Netflix is officially phasing out its basic plan in some countries, leaving users in a tough spot: either buy another subscription to keep their service or cancel it.
The news of the phaseout and images of it were found on the aptly named MildlyInfuriating subreddit. They show an alert from Netflix informing the viewer that their last day to enjoy the streaming platform is July 13, with a prompt telling them to choose one of three plans. The company offers the standard ad-supported plan for $5.99, the standard plan for $16.49, and the premium subscription for $20.99.
Understandably, people aren't happy. The comments section of the original post is full of users expressing their frustration and disappointment at the direction the platform is taking. Some even regret the good old days before all these changes started happening.
Phase-out begins
It's not known exactly where the phaseout is taking place, as the poster doesn't reveal its location. However, it's likely that they're Canadian, as the prices listed in the image correspond to Netflix subscriptions in Canada. This is consistent, as threads on the Netflix subreddit over the past two months strongly suggest that the Basic plan will be phased out in Canada and the UK first.
Commenters on those two posts say they have received emails from the platform informing them that the service is ending and recommending they choose a different plan. Additionally, if they go to the Canada or UK Plans and Pricing page on the Netflix Help Center, there is a notice that says, “The Basic plan has been discontinued.”
Additionally, it appears that the gradual reduction is happening in waves. One of the participants in the subreddit's previous threads said they had until June 8 to choose a new plan. The other was given a deadline of June 15. With July 13 as the current cutoff date, it's possible that there will be another wave shortly after.
Slow but safe
At the time of writing, it's not known whether the company plans to do the same in the US or other countries, though there's a good chance it does. After all, US users haven't been able to subscribe to a basic plan since July 2023. We also reached out to Netflix to ask if we could get an idea of when the US phase-out will begin.
A company representative told us that they are “looking to exit.” [their] Basic plan in some of [their] “Netflix couldn't give us an exact timeline, but it seems like the basic plan will inevitably end in the US at some point in the future. We're sure there will be another wave of outrage at that time.
If you want to try other platforms, be sure to check out TechRadar's latest roundup of the best streaming deals for July 2024.
