When does Netflix password sharing end? How much will it cost you? What you need to know.
Netflix's password sharing crackdown is bad news for your ex or old roommate still sponging off your account, or for those – like me – who share multiple streaming accounts with family and close friends to offset costs.
(I share a Netflix account with my family members, who live several hundred miles away).
Netflix rolled out Wednesday paid password sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. The streaming giant started testing the paid model last year in Latin America.
Users in those countries have to set a primary location for their account and have the option to pay extra to add an "extra member sub account" for up to two people that don't live with them.
So just how will Netflix enforce a U.S. new policy and how much is it going to cost us?
Here's what we know so far.
The end of password sharing:Netflix says it plans to halt free password sharing before April
Paid sharing in Latin America:Netflix to test paid features to stop users from freely sharing their accounts
Is Netflix blocking password sharing?
Netflix's policy on password sharing hasn't changed yet for U.S. customers. The company last month said it plans to roll out new password-sharing features more widely by March 31, the end of the first quarter.
Confusion abounded recently when Netflix's help center page for U.S. customers for a time showed information for countries where the streaming giant has tested paid password sharing.
"For a brief time yesterday, a help center article containing information that is only applicable to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, went live in other countries. We have since updated it," a Netflix spokesperson told USA Today in an email.
Netflix's help center page for U.S. customers notes "people who do not live in your household will need to use their own account to watch Netflix."
The company last year first announced it would take measures to curb password sharing.
"Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business," Netflix said in an earnings report.
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Will Netflix start charging for sharing password?
Netflix has been testing a paid-sharing model in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru since early last year.
In a letter to shareholders, the company said it expects to launch paid sharing "more broadly" by the end of March, but hasn't specified prices or a rollout date.
Can I share my Netflix account with family in a different home?
In Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, users subscribed to a Standard or Premium plan "can share Netflix with someone who doesn’t live with them for less than the price of our Basic plan," according to Netflix's FAQ page.
Customers in Canada can add members that don't live with them for an extra 7.99 Canadian dollars a month per person, while users in New Zealand have to pay 7.99 New Zealand dollars. Users in Portugal and Spain can share their accounts for an additional 3.99 and 5.99 euros, respectively.
"As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with," Netflix said in the letter.
How does Netflix know if you're sharing passwords?
Netflix says it uses information such as IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to detect devices within a household.
How much is Netflix's monthly fee now?
Netflix offers U.S. subscribers four plans to choose from:
- Basic with ads: $6.99 per month
- Basic: $9.99 per month
- Standard: $15.49 per month
- Premium: $19.99 per month