6 Ways to Get Discounted (or Free) Spotify Premium
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To get the most out of Spotify, you need a Spotify Premium membership that costs $9.99 per month. But you can save on your Spotify membership using these special deals.
Music can turn even the dullest activity into something enjoyable. If you’re like most people, you love listening to your favorite tunes when working out, doing the dishes, or commuting to work.
With services like Spotify, you can easily stream your favorite playlists, find customized radio stations, and even listen to podcasts. To get the most out of Spotify, you need to get a premium membership that costs $10.99 per month. And if you want to share the premium membership with your family, you’ll spend $16.99 per month.
If you’re on a tight budget, paying for a Spotify membership might not be worth it. There are ways to save on your Spotify subscription using special hacks and deals.
How Spotify Free and Premium Compare
Spotify offers both a free and premium version.
The free version plays ads every few songs. It also limits your shuffle ability on pre-made playlists and doesn’t allow you to download music for offline listening.
With Spotify Premium, there are no ads or promotions to interrupt your favorite playlist. You get unlimited skips, which means you can enjoy whatever song you want instead of being limited to shuffle play or only being able to skip a few each time you listen. You can also download music to listen to offline, like if you’re flying on a plane or driving somewhere without service.
But some people don’t want to pay the full $10.99 membership for Spotify Premium.
How to Get Spotify Premium Free for 3 Months
Simply put, the easiest way to try Spotify Premium at no cost is to sign up for their 3-month free trial.
They’ll ask for payment information and then start charging $10.99 for an Individual account after 3 months, so be sure to cancel if you don’t intend to use it thereafter.
You’ll get access to their full array of features — including ad-free listening and on-demand playback — so you can decide if it’s something you want to continue paying for after your trial period has expired.
Hacks to Reduce the Cost of Spotify Premium
If you’re a Spotify Premium user, it can be hard to give up all those perks and go back to the free version. But if you’re on a strict budget and need to make some cuts, here are a few ways to enjoy Spotify Premium for less.
If you’re a new user, you’ll get three months of Spotify Premium for free. After that, you’ll have to find your own Spotify deals.
1. Get a discount using Raise and Rakuten
Use discount gift cards or cash-back apps to get a discount on Spotify. Raise offers discounted gift cards to Spotify, up to 4.5% off. These gift cards are mostly digital and will be delivered to your inbox.
You can also use the cash-back option. If you buy a Spotify gift card through Raise, you’ll earn 5% cash back, which can be used toward future gift card purchases. As of July 2021, you can opt for 5% cash back or get up to a 4.47% discount when buying a gift card. If you’re new to Raise, you’ll get a $10 credit toward your first gift card purchase.
Get further savings by signing up for Rakuten before clicking through to the Raise website to earn an additional 1% cash back when purchasing the card. If you’re new to Rakuten, you’ll also get a one-time $10 bonus.
Let’s say you want to buy a $60 Spotify gift card through Raise. Right now you can find one for $57.33. If you go through the Rakuten portal, you’ll get 1% cash back on your purchase (or $0.57) for $3.24 in savings. Combined with the two $10 new user bonuses, you’ll receive a total savings of $23.24.
You’ll pay $36.76 for the $60 Spotify gift card, which will buy you six months of the premium version. If you qualify, you can combine it with one of the special plans below to get additional savings.
Related: 16 Best Cash Back Apps to Have on Your Phone
2. Check Groupon for Spotify deals
If you’re a student, check Groupon for deals that might save you up to 50% off on your Spotify subscription. These discounts sell out quickly, so buy it if you spot one. Read the fine print to ensure you’re eligible for the Groupon deal. You may have to be a new subscriber to qualify.
Groupon also runs deals on Pandora Premium, which can be a good alternative to Spotify. Deals can include free months or a discount on your membership fee.
Special Groups Eligible for Discounts
Spotify offers some special plans for those who are eligible, but qualifying can be difficult.
Spotify Premium Student
Students can enjoy all the features of Spotify Premium for only $5.99 per month, which is about 50% off the regular price.
You’ll also get access to the ad-supported plans on Hulu and Showtime, making the savings even more significant. To be eligible, you need to be at least 18 years old, enrolled at an accredited institution in the U.S., and show proof of enrollment.
When you sign up, Spotify will verify your school and enrollment status through a third-party site. If your school is not on the list, you can request to add it.
Check the Spotify website for more details on how to get this deal.
Spotify Premium Duo
All the same bells and whistles as the individual plan but at a much lower combined cost (only $14.99 per month).
You’ll get 2 Premium accounts with one additional feature called Duo Mix: “a playlist for two, regularly updated with music you both enjoy.”
Spotify Premium Family
If your family loves Spotify, too, consider the Spotify Premium Family membership, which includes all the features of the premium version for $16.99 per month.
You can have up to six people who live at the same address under the same family account. Each family member has their own private premium account and if they already use Spotify, they can keep all of their saved music, playlists, and recommendations.
If you and five people split the cost of an account, you’ll only pay a tad over $3.00 per month for a premium Spotify subscription.
Related: 11 Best Shopping Apps to Save Money on Everything
Avoid Shady Scams and Illegal Mods
When you search for Spotify deals and hacks, you may come across websites that promise other ways to score the premium version for free. They may look real, but you risk downloading viruses to your device.
One common scam includes downloading an app that will give you access to Spotify Premium for free. This app can also install spyware or malware when you download it. These programs can steal your personal information or cause your phone or tablet to crash.
You should also watch for phishing emails that claim to offer free Spotify subscription codes. Be suspicious of any email that promises to give you an amazing Spotify deal but still needs your credit card or login information.
You should also be wary of Groupon and other deals that may not be applicable for your Spotify account. Read through the fine print and understand what you’re buying.
Enjoy These Spotify Deals While They Last
You can still stay on budget and enjoy Spotify by checking out the deals above. Don’t try to game the system by downloading third-party software on any of your devices since it can cause them to crash or possibly lead to identity theft.
Be on the lookout for Spotify gift cards or deals when you see them. Hulu used to offer a monthly membership that included a Spotify Premium account, but it’s not currently available.
