped prices there too, with the cheapest, ad-supported tier going up by a hefty 33% to £7.99 (€9.29).

Netflix does not yet offer ad-supported plans in Ireland, but it has been reported that this could be rolled out here next year. Netflix told RTÉ in May that ads would give Irish customers more affordable plan options.

Netflix has been contacted for comment this evening.