YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are now available in monthly and annual subscriptions. Previously, users had to pay monthly for the services, but could also cancel monthly. The new annual subscription is paid in advance and then runs for 12 months. After that, users will have to take out a new subscription for the current status.
Not everyone saves with an annual subscription
Compared to the current monthly subscription, the annual rate is cheaper: The monthly subscription for YouTube Premium currently costs EUR 11.99 per month, while the annual subscription costs a total of EUR 107.99, i.e. EUR 8.99 per month. YouTube Music costs EUR 9.99 for a monthly subscription and EUR 89.99 for an annual subscription, i.e. EUR 7.49 per month. The prices mentioned for the annual subscription are valid up to and including January 23, 2022. After that, according to 9to5Google, the annual subscription costs 9.99 euros per month for YouTube Premium and 8.33 euros for YouTube Music.
But not all users save with the annual plan: Existing customers with an older monthly plan should stick with their subscription model because the new annual subscription can be more expensive for them. An example is customers who have transferred their Google Play Music subscription to YouTube Music. Existing customers should therefore check whether this is worthwhile for them before switching tariffs. Anyone who already has a monthly subscription must cancel it in order to switch to an annual subscription.
YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are also available as annual subscriptions.
(Image: YouTube)
Annual subscription not available in all tariffs and countries
The annual subscription is not included in the family and student tariffs. In addition, Google only offers it for the following countries: USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, India and Japan. Google explains the annual subscription and how to switch to it on its YouTube annual membership help page.
Bypass hidden fees
Google bills subscription fees through a service provider in the UK. Since Brexit, statements in euros have been considered foreign sales and therefore incur a bank fee. Google does not point this out separately. To avoid the extra fees, users can buy Google Play vouchers, add them to their Google account and use them to pay for their subscription.
YouTube Music and YouTube Premium are paid services from Google subsidiary YouTube. Users can use it to stream videos and music without advertising and, for example, save them to use them offline. YouTube Music is included with YouTube Premium, but can also be subscribed to separately.
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