How the Disney+ Price Increases Could Affect Your Streaming Credits

There’s no escaping the steadily increasing prices of, well, everything, and it seems the magic of Disney is no exception. This week, the media titan announced the Disney Bundle will be increasing in price — with a caveat. Let’s see what this will mean for your bottom line.

Disney+ Pricing Details

New prices will go into effect on October 12, 2023, and will affect a few different options:

• Disney+ Premium: +$5 to $13.99 per month
• Disney Bundle Trio Basic: +$5 to $14.99 per month
• Disney Bundle Trio Premium: +$5 to $24.99 per month
• Hulu (No Ads): +$4 to $17.99 per month
• Legacy Disney Bundle: +$4 to $18.99 per month

Disney is also introducing a new Duo Bundle featuring just Disney+ and Hulu. The cost for the basic bundle (with ads) will be $9.99 per month, while the premium bundle (no ads) will be $19.99 per month.

With this adjustment just around the corner, it’s a good time to take a look at which streaming platforms you frequent and whether they’re all worth keeping around.

Is It Worth It?

As much as we hate an increase in price, the new option for Duo Premium at $19.99 per month could be an opportunity to tailor your streaming experience to what you actually use while still saving a few bucks from what you would be paying for them separately.

Here’s the non-bundled monthly cost for these subscriptions:

• Disney+ (With Ads): $1.99 for the first 3 months, then $7.99 monthly
• Disney+ (No Ads): $13.99
• ESPN+: $9.99
• Hulu (With Ads): $7.99
• Hulu (No Ads): $17.99

So, while another price increase may have made us audibly groan, it’s still cheaper than paying for each service individually.

We recommend using the monthly streaming credit (enrollment required) offered by The Platinum Card^® from American Express to cover these price increases and collect the points from the difference. The monthly credit is up to $20 with an annual limit of up to $240. This goes towards qualifying streaming services, including Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+.

The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express also offers a credit of up to $7 back monthly after using your card to spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to the Disney Bundle (enrollment required).

Final Thoughts

While the monthly increase of this bundle initially feels like just another punch to the wallet, there are options to keep costs lower. Tailoring your streaming experience could help keep things within your normal price range.

If you’re planning on keeping any of these bundles, consider offsetting the cost with the Amex Platinum card’s streaming credit of up to $20 a month or using a card like the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card to earn as much cash-back as possible.