By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
TV Answer Man, I saw your article on how to save money on Netflix. Do you have any similar tips on the Max streaming service? Barbie is coming up! — Molly, Fairfax, Virginia.
Molly, Max, the subscription Video on Demand service formerly known as HBO Max, has a huge catalogue of movies and shows from HBO, Discovery, Turner Classic Movies and other channels owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. However, the monthly subscription price can be as high as $19.99 a month. So is there any way to save money while subscribing to Max? Answer: Yes!
Here are three ways:
1. Get the ads-included plan.
Max has three plans with the most expensive, which includes 4K programming, costing $19.99 a month. But there is a $9.99 a month plan that includes ads. While I would rather watch shows without ads, Max does a good job of limiting the interruptions; there’s usually just a handful of ad minutes for each hour. (The ads-included plan allows you to watch on two different devices at the same time and includes HD programming.)
2. Get a yearly plan.
Max offers a 16-20 percent discount on its three plans if you purchase an annual plan. For instance, the ads-included package for one year is $99.99. But if you purchased it separately by the month, it would be $119.88.
3. Share your subscription with a friend.
Unlike Netflix, Max has not initiated a password sharing crackdown. So you could split the cost of your subscription with a friend. The three plans allow you to watch on at least two different devices at the same time; you could watch on one while a friend could watch on another. See this page for more details.
Unfortunately, Max does not include a free trial, but these three tricks will save you some money on the premium streaming service. Also look for holiday promotions for Max. For instance, the streamer recently offered its ads-included plan for just $2.99 a month for the first six months during a Black Friday sale.
Molly, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
