Netflix is ending its Basic plan in Spain in September: these are your options if you don't want ads
The streaming platform is discontinuing this ad-free subscription in Spain, forcing existing users to upgrade
Netflix has rolled out a significant change to its plans in Spain. From September 1, the ad-free Basic plan, which cost €9.99 per month, will be discontinued entirely. Existing users have been notified by email that they must switch to a new plan or their account will be automatically moved to another option.
Although this change doesn’t count as a direct price hike, it effectively means that ad-free streaming now comes with a higher monthly cost. Viewers who want to keep watching without interruptions will need to pay at least €13.99 per month.
So from next month, Netflix will offer three active plans in Spain. The choice is simple: accept advertising or pay more.
New Netflix plans and prices in Spain
With the retirement of the Basic plan, Netflix is offering these plans:
- Standard with ads: Costs €6.99 per month and allows simultaneous streaming on two devices, but displays ads before and during the content and doesn't provide access to the entire catalogue. Downloads are not allowed.
- Standard Ad-Free: Costing €13.99 per month, it allows you to watch ad-free content on two devices at once, in Full HD quality, and you can download content to both. You can add an additional subscriber for €4.99 per month with ads or €5.99 per month without ads.
- Premium: Costs €19.99 per month and allows you to watch ad-free content on up to four devices at once, with 4K + HDR resolution, spatial audio and downloads to up to six devices. Plus, you have the option to add up to two additional subscribers (who don't live with you).
The disappearance of the Basic plan means users who want to avoid ads now have to pay at least €13.99 per month, compared to the previous €9.99.
Also of interest: How to access the secret back catalogue on Netflix and watch hidden series and films
Netflix is promoting the lower cost of the ad-supported plan in its messaging to users. In the email, the company highlights that the new plan offers a 30% monthly saving by switching to the €6.99 option.
Still, many subscribers have taken to social media to express frustration, viewing the change as a hidden price increase. Netflix had already stopped offering the Basic plan to new users in Spain back in 2023.
Now it is removing it entirely, as it has already done in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
So what are your options?
The change was officially announced in an email sent to users still subscribed to the Basic plan. According to the message, this option will disappear from September 1. To continue using Netflix, subscribers must switch to one of the three remaining plans before that date.
If no action is taken, accounts will automatically be migrated to the Standard with ads plan at €6.99 per month. This option includes ads, limited catalogue access and no downloads.
On the plus side, it offers improved video quality with Full HD streaming and allows streaming on multiple devices, unlike the outgoing Basic plan.
Subscribers can change their plan at any time via the ‘Account’ section on the Netflix website or app.
The good news for customers is that a new law in Spain will soon require subscription services like Netflix, Spotify and even gyms and magazines to notify users 15 days in advance before their current plan is automatically renewed.
Image: Spotify
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