Netflix to start charging users “hooked” on friends’ subscriptions

The days of “account sharing” on Netflix are now definitively numbered, with the company announcing that it is done testing charging for accounts by the number of “homes” they are used in, and will move on to action.

Thus, users discovered in homes other than the one associated with that Netflix account will have the choice of purchasing an “extra user” sub-account or transferring to an account of their own. The latter comes with the benefit of having your own viewing history, playlists and personalised content recommendations, uninfluenced by the preferences of the primary user who registered that account.

And while the benefits of switching to an individual account are readily apparent, the benefits of taking on the role of “extra user” might be less tempting, in the idea that you’ll have to contribute to someone else’s subscription.

Netflix introduces charging based on the number of homes an account is accessed in

According to explanations already given during the test campaign, the new system of charging those who use their account in more than one home has as its central element the primary address used on one or more TVs, mobile devices or computers. You won’t have to pay anything extra for these. In fact, connecting a laptop to your TV won’t cost you extra either.

But if you connect with the same account on multiple TVs at different addresses for longer periods of time, then you’ll need to activate another “user” on that account to continue accessing Netflix services from the official app on that device.

The good news is that the additional fee appears to be a flat rate and rather modest when compared to the cost of a “full” subscription. So for just $3-4/month you’ll be able to have the gratitude of friends linked to your Netflix account as extra users. By comparison, the cheapest stand-alone Netflix subscription starts at $7/month and has the disadvantage of displaying ads between the movies/series you select to watch. For starters, the extra-user option will be available to users in a few countries, including the UK, Canada and Mexico, starting November 10.