But if the monthly fee for your location is too steep, follow these steps to get a discount on your YouTube Premium membership. You’ll need a VPN service first. If you like free YouTube but hate the seemingly endless ads, you’re not alone. Watching the countdown timer until you can skip an ad and get to your video is one of the more frustrating things about using the popular video site. Of course, that is by design. YouTube knows that at some point the ads will drive you over the edge. And then, paying for ad-free videos will be irresistible. While the initial YouTube Premium free trial offer might have you sign up without a second thought, what happens when your free access ends? You can move to a paid subscription, of course. But that can get expensive, especially if you already have other monthly subscription fees. If you’re interested in saving money (who isn’t?), we’re here to show you how to enjoy ad-free viewing and get a YouTube Premium discount every month, too.
What is Included with a YouTube Premium Subscription?
Before we dig in, here’s what you get when you subscribe to YouTube Premium.
Ad-free YouTube experience – sort of. YouTube eliminates all YouTube distributed ads (e.g. the annoying ones that play before your video starts). However, even with Premium, you still will see ads, commercials, and sponsored content embedded in the videos and live channels (which YouTube doesn’t have a hand in distributing). Download videos for offline viewing – only possible when you have a YouTube Premium subscription. Background play – useful when you use YouTube to play your favorite songs while you use other apps or your device is locked. Access to YouTube Originals – movies, shows, and features from a variety of genres, that you can’t stream elsewhere YouTube Music Premium subscription – a music streaming service similar to Spotify Premium, you get no ads, can download and play offline, and listen to music when your device is locked.
How Much Does a YouTube Premium Subscription Cost?
YouTube prices its premium service by location. And in this case, not every country is equal. In fact, YouTube Premium subscriptions can range from downright cheap (Argentina and India) to very expensive (the United Kingdom and Switzerland). Here’s a breakdown of how prices compare around the world, converted to USD ($) for comparison purposes.
- Currency conversion rates are subject to change. If you live in a country where YouTube Premium costs more, why would you want to pay extra when other countries get the same content, but at a lower price? After all, being punished for where you live seems like a sketchy way for a big company with deep pockets to make their profits. While YouTube doesn’t offer discounts or sales after you’ve become a premium subscriber, there are ways to reduce your costs before you sign up.
How to Get YouTube Premium Way Cheaper
If you’re new to the YouTube Premium service, you can start with a test drive by claiming a YouTube Premium free trial. If you like the experience, you can move on to a monthly paid subscription. However, before you do either one, be sure to read on to find out how to position yourself to get the lowest price on your monthly paid subscription.
Look for YouTube Premium free trial offers
For new subscribers, YouTube offers a free trial period. This is usually one month, but occasionally you can find special offers of three-month free trials (although those offers are quite hit-or-miss). If you don’t cancel before the end of your free trial, your subscription will automatically roll over to a paid one. To find your YouTube Premium free trial offer, log in to your Google account, then go to YouTube Premium to see if you qualify and for how long. You should see one of two screens, like in the example below.
If you receive a message stating that Premium is not available in your country, you’ll need to use a VPN to start your subscription. Likewise, if you don’t like the rate you see (based on your physical location), you can also use a VPN to start your subscription in a different virtual location. Read on to find out more.
Use a VPN to sign up for YouTube Premium
Life hacks are nice, and this YouTube Premium discount hack is among the best for saving money. Especially if you are an avid YouTuber. To find the best deal on YouTube Premium (or be able to subscribe if you live in a country where YouTube Premium isn’t available), follow these instructions. If you don’t already have a VPN service, you’ll need to sign up for one first. Check out our recommended VPN providers in the next section. In the following steps, we used NordVPN with a Firefox browser and selected Argentina as our destination location.
Things to know about using a VPN to get a YouTube Premium discount
While this hack can be a real money saver, there are some important things to note before you commit.
Your monthly subscription fee will be billed to your card in Argentinian Pesos (or the currency of the country you selected). You may get hit with currency conversion fees, depending on the card you added. As long as you’re signed in to your YouTube Premium account, you won’t need to use a VPN to watch content. This strategy works with more plans, like the YouTube Family Plan. To make it work, though, you’ll need to invite everyone and have them accept before you start this process. And, like any tech hack, YouTube might terminate your subscription. While this is rare, it is not unheard of. You should be aware of this risk, and accept this possibility before you click buy.
VPN Recommendations
If you don’t yet have a VPN service, you should definitely get one. Besides being helpful to unlock better pricing for a variety of online services, a VPN offers other great benefits. It can save you a lot of money on other subscriptions too. A VPN helps you hide your identity online since it cloaks your actual IP address and replaces it with one attached to the VPN server you choose. A VPN also secures your data since every byte you send via the VPN connection is fully encrypted. Finally, a VPN allows you to more freely use the internet since neither your ISP nor government can eavesdrop on what you’re doing online. If you’re not sure which VPN provider is right for you, check out our recommended list. If you want to get going right away, we strongly recommend NordVPN for unlocking cheaper YouTube Premium subscriptions. We tested several VPN providers for this article, and Nord delivered flawlessly. We also love NordVPN because it has a strict “no logs” policy, which means they don’t keep any record of your activity on their servers. If they are subpoenaed by a government or law enforcement, they have nothing to share about you.
Closing Thoughts
Saving money is always good. Leveraging technology to make that happen is even better. If you’re serious about enjoying YouTube Premium at a discount, a VPN makes it possible. While life hacks like this aren’t often discussed, they are a great way to keep some of your hard-earned cash in your pocket every month. And who doesn’t like that idea? Read our full article to find out how. One way you can grab a heavily discounted premium subscription anytime is with a VPN. Read our full article to find out how. To avoid this, you can use a VPN pointed to a cheaper location (Argentina, India) when you sign up for YouTube Premium service. Read our full article to find out how.
