SONG SAVER
Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert reveals how music lovers can save £36 – but you’ll need to be quick
There's a simple method to cashing in on the offer
MARTIN Lewis' MoneySavingExpert has revealed how music lovers can save cash on their subscription to Spotify.
Three months will usually set you back £36 - but you can get it totally free for this time if you're new to the service, or have only recently joined.
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It comes after Spotify hiked its subscription fees twice within just one year.
The monthly cost is now £11.99 for the premium version but Spotify is currently offering the free trial which means you'll save £35.97.
Shrewd streamers will have to be fast though with the offer ending on September 17.
There's another offer for those who have previously subscribed to Spotify.
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But they'll need to have been unsubscribed for at least 30 days.
If they fit the criteria, they'll get three months of the price of one - £11.99.
You won't be able to get the deal if you previously signed up to Spotify and had a welcome offer within the past 24 months.
Of course, you'll start being charged at the normal rate once the offer ends.
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An article on the says: "You'll need to enter payment details and once your offer period ends, you'll automatically be charged £11.99 a month from then on, unless you cancel.
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"You can cancel at any time, so if you don't want to keep Premium, either cancel as soon as you've activated the offer or make a note to do so at a later date."
Cancelling will set Spotify back to its free service, which includes the annoying ads between tracks and means song selection is restricted to the shuffle feature.
Premium also offers other things like listening with friends and setting a song queue.
But it has come at increasing costs.
Last summer it was increased by £1 to £10.99. Then it went up by the same amount, arriving at the present-day £11.99.
It's a 20 per cent increase on the £9.99 it was frozen at for several years before.
A Spotify statement earlier this year said: "This adjustment is aimed at ensuring we can continue delivering the best experience to our users.
"You will still enjoy the benefits you currently cherish, such as ad-free music listening and offline downloads."
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Meanwhile Spotify’s new Basic plans could reduce your subscription costs by £2 a month, starting at £11.99 for the Individual Basic option.
Spotify Premium accounts are available at £11.99 for Individual Premium, £19.99 for Family Premium and £16.99 for Duo Premium.
The basic equivalents are £10.99 for individual membership, £17.99 for family membership and £14.99 for duo membership.
Basic plan users will still be able to access ad-free music, downloads and podcasts.
The only thing basic members won't be able to access is the 15 hours of audiobooks a month available to premium members, so if you're not an audiobook worm it's defiantly worth making the switch.
The simple switch could save those on Family or Duo plans £24 a year, while those on individual plans would save £12 a year.
Even if you do enjoy audiobooks it might be worth checking to see if you can access these for free through libraries via Libby and still make a saving.
How to cut your subscription costs
Reena Sewraz, money expert at Which?, shared her top tips to ensure your subscription bills don't mount up uncontrollably.
Share your subscriptions: Sharing streaming subscriptions between a household is one of the easiest ways to save money, with many services offering family or duo deals.
Pay annually: It can seem daunting to pay for a whole year's subscription at once, but if you know you're going to stick with the service it can save you money in the long-term.
Rotate monthly subscriptions: If you have multiple subscriptions you could consider rotating them each month. Many services allow you to cancel subscriptions without a fee and to restart them easily at a later date.
Do your research and compare prices: If there are particular shows you're looking to binge check which streaming services offer them and compare prices. Many shows are offered on two or more services so you could be paying unnecessarily.
Downgrade your plan: Check you're not overpaying for what you're using - if you're shelling out for a premium family subscription but are the only one who uses the service you could save cash without even noticing. Similarly an ad-supported plan might save you cash.
Calculate if it's really worth the money: How often do you actually use your subscription? If it's only a few times a month, it might not be worth continuing.
Make the most of free trials: Streaming services often let you try before you commit, and will give you one or more months for free.
Cancel subscriptions you don't use: It's easy to lose track of ongoing subscriptions, especially if you're paying out of several different bank accounts. Checking what's going out could save you cash!
If you do decide to change your plan, finding the new deals through your account can be tricky.
To do so you need to use a web browser, log into your account and go to your profile before clicking on account, subscription and available plans.
Then select your chosen plan and click update subscription.
Spotify users can also access cut price deals if they’re students.
Student plans are available at £5.99 a month, with no Basic equivalent available.
Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis has previously revealed another way Spotify users can cut their bill.
For £99 music lovers can purchase a gift card that gives a year's access to a Premium account.
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Gift cards can be bought online from Currys and redeemed instantly.
Of course, you should always be careful when buying gift cards that they don't expire before you have redeemed them.
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