Stop wasting money on streaming subscriptions - here's how I'm saving 56% on my bills in 2026

I'm slashing my streaming bills by 56% in 2026 - here's my five-step masterplan News Enduring ads can save you a lot of cash on streamers that have multiple plans to choose from (like Netflix above).(Image credit: Netflix) An Apple One subscription works out cheaper than separate subscriptions if you want Apple TV as well as Apple Music, and you can share with family members.(Image credit: Apple) Carrie Marshall published Five ways to cut the cost of Netflix, Disney+ and more 1. Subscribe selectively Instead of subscribing to multiple streamers at once and watching a few things on each, pause subscriptions until there's a lot you want to see on one particular service (jump to our 'subscription hopping' guide below). 2. Drop down a tier If you're not watching lots of things filmed in 4K HDR with spatial audio, you don't really need the Super Mega Ultra tier for that streaming service. 3. Buy a bundle Some streamers are cheaper if you buy them as part of a bundle - such as a phone contract with bundled streaming or a multi-service package like Apple One. Streaming is a bit different from the days when all you needed was a single Netflix subscription. To watch all the big shows and movies today you need to have a big budget to accommodate the cost of not just Netflix but Disney+/Hulu, HBO Max or Now TV, Paramount+ and Apple TV and Prime Video and more. Or maybe you don't. With a little forward thinking and judicious use of your Reminders app you can pause the subscriptions that aren't delivering the best value, cut the price of the subs you want to keep and share streaming with family members who don't share the same roof. I've worked out that doing this will save me over 50% in 2026, and there's no reason why you can't make similar savings. In this piece I'll mostly be quoting UK pricing because that's where I live, but the tips and the savings will be much the same elsewhere too. Here's how to slash the cost of your streaming subscriptions without sacrificing the best shows and movies. The basics 1. Drop down a tier The full-fat Super Mega Ultra Plan with 4K UHD, HDR and spatial audio is great, but how many of the shows you're watching were filmed using those features? Dropping down from 4K to 1080p means a big saving on Netflix. The Premium 4K plan costs $24.99 / £18.99 / AU$28.99, while the Standard one is $17.99 / £12.99 / AU$20.99, a saving of 46% here in the UK. Similarly, Disney+ is £14.99 a month for up to 4K in the UK, but only £9.99 for 1080p. That's a saving of 50% per month if you drop down a tier. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. If your TV isn't massive and or very close to your sofa you might not be able to see a huge difference between 1080p...

Preview: ~500 words