Last chance to get cheap ad-free Netflix plan
Netflix is phasing out its Basic plan in Australia.
Want to avoid ads on Netflix? Bad news - it's soon going to be more expensive in Australia.
In a letter to shareholders following its quarterly earnings report, Netflix has said it will remove the Basic tier in Australia.
The $10.99 Basic tier is currently the cheapest way to view ad-free Netflix.
With that retired, the cheapest ad-free option will be the $16.99 Standard tier. If you're willing to put up with ads, you'll pay $6.99 a month.
When is Netflix going to phase out its Basic tier in Australia?
In its shareholder letter Netflix said the change would happen "next week" in a number of countries, including Australia.
A Netflix spokesperson since confirmed to Finder that the service would update its plans in Australia from 23 October 2023.
That means the Basic tier will no longer be an option for new members, rejoiners and existing members looking to switch plans after then.
Netflix has already removed the Basic option in the US, UK, Italy and Germany.
The jump in subscribers to Netflix's cheaper ad tier is another motivating factor for this move in Australia.
"In Q3'23, our ads membership increased nearly 70% quarter-over-quarter and now accounts for ~30% of all new sign-ups in our 12 ads countries," Netflix said in the letter.
The Basic tier will also disappear in Brazil, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Spain.
Can I stay on the Basic Netflix plan?
Yes. If you're already an existing Netflix subscriber and have the Basic plan, you're still able to stay subscribed to that and pay $10.99 a month to avoid ads.
These are the options to subscribe to Netflix as of 19 October 2023.
| Netflix Plan | Monthly Cost | Max video quality | Simultaneous streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard with ads | $6.99 | Full HD | 2 |
| Basic | $10.99 | HD | 1 |
| Standard | $16.99 | Full HD | 2 |
| Premium | $22.99 | 4K | 4 |
With the Basic plan removed, that means the cheapest option for ad-free Netflix will soon be $16.99 a month.
That adds up to an extra $72 a year compared to the Basic plan.
Although Basic is the cheapest ad-free option, its resolution is 720p HD and allows streaming on only 1 device at a time.
On the more expensive Standard Plan, you can stream in full 1080p HD on 2 screens at once.
Another option to pay less for Netflix to avoid ads is to become an extra member on someone else's Standard or Premium plan.
Netflix allows extra members that don't live in the same household as an account holder to be added for an extra $7.99 a month.
That way you'd only be paying $7.99 a month to avoid ads on Netflix, but would need to convince someone else to be footing the bill for a full plan.
What are some cheaper options for streaming without ads?
If the looming prospect of $16.99 a month seems too much for you to pay, there are plenty of other major streaming sites that offer cheaper plans without ads.
We've highlighted some options that you can investigate that might suit your streaming budget better.
| Provider | Monthly cost | Free trial |
|---|---|---|
| Disney Plus | $13.99 | No, sign up now |
| Paramount Plus | $9.99 | Yes, 7 days |
| Britbox | $8.99 | Yes, 7 days |
| Prime Video | $9.99 | Yes, 30 days |
| Apple TV Plus | $9.99 | Yes, 7 days |
| Hayu | $6.99 | Yes, 7 days |
| Stan Basic | $10 | Yes, 30 days |
While BINGE has an ad-free plan for $16 a month, that is about to go up to $18 a month from 24 October 2023.
There are also other smaller niche streaming services that cost less than $10 a month, such as horror service Shudder, British-focused Acorn TV or the documentary-driven iWonder.
Want to learn more about what's on Netflix? Check our list of the best Netflix shows.
Updated 12:10pm AEDT 19 October 2023: We updated this article with the exact date Netflix will remove its Basic plan in Australia to new and rejoining subscribers.
