It’s hard to imagine life without Netflix and Spotify—but what if you could drastically cut down the expenses? Thanks to a handy trick by TikToker Deidre (@ohhyoubudget), we now know a quick and easy way to do this that guarantees good results every time.
In the clip, which has amassed 1.1 million views, Deidre filmed herself walking into a store and picking up Netflix and Spotify gift cards.
“I refuse to pay monthly for Spotify or any streaming service for that matter,” she began. “It’s because it’s so much cheaper to pay yearly.”
She said this is something she does “every year.”
“I’ve done it with Netflix, loading a year’s worth of service as a credit onto my account, and it’s just something I do mainly because I hate monthly subscriptions,” she explains. “I don’t like paying more for something I can get cheaper.”
She continued, “But more importantly, I never liked the idea that subscriptions, in general, get first dibs on our hard-earned cash.”
With the gift card, Deidre said she “gets to enjoy 12 months of ad-free music, podcasts, and audiobooks, paying just a flat $99 for the year versus the $172 I would have spent for the year if I opted for the monthly individual plan. That’s an extra $73 I didn’t have to spend, and it’s one less monthly bill to deal with now.”
She concluded, “Can you see why I do this every year?”
Viewers had mixed feelings about the hack
Some were impressed, with one commenting, “Wait, this is genius!”
Another wrote, “Thats so smart! even better if you could get it at a grocery store with a good cashback or travel credit card.”
Others were more skeptical, saying they preferred getting their entertainment through other means.
“There are ways of getting all subscriptions for free,” claimed one.
“I refuse to pay all,” another wrote, while a third quipped, “When millennials and Gen Z don’t know what piracy is.”
Deidre didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.
@ohhyoubudget Y’all know I can’t stand monthly subscriptions. I don’t even like paying my mortgage every month—just let me keep my money! If I can cut out a recurring bill but still enjoy the service, that’s a win in my book. It frees up more of my budget for things that actually matter to me. The hack? Many of these subscriptions, like @Spotify, Netflix, and Crave, are available as gift cards. And the best part? They’re often discounted, meaning you pay less than if you were stuck with a monthly charge. #spotify #subscription #yearlyplan #budgeting #giftcards #savings #monthlybudget #yearlysubscription #monthlysubscriptions #budgetlife #howtobudget #fintok #moneytok #savingstips #moneytracker #budgettemplate #dailyspending #spendingmoney #torontolife #torontospending #lifestyleinfluencer #canadianinfluencer #blackinfluencer #loudbudgeting #financeinfluencer #fyp #ohhyoubudget ♬ original sound – OHH YOU BUDGET
Is this true?
According to the Spotify website, an individual, monthly subscription costs $11.99 per month, which amounts to $143.88. Meanwhile, the $99 gift card shown in Deidrie’s video does indeed match the price of these gift cards online. This means that, if someone were to pay for a Spotify annual giftcard rather than a monthly subscription, they’d save $44.88. So, while the $73 figure is a little high, there is money-saving potential when it comes to Spotify.
Meanwhile, Netflix doesn’t offer annual subscription gift cards the same way that Spotify does. Instead, it offers a gift card with a price range of $15 to $200. In the video, Deidre doesn’t mention how much you need to put on the gift card to pay for a year of Netflix. Moreover, it’s worth noting that Netflix doesn’t have an annual subscription option, so it’s unclear how any money would be saved in this case.
Netflix and Spotify didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s requests for comment via email.
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