Should You Sign Up for Netflix Once Password Sharing Comes to an End?

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Added Netflix fees could make the streaming service less worthwhile. 

Netflix has long allowed users to share passwords. But this perk is expected to come to an end in 2023.

Although the details aren’t perfectly clear yet, it’s likely Netflix will continue allowing people within the same household to still have one account that they can attach multiple profiles to.

When people access a Netflix account from a different household, though, an additional fee will be assessed to the account holder’s credit card or other saved payment method. This could be as much as $3.00 to $4.00 for additional users, which could make it a lot more expensive for friends and family to take advantage of one shared Netflix account.

When this change goes into effect, you’ll have a big question to answer: Is signing up for Netflix (or paying the extra password sharing fee) really worth it? Ask these questions to decide whether to fork out extra cash for the streaming service.

What will Netflix cost you?

To decide if it’s actually worth signing up for Netflix once you can’t share passwords for free, you’ll have to assess what new costs you’d actually incur.

It’s unclear exactly how Netflix will crack down on multiple households using the same account, but one possibility is that the primary account holder will be charged around $3.00 or $4.00 for outside users. If that’s the case and the primary account holder is willing to just let you cover that cost in exchange for keeping you on their account, then you may not face a huge added monthly expense. If Netflix is worth a couple dollars a month to you, you can just stick to this arrangement.

If you have to sign up for your own plan, though, you’re looking at a few options. You could spend anywhere from $6.99 per month (for a basic plan with ads that you can watch on one supported device at a time and that limits your access to some movies) all the way up to $19.99 a month for a premium subscription. The premium plan lets you watch on up to four devices at a time and that provides an ad-free experience with access to all movies in Ultra HD.

These are bigger expenses to add to your monthly budget and you’ll likely want to think a little more carefully about which plan — if any — you decide to spring for.

How often do you watch it?

Another big factor in whether signing up for your own Netflix account is worth it is how often you actually use the service. If you’re watching Netflix for hours every night and it’s a primary source of entertainment for you, you’ll likely want to keep it even if it adds to your monthly bills.

But if you watch one show a month, or none in some months, then you may be better off just skipping the service.

What other streaming services do you have?

With so many streaming services out there now, the total costs of subscribing to multiple platforms can really add up. Take a look at what else you’re subscribed to and see if you might want to cancel one of them in order to make room in your budget for paying for Netflix.

Answering these questions can help you to decide if signing up for your own Netflix account is worth the money or if the end of password sharing means the end of your viewership.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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