Peacock just raised prices again. Here’s how to pay less

Remember back in 2020 when Peacock cost just $5 per month? Those days are long gone.

With a new round of price hikes, Peacock Premium now costs $13 per month or $130 per year, up from $11 or $110 per year previously. The Premium Plus now costs $20 per month or $200 per year, up from $17 per month or $170 per year. Peacock’s “Select” tier, which excludes live sports, movies, and Peacock originals, now costs $9 per month or $90 per year, up from $8 per month or $80 per year.

But just because NBCUniversal wants more money for Peacock doesn’t mean you have to pay it. A spokesperson confirmed that while Peacock’s standalone prices are going up, you can still bundle it with other services for less. Several of these combos are less expensive than paying for Peacock by itself.

Here’s how to get a deal on Peacock even after the latest price hikes, and possibly even pay less than you were before:

Walmart+ includes Peacock and costs less

Walmart+ costs $98 pear year and includes your choice of either Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential, with the option to switch between them every three months. That’s $32 less per year than an annual Peacock subscription by itself. You can upgrade to Peacock’s ad-free tier for an extra $6 per month or $72 per year, which still saves you $30.

There are ways to defray the cost of Walmart+ as well. Students and government aid recipients get half-off, and AARP members get $40 off per year. If you’re new to Walmart+, you might also wait until Black Friday, when memberships are typically half-off the first year.

The other benefits of Walmart+ include free shipping with no order minimums, same-day delivery on orders of $35 or more, and a free Whopper every three months, among other things. It could be a replacement for Amazon Prime, provided you’d rather have Peacock than Amazon’s streaming offerings.

An NBCU spokesperson confirmed that Peacock’s price hike doesn’t affect the Walmart+ bundle at this time.

Instacart+ includes Peacock and also costs less

Instacart+ costs $99 per year and includes Peacock Premium at no extra charge, saving $31 per year over a standalone Peacock subscription.

This is worth considering if you’re going to subscribe to Peacock year-round and also want to defray the delivery fees on groceries, take-out, and Costco orders. Instacart’s membership also includes a free subscription to New York Times Cooking. One notable downside, though: Unlike Walmart+, Instacart won’t let you upgrade to Peacock’s ad-free tier.

An NBCU spokesperson confirmed that Peacock’s price hike doesn’t affect the Instacart+ bundle at this time.

Bundle Apple TV and Peacock for $2 extra (or free without ads)

If you’re going to pay for a monthly Peacock subscription, consider getting Apple TV along with it. Bundling the two services together costs $15 per month with ads, which is $2 more than the standalone cost of either service. Opting for Peacock’s ad-free tier brings the price to $20 per month, which is exactly what Peacock Premium Plus costs by itself.

I’ll be surprised if the bundle prices don’t eventually increase, but for now an NBC spokesperson says there are no changes to share.

Consider Comcast’s Peacock bundles

For Xfinity customers, Comcast offers a bunch of discounted streaming bundles with Peacock included:

• $18 per month for Peacock (w/ ads), Netflix (w/ ads), and Apple TV.
• $22 per month for Peacock (w/ads), HBO Max (w/ads), and Apple TV.
• $22 per month for Peacock (w/ads), Netflix (w/ads), and either HBO Max (w/ads) or Disney+/Hulu (w/ads).
• $30 per month for Peacock (w/ ads) and any three of Netflix (w/ ads), HBO Max (w/ads), Disney+/Hulu (w/ads), or Apple TV.
• $35 per month for Peacock (w/ ads), Netflix (w/ ads), HBO Max (w/ads), Disney+/Hulu (w/ads), and Apple TV.

You can also upgrade to the ad-free tiers of any service by paying the difference in price. Log into Comcast’s StreamSaver website or use one of Comcast’s TV boxes to sign up. An NBCU spokesperson said there are no changes to Comcast’s bundle pricing at this time.

Bundle YouTube Premium with Peacock next year

YouTube Premium subscribers will get access to Peacock in early 2027. Peacock’s shows, movies, and live sports will stream directly through the YouTube app, and won’t require an additional subscription. The service currently costs $16 per month or $160 per year, and ad-free viewing and access to YouTube Music Premium.

It’s unclear whether the price will increase by the time Peacock arrives. YouTube also isn’t saying whether it’ll launch a cheaper tier without Peacock (but with the benefits that are missing from YouTube Premium Lite, such as YouTube Music Premium.) Still, the option to bundle YouTube Premium with Peacock is worth keeping an eye out for in the months ahead.

The obligatory discounts for students, military, medical workers, and teachers

Peacock Premium costs $7 per month for military, teachers, medical professionals, and first responders. For students, it’s $6 per month. Like other discounts of this kind, you’ll have to verify eligibility to get the discount, both at the outset and every year.

Try cancelling Peacock instead

Jared Newman / Foundry

Peacock will sometimes extend deep discounts to subscribers when they begin the cancellation process. For instance, I’ve heard from a couple of readers who got six months for $2.99 per month by attempting to cancel. I received a similar offer myself after signing up for a month to watch the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics in February.

The worst that can happen is you get offered nothing, and have to turn the subscription back on again.

Reconsider whether you even need Peacock in the first place

Last fall, NBCUniversal revived the NBC Sports channel as an outlet for all the live sports coverage that is otherwise exclusive to Peacock. If you have a pay TV package that includes both NBC and NBC Sports, you’re already getting the sports coverage that Peacock has to offer. YouTube TV (and its cheaper Sports package) includes both channels, as does Fubo and its own cheaper Sports + News package.

Beyond that, Peacock has some original shows such as Love Island, Poker Face, and the Saved by the Bell reboot. Look at the full list of originals and consider whether that’s worth an ongoing subscription or a more short-term arrangement.

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