Switching your Netflix plan involves upgrading or downloading your membership monthly. As you’ll soon see, the leading streaming service changes members once per month based on the time they signed up. Moreover, although they were more lenient in the past regarding account sharing, the streaming giant is slowly blocking this possibility unless profiles are household members. Thus, some members may need to increase or decrease their membership level based on their demands and usage. Regardless of your reason, our guide on how to change a Netflix plan can help. Let’s dive into it.
Reasons to change your Netflix plan
Here are several causes that make people change their Netflix plans:
- Inability to afford the current Netflix plan — Users often complain that Netflix frequently increases their monthly price. Although the membership is roughly $10 per month at the time of publication, some users may get into financial trouble and cannot afford the pricier plan.
- Unexpected fees — Some countries charge taxes for entertainment subscriptions. Similarly, payment processing companies or card providers may charge fees for international transactions or currency conversions.
- Not wanting to watch advertisements — Users who previously canceled Netflix but got tired of the ads may want to upgrade plans.
- Traveling or any downtime — Some users may not need to watch Netflix movies in, e.g., Ultra HD because they’re away from their primary screen.
- Upgrading or downgrading streaming devices — Some Netflix subscribers may purchase newer devices with better hardware specifications. Thus, they would need to switch from an HD to an Ultra HD plan, for instance. Vice versa is also possible.
- Watching streaming content on multiple devices — Basic plan only permits watching content on 1 (one) device at a time. If they need to consume content concurrently on 2 or 4 gadgets, users must upgrade their plan.
- Family members moving out or in — Netflix permits account sharing in a single household via profile. Fewer or more family members warrant a switch to a more suitable plan.
- Account sharing block — Netflix was more forgiving about sharing outside of a household when profits were high. Forbidding access to certain profiles forces them to become subscribers on their accounts.
- Desire to download more content — Netflix lets you simultaneously download movies, TV shows, and mobile games on 1, 2, or 4 devices based on the action plan.
When should I switch my Netflix membership level?
The time you should switch your Netflix plan is at any point before the date you signed up because that’s when Netflix charges you monthly. For instance, if you subscribed on October 15, you will be charged on November 15, meaning a plan change should happen before that day, ideally a few days to account for unexpected issues. For example, the streaming service may put a hold on your account for payment issues. If so, you cannot pay, cancel, or adjust your plan until the account hold is lifted. Further, Netflix permits you to adjust your billing date after you:
- Sign in to your Netflix account.
- Go to Billing details.
- After browsing your payment history, pick the Change billing day option if permitted.
Note. This is only permitted when you pay via PayPal, credit, or debit card, and not in all cases.
Note that Netflix immediately charges you for any days between the old and the adjusted date. To clarify, if you paid on the 1st day of the month and adjusted your billing for the 15th of the month, Netflix would charge you for the 15 days in between before a new cycle begins.
Additionally, things like needing to watch in a higher resolution or on more or fewer devices concurrently, or download more content at the same time can affect your timeline. Situations like filing for taxes, receiving a salary, and payment method terms and conditions affect the moment most Netflix subscribers choose to switch their plans.
Instructions to change your current Netflix plan
Users who want to change their payment plan for Netflix need to follow the steps below based on their device:
Changing Netflix plans in a web browser
Switching your Netflix membership plans requires users to do the following:
- Open the Netflix account sign-in page in their web browser.
- Enter the login credentials for their Netflix account and log in.
- Go to Account in the top menu. That’s a three-line (hamburger) icon in the upper left corner on Android and iOS devices. On desktop and laptop computers, it’s a drop-down menu after clicking the account profile icon option in the upper right corner.
- Select the Plan Details option. Sometimes you can see this from the drop-down menu.
- After reviewing your current plan, select the Change Plan option.
Note. If you don’t see the aforementioned option, your account may have been put on hold. In that case, you must contact Netflix via live chat or calling via the Netflix app or any phone. Check our guide on what to do when Netflix is not accepting your card, too.
- Pick a plan between Basic, Standard, and Premium. We remind you that Netflix is no longer giving free trials so that one is unavailable.
- Click the Update or Continue option, depending on what’s available.
- Pick the Confirm or Confirm Change option to finish the Netflix account changing procedure.
Switching a Netflix membership via the mobile app for Android and iOS
Follow these steps to adjust your current plan using the iOS or Android Netflix app:
- Launch the Netflix mobile application for Android or iOS.
- Sign in with your e-mail address and password.
- Tap the account profile icon in the top right corner.
- Go to Account.
- Netflix will ask about the application you want to use to continue the process. Select Chrome, Mozilla, Safari, or another web browser.
- If you are not logged in to the browser, you have to sign in to your Netflix account. You will be redirected to the Account menu where you can tap on Plan Details. The rest of the steps are identical to steps 5 through 8 above.
What to do after changing your Netflix membership
After you change your Netflix plan, you must wait for Netflix to process your plan upgrade or downgrade request. If you upgraded from a low-priced to a higher-priced plan, Netflix will immediately grant you all the enhanced benefits it brings. Your next billing cycle will be changed to the date for your last charge. In contrast, switching from a high-priced to a low-priced plan will only affect your plan on the next billing cycle. That means you can still use the benefits of the pricier plan until the billing date.