Annual streaming service plans compared: Are they worth it?

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Securing a deal to save money on streaming services are all well and good for saving month-to-month, but the sure-fire way to cut costs is to commit to an annual plan.

While not all streaming services offer them, the ones that do boast some serious savings; but how much can you really save and are they worth it? Keep reading as we weigh up the pros and cons of annual plans.

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Annual plans: Potential savings

Annual plans across the major streaming services carry savings of between $23 and $85 per year by committing to a long-term plan. The higher your plan tier, the higher the savings. But if you just compare Standard plans, the largest saving comes from committing to either Binge or Prime Video.

Below is a breakdown of each major streaming service, how much you can expect to pay monthly vs annually and the savings each plan carries:

*Prices correct as of September 8, 2026. 

Annual plans: Things to consider

Before signing up to an annual plan, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do you plan to stop subscribing when content you want is no longer available?
   Cancelling your subscriptions when shows like House of the Dragon or Ted Lasso have ended is a clever way to make sure you’re not paying for services you aren’t using. Unfortunately, you can’t do this when you sign up annually; you’re locked in for the full year because you’ve paid up front.
   
   It’s also worth noting, bluffing that you’re ready to cancel a subscription can often trigger a deal as well. We’ve seen this previously from Binge, BritBox and Hayu.
2. Are you planning to end subscriptions to take advantage of month-to-month deals?
   As an example, Binge discounts are offered throughout the year to both new and returning customers such as $2 per month for six-months.
3. When have you chosen to sign up annually?
   Signing up to multiple streaming services annually, but throughout different points of the year, is a clever way to space out the payments and avoid bill shock.
   
   We also recommend planning to subscribe to anything annually so it doesn’t clash with other larger payments, like car registration, rates and Christmas, or so they do align with your annual tax return to lessen the blow.

Annual plans: Are they worth it?

Pros of annual plans

There are a few major pros to subscribing to a streaming service annually:

1. Discounted pricing: Get the same experience and content for a lower monthly price
2. Set-and-forget plans: Knowing you won’t have to fork out $10, $20 or $40 each month is a nice reprieve
3. Locked in pricing: Because you're paying in advance, if a streaming service hikes its prices throughout the year, like the annual Disney Plus price rises, you will be exempt and get the cheaper price for the entire year. This means you won’t be stung with a price increase until your 12-month contract ends

Compare the prices of all of Australia's major streaming services below:

	Plan	Price	Details
AMC+ Bundle	AMC+ Bundle TV 7-day free trial TV 7-day free trial HD 1080p · 5 devices at once AMC+, Shudder & Acorn TV Annual: $83.88/yr (save $24) From $8.99/mth or $83.88/yr View Plan	From $8.99/mth or $83.88/yr	View Plan
Disney+	Disney+ TV + movies + sport TV + movies + sport 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $179.99/y (save up to $49.89) From $9.99/mth or $179.99/yr View Plan	From $9.99/mth or $179.99/yr	View Plan
Amazon Prime Video	Amazon Prime Video TV + movies + more 30-day free trial TV + movies + more 30-day free trial 4K UHD · 3 devices at once Remove ads for $2.99/mth Annual: $79/yr (save $40) From $9.99/mth or $79/yr View Plan	From $9.99/mth or $79/yr	View Plan
Netflix	Netflix TV + movies TV + movies 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Deal: Get free Netflix Standard with Optus From $9.99/mth View Plan	From $9.99/mth	View Plan
Binge	Binge TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $79/yr (save up to $85) From $10.00/mth or $79/yr View Plan	From $10.00/mth or $79/yr	View Plan
Crunchyroll	Crunchyroll TV + movies 7-day free trial TV + movies 7-day free trial HD 1080p · 4 devices at once Annual: From $119.99/yr (save up to 16%) From $11.99/mth or $119.99/yr View Plan	From $11.99/mth or $119.99/yr	View Plan
Apple TV	Apple TV TV + movies 7-day free trial TV + movies 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 6 (with Family Sharing) Annual: $129/yr (save $62.88) From $15.99/mth or $129/yr View Plan	From $15.99/mth or $129/yr	View Plan
Kayo Sports	Kayo Sports Sport 7-day free trial Sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Deal: 1 month for $1 From $29.99/mth View Plan	From $29.99/mth	View Plan
DAZN	DAZN Sport Sport HD 1080p · 2 devices at once Annual: From $149.99/yr (save $223.89) From $31.99/mth or $149.99/yr View Plan	From $31.99/mth or $149.99/yr	View Plan
Foxtel Now	Foxtel Now TV + movies + sport 10-day free trial TV + movies + sport 10-day free trial HD 1080p · 2 devices at once Annual: Save 30% on Sports + Movies package when you sign up for 12mths From $35/mth View Plan	From $35/mth	View Plan
Paramount+	Paramount+ TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $70.99/yr (save up to $55.89) From $7.99/mth or $70.99/yr Link not supplied	From $7.99/mth or $70.99/yr	Link not supplied
Stan.	Stan. TV + movies + sport TV + movies + sport 4K UHD · 4 devices at once From $9.99/mth Link not supplied	From $9.99/mth	Link not supplied
HBO Max	HBO Max TV + movies TV + movies 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $119.99yr (save up to $43.89) From $11.99/mth or $119.99yr Link not supplied	From $11.99/mth or $119.99yr	Link not supplied
BritBox	BritBox TV 7-day free trial TV 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: $139.99/yr (save $27.89) From $13.99/mth or $139.99/yr Link not supplied	From $13.99/mth or $139.99/yr	Link not supplied
MUBI	MUBI Movies 7-day free trial Movies 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Annual: $119.88/yr (save $60) From $14.99/mth or $119.88/yr Link not supplied	From $14.99/mth or $119.88/yr	Link not supplied

Cons of annual plans

The most obvious con of subscribing to a pay TV service annually is you’ve committed and locked into a full 12-months of whatever the streaming service has to offer.

Unfortunately, some streaming services don’t balance their calendar’s very well so there could be a few months where you don’t even use the service because there’s nothing of interest to watch. Compared to having the freedom to cancel at any time, this may not suit your viewing needs.

Best streaming services in Australia: Editor's Picks

Find out which streaming service has the largest content library, which is the cheapest, which has the most perks and more. View our guide.

Alternatives to locking into a full year include opting into a six-month plan instead. While it is the pay TV sweet spot for saving a bit of money and is a much lower commitment, only one streaming service currently offers it, and that’s Hayu.

Overall, if you time it right and know you’re always going to want to access certain movies or TV series, say Disney and Pixar content or Paramount Plus films, we highly recommend taking advantage of the savings annual plans offer.

Christie Graham

Digital Content Editor

Christie Graham is a tech industry expert and former head copywriter for Harvey Norman's Computers and Tech category. She won a national Newscorp writing competition to review TV shows on Binge, and keeps busy juggling her many hobbies including baking, painting, archery, stargazing, tending to her chickens, training her Border Collie, expanding her Harry Potter replica collection, and making lists (much like this one).

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