Netflix is making another major change to subscriptions – here’s how it will affect you

Netflix is scrapping its Apple iTunes billing plans as the firm continues to make sweeping changes to its subscriptions.

The streaming giant will soon ask subscribers to pay their subscription fee directly using a credit or debit card, instead of through their iTunes account.

The move is the latest in Netflix’s drive to eliminate its £6.99 ad-free Basic plan, announced in January, having previously scrapped the option for new and returning subscribers in 2023.

Customers now have the option of its £4.99 a month Standard with Ads plan, or paying £10.99 a month to watch ad-free.

The update was confirmed to The Verge, with Netflix representative Momo Zhao stating that members on the Basic plan who were using an iTunes method of payment will now need to sign up directly.

At this point, it seems customers will be forced to choose between the two new options.

Apple and Netflix have long had a tense relationship. When Apple added an in-app subscription option in 2010, Netflix took five years to utilise it, taking issue with Apple’s 30% cut.

Three years later, Netflix dropped its in-app subscription entirely and never looked back.

And last year, the firm also clamped down on password sharing.

This move meant there was a surge of an extra 13.1 million subscribers by the end of 2023, meaning the total number of subscribers by the streaming giant is now 260 million – with 23 million monthly active users.