YouTube has something for just about every member of the family, whether you want to watch clips of your favorite shows, how-to videos, sports and gaming content, ASMR, or literally anything else your heart desires. The only trouble is when an ad pops up, and you’re forced to sit through commercials like you’re watching, gasp, broadcast TV. The solution? YouTube Premium. By paying a monthly fee, you can bypass ads; $7.99 per month for a Premium Lite plan that eliminates ads on most videos, or $13.99/month for the Premium plan that makes all YouTube content, including music, ad-free. As of this week, both Lite and Premium also support downloads and background play, letting you play music while running other apps on your mobile device. (That alone is worth the price if you want to create playlists and use the service as your primary music library.)
If you’re hesitant to shell out good money for the formerly free YouTube, don’t worry, we’ve found a few ways to get YouTube Premium for free or at a reduced rate. Here are some of the best ways to get a YouTube Premium subscription for free through other services and subscription perks.
Get an extended free trial from Best Buy
My Best Buy Plus ($499.99/year) and My Best Buy Total ($179.99/year) are retail membership programs that give frequent Best Buy shoppers free and expedited shipping, exclusive member pricing on certain products, tech support and more. And now, new members to either plan are eligible to get 3 months of YouTube Premium for free when you sign up. That’s over $40 in savings.
YouTube Premium is YouTube, but ad-free and uninterrupted. Plus, you also get premium access to YouTube’s music streaming app — YouTube Music. After the three-month trial period, the subscription auto renews for $13.99/month until cancelled.
Get six months of YouTube Premium free with Google Fi
A Google Fi Wireless plan gets you super-fast data speeds powered by America’s fastest 5G network and if you opt for a Google Unlimited Premium plan ($65/month for one line), you’re eligible for loads of additional perks, including 6 months of free access to YouTube Premium, Google One cloud storage, and much more.
YouTube Premium subscriptions renew automatically at the monthly subscription rate (currently $13.99) after the 6-month period, and are cancellable at any time.
Get a discounted student rate
While a regular YouTube Premium plan costs $13.99/month, eligible students can get a subscription for $7.99/month, as long as they meet the required verification requirements. While enrolled, students can renew this offer annually for up to 4 years.
If none of these streaming deals for YouTube Premium apply to you, you can still sign up for the platform, though you’ll have to pay full price.
