MSE news: Disney+ to hike prices by up to £36 a year in major shake-up

MSE_Clare

Disney+ is hiking the price of its existing subscription by up to £36 a year from 1 November. It's also launching two new cheaper plans from the same date – but they'll have fewer perks and you'll have to watch adverts on one of them. Here's what's changing and how the new plans compare.

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Disney+ to hike prices by up to £36 a year in major shake-up – here's how its new plans work and how they compare

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Revel

I wonder how we'll be affected? We get Disney+ 'free' through our bank account.

SeeSidTellHim

Revel said:

I wonder how we'll be affected? We get Disney+ 'free' through our bank account.

I "bought" several 3month subs via tesco Clubcard before they reduced the triple points to cover me till June '24. 
I'm guessing we'll all default to the mid tier sub that is the same price as current but without 4K/atmos. 

SonOfPearl

SeeSidTellHim said:

Revel said:

I wonder how we'll be affected? We get Disney+ 'free' through our bank account.

I "bought" several 3month subs via tesco Clubcard before they reduced the triple points to cover me till June '24. 
I'm guessing we'll all default to the mid tier sub that is the same price as current but without 4K/atmos. 

I'm in a very similar position. I hope you're right and we just get moved to the new "Standard" tier. 

brewerdave

Unless you need more than 2 devices to watch on, it's not worth the extra £pm to watch the odd film in 4K/HDR -I suspect that a lot of customers will "downgrade" to the standard plan

datimms

SeeSidTellHim said:

I "bought" several 3month subs via tesco Clubcard before they reduced the triple points to cover me till June '24. 
I'm guessing we'll all default to the mid tier sub that is the same price as current but without 4K/atmos. 

Also in the same boat. I'm thinking for current vouchers redeemed with Disney before the prices kick in you'll continue on the current package for the whole duration. With subsequent vouchers redeemed afterwards kind of hoping we'll get grandfathered onto what we signed up for at the time which is 3 months of the full package as it stands (with 4k and atmos and 4 users). But I suspect you're right.

Currently no mention of the changes on the Clubcard page and validity still going to June 2024. It says a voucher is worth £24 but then says that's 3 months and up to 4 users. 

I'm a bit confused by this;

From 1 November 2023, that price will automatically increase to £10.99 a month or £109.90 for the year upfront if you pay Disney directly – though you won't pay the new price until your billing date on or after 6 December 2023. 

If I apply a voucher today for 3 months (til 21st Nov) and I turn on the annual subscription at renewal, will I get the new price or the old price at renewal on 21 Nov?

It would be good to know, I wonder what the best way to find out is? I'm supposed to be applying a voucher today and I'll have 1 left after that, but don't mind forfeiting that one to avoid the hike. 

 

MattMattMattUK

brewerdave said:

Unless you need more than 2 devices to watch on, it's not worth the extra £pm to watch the odd film in 4K/HDR -I suspect that a lot of customers will "downgrade" to the standard plan

I only ever watch on one device, 4k and HDR are far better to me than multiple devices and most content is available in 4k, although only newer content is proper HDR. That being said, when my annual subscription ends I will just cancel and not bother renewing, I will probably do what I do with Netflix, which is sign up for one month at at a time, watch everything worth watching and then cancel again, I do that twice a a year and it works out fine, so instead of getting my £69 annual subscription they will now only get £22 annual revenue from me.

Neil_Jones

datimms said:

I'm a bit confused by this;

From 1 November 2023, that price will automatically increase to £10.99 a month or £109.90 for the year upfront if you pay Disney directly – though you won't pay the new price until your billing date on or after 6 December 2023. 

If I apply a voucher today for 3 months (til 21st Nov) and I turn on the annual subscription at renewal, will I get the new price or the old price at renewal on 21 Nov?

It would be good to know, I wonder what the best way to find out is? I'm supposed to be applying a voucher today and I'll have 1 left after that, but don't mind forfeiting that one to avoid the hike. 

 

Means what it says.

If you renew after Nov 1 its at the new price.  If you renew before it, its at the current price.

Not sure what's confusing about it?

datimms

Neil_Jones said:

If you renew after Nov 1 its at the new price.  If you renew before it, its at the current price.

I'm asking more about the meaning of the second part of the paragraph, about billing dates in December? Is it a typo? it puts a question mark on what happens to billing dates between 1 Nov and 6 Dec. Disney doesn't charge in arrears, you pay up front for the period you've subscribed to. If you had a billing date on 7th November you'd be paying for either a monthly or annual period that ends on the 6th of the month in 1 or 12 month's time, and you'd be paying it there and then, not in December. That's why I find the statement ambiguous, and I'm not sure what I'm missing.

Neil_Jones

datimms said:

Neil_Jones said:

If you renew after Nov 1 its at the new price.  If you renew before it, its at the current price.

I'm asking more about the meaning of the second part of the paragraph, about billing dates in December? Is it a typo? it puts a question mark on what happens to billing dates between 1 Nov and 6 Dec. Disney doesn't charge in arrears, you pay up front for the period you've subscribed to. If you had a billing date on 7th November you'd be paying for either a monthly or annual period that ends on the 6th of the month in 1 or 12 month's time, and you'd be paying it there and then, not in December. That's why I find the statement ambiguous, and I'm not sure what I'm missing.

"From 1 November 2023, that price will automatically increase to £10.99 a month or £109.90 for the year upfront if you pay Disney directly – though you won't pay the new price until your billing date on or after 6 December 2023. "

Last time Disney did price changes, it was exacctly the same:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/01/disney--to-raise-prices-in-february----but-here-s-how-to-beat-th/ - "Existing customers will see the price changes take force at their first monthly or annual renewal after 23 August 2021.  New monthly and annual sign-ups will see the increased prices from 23 February 2021."

I don't see what the issue is here in 2023 with all due respect, its clear as crystal to me.  You buy Disney+ before November 1 and you get the old price.  If you're a member and your billing date falls before December 6, you get the old price, otherwise you get the new one.

Paying up front has nothing to do with it, its no different to the old Line Rental Saver packages phone providers used to do.

datimms

I see, you're talking about new subscriptions rather than renewals. The way MSE phrased it in 2021 is clearer.

So in the context of my original question/musing, given I already have Disney+, my plan dates fall such that I'll be able to buy an annual sub at the existing terms and prices on my billing date in late November.