Netflix has begun sending out emails informing U.S. users that the halcyon days of password sharing are over. While you’re still technically able to share your account with people outside your household, you’re now no longer able to do so for free.
According to a sample email shared in Netflix’s blog post, you’ll now have to pay an additional $7.99 per month for an extra member slot if you want to share a Netflix account outside your household.
Unfortunately, extra member slots are only available under Netflix’s Standard or Premium plans, which cost $15.49 or $19.99 per month respectively. Standard plans allow for one extra member, while Premium subscriptions permit two.
Alternatively, you can save a profile from a previously shared account by transferring it to a new paid membership, ensuring its watch list and recommendations remain intact.
Though unless the owner of said profile is willing to sit through commercials on Netflix’s Standard with ads plan, it’ll work out cheaper to pay the $7.99 per month for an extra member slot provided your subscription plan supports it. Netflix’s cheapest plan is its $6.99 per month Standard with ads plan, while the next level up is its Basic plan for $9.99 per month.
Extra member accounts do come with some extra restrictions. Extra members can only watch Netflix or download titles on one device at a time, and can only have one profile. It can’t be a Kids profile either, so you’re out of luck if you wanted to share Netflix with your child but not your ex. The account has to be created and activated in the same country as the main account owner’s as well.
However, extra members also have their own passwords, which is particularly useful if you’re a nightmare security gremlin who uses the same password for everything.
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Netflix has stressed that users will still be able to use its service while travelling, so you’ll still be able to fall asleep to Love is Blind in your hotel room. However, if you’re away from home for an “extended period of time” you may need to request a temporary access code to keep using your account.
Suddenly being charged for a feature they’ve been enjoying for free will undoubtedly leave a bad taste in many users’ mouths. Netflix seems aware of that, as well as the fact that “members have many entertainment choices” — such as Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Disney+, and the newly-relaunched Max.
As such, Netflix stated it “continue[s] to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV shows” to keep customers coming back, such as its recent $2.5 billion investment in South Korean entertainment.
