Tips to Save on Music Streaming Services
With the rising cost of living, we walk you through saving money with music streaming services
Physical media is almost a thing of the past, new cars no longer come with CD players and many new phones are no longer equipped with AUX cable slots. Streaming services are the answer; all your music and playlists are in one easy-access place.
However, multiple streaming platforms for the whole family can be a rather expensive affair and with travelling to work and the rising popularity of podcasts, cutting music streaming from your life may not be an option. This is why we’ve created this comprehensive money-saving guide to the best streaming services available.
Top Ways to Save
Take advantage of the family plan.
More than one person in your household? It may be a good idea to purchase a family plan. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer and Youtube Premium all offer Family Plans where you begin to save money with 2 or more users compared to individual plans.
Be sure to use free trials.
Not particularly loyal to a single company? Switch between services before the trial period ends and get over 6 months of free trials. Who doesn’t enjoy trying before buying? Shazam and Microsoft rewards offer 3 free months of Apple Music when you sign up.
Phone contract coming to an end? Consider inclusive extras
Phone companies often bundle ‘free’ extras with their contracts which could save you money, if you’re already in the market for a new phone or contract upgrade. For example, EE offers Apple Music plans as an inclusive extra with many of their phone and SIM contracts and Voxi offers access to most streaming services for just £5 extra per month (which is at least £3 cheaper per month than signing up via the streaming service itself). You can also get Amazon Prime, Spotify or Youtube Premium free with Vodafone Entertainment phone contracts.
Are you a Student?
Students get great deals across the board on music streaming plans, often with savings of between 40-50% a month.
Accept using adverts
If you’re okay with the occasional advert popping up between songs, or you’re someone who listens to music on shuffle day to day, then having a Spotify or Deezer free plan may be your best option.
Are you a gamer or prefer to use Bing? Sign up for Microsoft rewards.
Sign up to Microsoft Rewards for free using your Outlook email address and you can get a whole 3 months of free Spotify Premium. Alongside this great deal, you can earn reward points for all purchases you make via Xbox Live and the Microsoft store - all of which can be redeemed for Apple gift cards which, in turn, can be used to pay for Apple Music subscriptions. You can also earn Microsoft rewards points by simply using Bing as your search engine - you’ll earn points for every search!
Have a friend or relative that already pays for Youtube Premium?
If an already subscribed friend or family member refers you to Youtube Premium, you will get 3 months for just 99p. Your friend will also get 1 month free, so it's a win-win.
Consider using bundle plans.
For those who use an Apple device, enjoy gaming and would like to have extra storage via the cloud then the Apple One subscription may be the plan for you, for £16.95/month you’ll get 50GB iCloud storage, Apple TV+, Apple Music and Apple Arcade - saving £7/month vs individual plans.
Need more than one? The family Apple One plan is only £22.95/month and comes with 200 GB iCloud storage for 5 people, saving £9/month vs separate family plans.
We also offer offers and deals for Apple Music on our dedicated discount page.
How to Save Money with a Spotify Subscription
Spotify was launched in 2008 and now has over 100 million tracks and over 5 million podcasts, which can be accessed via a free (with ads) or paid Premium subscription. Today, Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with over 515 million users, 210 million of which are subscribers.
- Free 30-day trial
- Free plan with ads
- Student Discount
- Family plans
- 3 months free with Microsoft Rewards
- Free extra with Vodafone entertainment contracts
Thankfully for the budget-focused music admirer, Spotify offers a multitude of ways to save, such as a 3 months free trial for all new customers. When it comes to subscriptions, Spotify offers the Duo plan which is £13.99/month for two accounts, a saving of £4/month compared to two individual plans. If you have a full household of music listeners under your roof, then Spotify offers a premium family plan which allows up to 6 accounts for just £16.99, compared to the £59.94 it would cost for 6 separate plans. Spotify also has a free plan which comes with ads and only allows playlists to be played in shuffle mode, plus you can only skip 6 tracks per hour… but hey, it's free!
If you’re currently looking to upgrade your phone contract and want to maximise your savings, Vodafone offers Spotify as an inclusive extra with mobile phone ‘Entertainment’ plans. You can also add Spotify to your Voxi plan for just £5/month, which is a saving of £4.99/month compared to signing up separately. Finally, for all the Bing and Xbox users who wish to save, Microsoft Rewards offers a 3 months free Spotify trial when you sign up.
How to Save Money with Apple Music Subscriptions
Apple Music is a streaming service that launched in 2015 and has around 95 million subscribers and over 100 million songs. It is optimised for Apple devices and is separate from iTunes. You can access your entire collection from Apple Music or iTunes for macOS or Windows.
- Free 1-month trial
- 6 months free with Apple device purchase
- Student Discount
- Free inclusive extra with EE contracts
- 3 free months with Shazam
- Family plans
For Apple device users, Apple Music is likely your go-to music streaming service, and they offer many different ways to save money. If you buy a new Apple device from the store or a participating retailer, you can get 6 months of Apple Music completely free - that’s a hefty saving of over £65! If you already have an Apple device or bought one pre-owned, don't worry; new customers can get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for Shazam and get a full 3 months for free.
The cheapest plan Apple Music offers is the Voice plan for only £4.99/month, but it doesn’t allow downloading songs for offline use. The main individual plan comes in at £10.99/month, which is slightly more expensive than its Spotify counterpart. For households with more than 1 person, the family plan always represents good value - it’s £16.99/month and can be used by up to 6 people, helping you to save around £65/month compared to individual plans.
If you’re considering changing your phone contract or upgrading, EE offers Apple Music for free as an inclusive extra on a wide number of plans. Voxi also includes Apple Music in a £5/month upgrade, which would save you £5/month.
How to Save Money with Tidal Subscriptions
Tidal Music launched in 2014 and has around 5 million users with over 100 million songs and prides itself on paying artists higher than the majority of competitors per stream. Tidal has a large focus on lossless high audio quality.
- Free 30-day trial
- Student Discount
- Family plans
- Voxi phone contract deal
Looking to save money with a Tidal subscription? Although it doesn’t offer as many discounts and deals as some of its competitors, Tidal still has some good ways to save such as a free 30-day trial for all new customers. As an added bonus, you can import your playlists from other services, allowing you to go from the 6-month Apple trial straight into the Tidal 30-day trial without the difficulty of remaking a playlist.
Tidal offers two plans, the HiFi plan for £9.99/month and the HiFi Plus plan for £19.99/month, making it one of the more expensive options in this guide. However, students get a great deal with 50% off both plans. Households can also save with the Family plan, which comes in at £14.99/month for 5 people - a saving of almost £50 vs individual plans. It also makes it the cheapest Family plan in the guide, so if you’re looking for a Family plan for a full household Tidal is the one to beat. Tidal also participates in the Voxi phone contract deal for just £5/month extra, a saving of £4.99 vs individually.
How to Save Money on Amazon Music
Amazon Music Prime is a music streaming service included with Amazon Prime at no additional cost, with over 100 million songs.
- Free with Amazon Prime
- Free 30-day trial
- Student Discount
- Prime also includes free delivery, free storage, and Prime Video
Amazon Music Prime is an outlier in this guide because it's technically free if you have an Amazon Prime account. If you want the most bang for your buck, Amazon Music Prime is a great option. You can pick up an Amazon Prime plan for £8.99/month and get Amazon Music Prime but included in that you also get free next-day delivery, free storage space for photos and videos, books and Amazon Prime Video. Meanwhile, students can get an even better deal by saving 50% with Amazon Prime Student. The downside, however, is that there is no HD audio and you are limited to 1 device per plan.
How to Save Money with Amazon Music Unlimited Subscriptions
Amazon Music Unlimited is a standalone music streaming service by Amazon. It has access to over 100 million songs and includes HD-quality music, unlike the Prime Music plan. Plans can be purchased without Amazon Prime.
- Free 30-day trial
- Student Discount
- Voxi phone contract deal
Amazon Music Unlimited is for those who wish to avoid signing up for a full Amazon Prime account (like Music Prime mentioned above). New customers can get 30 days free of a regular subscription, which is then £8.99/month. This is cheaper than Spotify and Apple Music, but the same monthly price as an Amazon Prime subscription where you can get music for free. Amazon Music Unlimited also offers a student plan for just £5.99/month, a saving of over 60%. Much like its competitors, Amazon Music Unlimited also takes part in the Voxi phone contract deal for just £5/month extra, a saving of £3.99/month.
How to Save Money with Deezer Subscriptions
Deezer was launched in 2007 and now has over 9 million users and boasts over 90 million songs. Deezer was the first streaming platform to boast 10 years of service back in 2017.
- Free 30-day trial
- Family plans
- Student Discount
- 25% off an annual subscription
- Free plan with ads
- Voxi phone contract deal
If you’re considering Deezer as your go-to music streaming service, you’ll be happy to learn it not only offers a free 30-day trial to new customers but also a free plan. However, much like the Spotify free plan, you will have to endure adverts between songs and there is no offline listening. If adverts are a deal breaker, Deezer also offers 25% off your plan when you pay annually - bringing the cost down from £11.99/month to £8.99/month. If you’re a student, Deezer also offers 50% off plans. If you have multiple music listeners in your household, consider opting for the Family plan which is the largest in the list with 13 devices for £17.99/month. Finally, Deezer also has a deal with Voxi where you can get a plan for only £5/month extra via your contract, a considerable saving of £6.99/month.
How to Save Money with a YouTube Premium Subscription
YouTube Premium was launched in 2014 as a way to stream music videos ad-free in the background.
- Free 30-day trial
- Family plans
- Student Discount
- Free extra with Vodafone entertainment contracts
- Watch YouTube without ads
Are you a big YouTube user? YouTube Premium may be the option for you. It offers a free 30-day trial for all new customers, but if you know someone who already has a Youtube Premium account they can send you a referral link to get 3 months for just 99p. What’s more, they’ll also get 1 month free! YouTube Premium offers three plans; the regular plan for £11.99/month, a student plan for just £6.99/month (a saving of almost 60%) and a family plan which is £19.99/month for up to 5 people (a saving of £40 compared to 5 individual plans). The highlight of this service is the ability to watch all YouTube videos ad-free and even download them at home to save data when travelling. Also, if you’re looking to change your phone contract soon, Vodafone offers Youtube Premium for free with Entertainment phone plans.
How to Save Money with a Napster Music Subscription
Originally started in 1999 as a file-sharing service, Napster Music is one of the original online music services with around 5 million users and over 110 million tracks available. Napster currently boasts the highest pay-per-stream for artists out of the top music streaming sites.
- Free 30-day trial
- Transfer library for free
- Family plans
Napster has a smaller user base than its competitors and doesn’t offer a great number of deals, but you can still get 30 days free for all new customers and the ability to transfer your music library - saving you valuable time if you’re going back to back with free trials. The individual plan is £9.99/month but Napster also offers a family plan for £14.99/month for up to 6 people, which is a saving of almost £60 compared to 6 individual plans.
I started at MyVoucherCodes as a Deal Expert, sourcing top deals and discount codes. I combined these skills with my passion for writing to become an Editor, helping readers save money. As a former student and homeowner, I understand the need to budget and provide shopping tips, especially for vegetarian and vegan diets. I've also written for publications like The Sun, My Weekly, iPaper and Pick Me Up!
I play video games, write reviews for GameReport in my spare time, and love trying out the latest tech gadgets. I also enjoy DIY projects, having worked in a tool store and renovated my home on a budget.