If You Pay for Netflix or Hulu Through iTunes, You Could Be Saving 15 Percent Each Month

For prices ranging from $8.99 to $15.99 a month, streaming services like Netflix offer some of the best value in entertainment. But a growing number of platforms—including Amazon Prime, Hulu, and forthcoming services from Disney and Apple—means that viewers might be looking to cut costs. Fortunately, there’s a way to do that that requires only minimal effort. Is there a catch? Naturally. We’ll explain.

In a post for MoneyTalksNews, writer Donna Freedman points out that warehouse chains like Costco offer gift cards for iTunes at a 15 percent discount. A $100 card might cost just $85, for example. You can then use the card to pay for your Netflix or Hulu subscription if you currently pay for the service through iTunes.

Here’s the first of two wrinkles: Costco runs these deals only periodically, so you’ll have to catch the cards—which are usually limited to two per customer—during their window of availability. Second, Netflix is no longer using iTunes as a pay portal for new members. Members who use iTunes will be redirected toward Netflix’s own billing interface. That’s because Netflix was apparently tired of giving Apple a cut of membership revenue. However, existing Netflix members who are still tied into iTunes billing prior to the switch in late 2018 are able to apply the iTunes cards as payment. By purchasing them from a warehouse club, they’ll be able to save the 15 percent. So can new or existing Hulu members, who can opt to subscribe via iTunes.

Not a Costco member? There’s a workaround for that, too. Have a friend or relative purchase a Costco Cash Card, which can be used by non-members but tacks on a 5 percent surcharge, reducing the iTunes savings to 10 percent. Alternately, just have them buy the iTunes card on your behalf.

Does this seem like a lot of effort for minimal savings? For some people, it might. But if your streaming platforms are beginning to add up, knocking the price down by 15 percent might be worth the hustle.

[h/t MoneyTalksNews]