To Subscribe Or Not To Subscribe, That Is The Question: Paid Streaming Services

[SunnyBeBe]

33 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

That seems like robbery.
Can you switch providers to get a better deal? 

Not really.  Century Link, but when you add up their plan…it’s almost the same costs, plus, you have to switch to Direct tv or satellite…they don’t have cable.  It’s daunting….I’m going to do more research next week.  🙄

I do get the benefit of using the cable account to access many channels at my country house on the weekends.  But, I have to pay a separate internet cost there.  Then, my office internet and phone with AT&T!  I have to find ways to cut it back.  

Edited November 5, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Thanks.  We’re paying $203.00 per month for basic cable, internet and home phone.  I thought it was a lot, but they say there is no better deal for long time customers.  The deals for bundles are for new customers and you can’t just switch the account to a new name for someone else  who  lives in the house to get a good deal.  It has to legitimately be a new resident.  Plus, the deal is for only 12 months, then it goes up.  Oh well……

Was that after you asked to talk to someone in the retentions department? Don't be afraid to threaten them with leaving by saying you have other options like T-Mo internet if it's cheaper then Century Link where you are. People also cancel, wait a couple days at least and use their significant other or a roommate's name to start new service. Who's to say that someone hadn't separated from their spouse and wanted to start a new account in their own name with the same last name? What's the company going to do otherwise to prove differently? Sometimes customers have to get inventive with companies who don't give a flying flip about long timers and just reward new ones.

I miss my AT&T Uverse TV sometimes. Then I think about how when I'd get a retentions deal all it would cover was the taxes and not the actual prices even more so when rates would keep climbing up. It wasn't at $200 dollars yet. The taxes were so high on the TV, Internet and Phone bundle I had at AT&T though that employees wouldn't believe me at times when I'd tell them before they looked my account up. I had one guy tell me there was no way I could be telling the truth then he had to apologize for that ASSumption after he saw what he didn't think was true on his screen.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Jaded

[SunnyBeBe]

37 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Was that after you asked to talk to someone in the retentions department? Don't be afraid to threaten them with leaving by saying you have other options like T-Mo internet if it's cheaper then Century Link where you are. People also cancel, wait a couple days at least and use their significant other or a roommate's name to start new service. Who's to say that someone had separated from their spouse and wanted to start a new account in their own name? What's the company going to do otherwise to prove differently? Sometimes customers have to get inventive with companies who don't give a flying flip about long time customers and just reward new ones.

I miss my AT&T Uverse TV sometimes. Then I think about how when I'd get a retentions deal all it would cover was the taxes and not the actual prices even more so when rates would keep climbing up. It wasn't at $200 dollars yet. The taxes were so high on the TV, Internet and Phone bundle I had at AT&T though that employees wouldn't believe me at times when I'd tell them before they looked my account up. I had one guy tell me there was no way I could be telling the truth then he had to apologize for that ASSumption after he saw what he didn't think was true on his screen.

Yeah, I’ve done it all. I actually spoke with someone last year who promised a great deal, but he had to get it approved with supervisor, but he  never called me back. When I called to inquire about it, they had no deal in the system!  I explained, but they would not honor it.  Said no way that deal was possible.   I guess he couldn’t get authorization. New rep who promised too much. ?  I’ve talked to them multiple times…..have asked for supervisors.  I’m told that I can take the phone off, but the price will go up!  I have gotten deals with my business account with AT&T retention dept., but Spectrum doesn’t seem to work that way.  I’d appreciate any tips.  I’m an attorney and pretty good at negotiations, but have not succeeded with Spectrum. 🤣 All tips appreciated.   They don’t seem to care.  🥴

Edited November 5, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Irlandesa]

Comcast once promised to get me a better deal and after I spent what felt like hours on the phone with them, I realized they were trying to sell me a plan with fewer channels than I already had.  So of course it was cheaper. 

[Kitty Redstone]

We have Spectrum Internet and TV Choice with local channels for just over $110 a month.  No boxes or DVR anymore which my husband misses, but those boxes cost a lot.  If we'd ditched cable altogether the price for internet alone would have been over $100, so we went with TV Choice.  It comes with your pick of 10 or 15 channels in the mid tier, and while I do miss Smithsonian and Science Channel it didn't justify paying the $220 a month our bill had shot up to.  I've thought about calling to see if we could get rid of the local channels ($21 per month) as well, but we'd probably need to get an antenna on the house to get the best, most reliable over the air signal. 

Anyway, in addition to saving a nice chunk of money, the change has forced me out of my comfort zone and into some free streaming services (tubi and freevee) and a couple of inexpensive paid services (Peacock, Frndly).  We already subscribed to Acorn and Britbox.  Hope this helps @SunnyBeBe!

[SunnyBeBe]

Yes, it helps. Kiddy Redstone,   If the option you describe is available in my area, it would mean that I wouldn’t have the option of getting so many of the free apps that I get at my country house, such as TLC, A&E, ID, FX, Oxygen, etc,  So,…..it’s something to consider.  I will definitely have a serious conversation with them next week.  

Edited November 5, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[ABay]

I have 3 different services, 2 if you don't count Amazon Prime.

Internet is $50, phone is $50, after that it depends whether I'm currently subscribed to Netflix, Hulu & Disney+, YouTube Premium, Britbox, Acorn, and anything else through Amazon. The mix I currently have is roughly $60 but fluctuates. I'll be dropping the Hulu/Disney package when the regular price kicks back in, and will probably unsub Netflix again soon.

[peachmangosteen]

42 minutes ago, ABay said:

I'll be dropping the Hulu/Disney package when the regular price kicks back in ...

Did you get the .99 a month for a year Hulu and add the 2.99 Disney+? That's what I did but yea, once it goes back up I'm out. Hulu is barely worth .99 imo. I'll just get Disney+ at the regular price the next time one of the Marvel shows I want to watch comes out.

[SunnyBeBe]

Hulu has some original series that I have watched, but lately they are disappointing.  The Patient, Reasonable Doubt…..ugh….I do like some of their content though and I watch The Masked Singer on Hulu every weekend, which I save like a treat.  Lol

[Cinnabon]

2 hours ago, ABay said:

I have 3 different services, 2 if you don't count Amazon Prime.

Internet is $50, phone is $50, after that it depends whether I'm currently subscribed to Netflix, Hulu & Disney+, YouTube Premium, Britbox, Acorn, and anything else through Amazon. The mix I currently have is roughly $60 but fluctuates. I'll be dropping the Hulu/Disney package when the regular price kicks back in, and will probably unsub Netflix again soon.

This is similar to what I pay. I only allow myself to pay for 3-4 services a month at most, and I regularly drop services. 

[DearEvette]

Mine fluctuates because I am an a la carte channel subscriber and will typically  subscribe to channels in short burst when there are deals. Also I don't have cable.

But primarily I have:

Internet $70.00 a month (this is Spectrum after some wrangling based on customer loyalty.  Got the highest tier which normally retails for 90 a month).  But this is a necessity since I work from home.

HULU+Disney (grandfathered in old price plan) - 9.99 a month. Locked that in before they raised the Disney add on  price from 2.99 to 10.99. otherwise my monthly bill would have been ridiculous like 18.99 a month and I don't even watch a lot of Disney.

Netflix - $16.00 a month

Peacock+  - 19.99 for the whole year.  It was a promotional sign up for new subscribers that ended in October.  So I hopped on that.  Will most definitely cancel when the year is up and the real price kicks in.  They just bundled in the Hallmark Chanel into Peacock for free.  So if you have Peacock, you'll notice now they have Hallmark as one of their 'hubs'

Outside of those;

I have Amazon Prime which is an annual cost of 129.00 which I don't consider tv necessarily  because it comes with music, free books, free delivery and a lot of other stuff.  But it is through them I add on a lot of the other channel deals.  They'll usually offer short term deals for channels like STARZ, EPIX, Paramount+ , Britbox, Acorn etc. for something like .99 a month for three months.  And I'll take advantage of those and do a catch-up watch.  Thanksgiving is coming and that is a prime time they'll begin to offer those.

I also have HBOmax but that is a free bundle with my mobile phone plan through ATT.  it is a discount deal with my employer.

[peachmangosteen]

4 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

They just bundled in the Hallmark Chanel into Peacock for free.  So if you have Peacock, you'll notice now they have Hallmark as one of their 'hubs'

I was so happy about that when it was first announced but they don't have virtually any of the newer movies. Annoying!

Peacock stopped offering replays of figure skating events this year as well, which sucks.

Basically, Peacock is really pissing me off lately lol.

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was so happy about that when it was first announced but they don't have virtually any of the newer movies. Annoying!

Yeah, they were vague about the specifics.  It turns out, the Peacock access will be similar to their On Demand access and Hallmark is odd in that they only put their new movies On Demand for 72 hours before they go away. 

So Friday's movie will be there Saturday, Sunday and Monday before going away. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I buy PRIME mainly for the free shipping, but I’m surprised at how much Prime content that you must PAY extra to see.  I’m amazed when I think of a rather old movie that wasn’t even very popular and when I locate it, there is a fee to watch it!  So, $5.99 to watch a mediocre movie from 1987! What?  Lol

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I buy PRIME mainly for the free shipping, but I’m surprised at how much Prime content that you must PAY extra to see.  I’m amazed when I think of a rather old movie that wasn’t even very popular and when I locate it, there is a fee to watch it!  So, $5.99 to watch a mediocre movie from 1987! What?  Lol

That's because it's not considered Prime content. Amazon is different than other streaming services because they have their streaming service and they have their shop side of the business.  The shop side of the business sells the physical items but they also sell electronic things like ebooks, music and movies/TV shows.

So if you're in Netflix and they don't license that old movie, it just doesn't show up when you search it.  In Amazon, if they don't license the movie and you search for it, they give you other options.  If it's available through a streaming service you can sign up for via Amazon, they tell you which subscription to get.  If it's available for purchase, they give you that option too.

[Egg McMuffin]

Monthly, I pay $40 for internet (Verizon), $35 for mobile phone (Verizon prepaid - it’s a great deal), $5.99 for landline (Ooma, another great deal). I pay $70 per year to share Disney+ And Hulu with a family member, and I do $129 for Amazon Prime. I had HBO Max at $7.99 per month until last month when the promotional rate expired after a year, so I cancelled it. I’ll pick it up again when there’s another promo. I also just cancelled Apple TV+ after it went up by 40%. 

[andromeda331]

On 11/5/2022 at 10:33 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I buy PRIME mainly for the free shipping, but I’m surprised at how much Prime content that you must PAY extra to see.  I’m amazed when I think of a rather old movie that wasn’t even very popular and when I locate it, there is a fee to watch it!  So, $5.99 to watch a mediocre movie from 1987! What?  Lol

I have the same issue with Comcast. Some rentals are 3.99 and others are more expensive despite being decades old. It's stupid. At some point movies should be old enough to be cheap rentals. 

[SunnyBeBe]

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I have the same issue with Comcast. Some rentals are 3.99 and others are more expensive despite being decades old. It's stupid. At some point movies should be old enough to be cheap rentals. 

I agree.  I have had a pretty good experience so far with Freevee, which is through Prime.  It’s free content and I have found some pretty good movies there.  They have series too, but you have to suffer through commercials.  One show would cut off before it completely ended, which was frustrating.  

[Jaded]

Freevee is an app unto itself without having to go through Prime.  I know it was already mentioned that it's free. Don't mean to be a nitpicker.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

Freevee is an app unto itself without having to go through Prime. 

Yeah, it's what used to be IMDbTV (and was previously IMDb [FreeSomething]).

I think it might not be widely known Amazon has long owned IMDb, because IMDb has retained the look of an independent entity all these years?  So Prime and Freevee are affiliates, sharing a parent company, and link to each other, but also operate independently.

(But I am far from a streaming expert, having only finally fished an old Fire stick out of a drawer and hooked it up to my bedroom TV summer of 2020, when the pandemic meant work was slow and my cat's illness meant I was lying in bed sometimes during the day when there wasn't much on TV and I was running low on DVD content.)

[tessaray]

In the beginning Imdb TV/FreeVee did not have its own app. You had to access it through the Prime Video app, which was very confusing if you weren't already a Prime subscriber. I still access it that way, because app clutter is real.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, I can’t recall how I got the Freevee app.  I have so many apps.  I need to downsize.  
 

Well, I found a nice plan to reduce cable package cost….but, it’s actually a streaming package with certain channels.  Forty total.  Customer picks 15.  Oh well….I’m considering the option.  

The thing is…streaming with apps is not cable.  For me streaming is rather like work.  I don’t consider myself a lazy person, but I sort enjoy not having to work for my entertainment.  Lol. Is it just me?  

[Cinnabon]

53 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Yeah, I can’t recall how I got the Freevee app.  I have so many apps.  I need to downsize.  
 

Well, I found a nice plan to reduce cable package cost….but, it’s actually a streaming package with certain channels.  Forty total.  Customer picks 15.  Oh well….I’m considering the option.  

The thing is…streaming with apps is not cable.  For me streaming is rather like work.  I don’t consider myself a lazy person, but I sort enjoy not having to work for my entertainment.  Lol. Is it just me?  

You get used to the apps quickly! 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, tessaray said:

In the beginning Imdb TV/FreeVee did not have its own app. You had to access it through the Prime Video app, which was very confusing if you weren't already a Prime subscriber.

They'd changed that by the point I accessed IMDbTV.  I didn't have Prime (I still don't, but now I have access via a friend's account), so when I first set up the Fire stick I just downloaded the apps for Netflix (which I have access to via my parents' account) and all the freebies, including IMDbTV.

[SuprSuprElevated]

For us, the downside of streaming remains that you are rather committed to one program at a time, which for my husband is comparable to pulling his toenails out one by one.  He wants to be able to flip back and forth, check other games, avoid commercials, etc.  FOMO to the max.

[SunnyBeBe]

29 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

For us, the downside of streaming remains that you are rather committed to one program at a time, which for my husband is comparable to pulling his toenails out one by one.  He wants to be able to flip back and forth, check other games, avoid commercials, etc.  FOMO to the max.

Me too.  I’ve been using streaming exclusively on the weekends for about 2 years and while there are benefits, it’s not ideal for me.  Navigating around is more work than I’d like.  One day, I may see the cost to get full cable, like I used to have that has all channels, and then have Prime and Netflix for specials and original programs.  I like the ease of switching channels over navigating apps and interfaces.  

[tessaray]

Peacock is adding live NBC to their premium plus tier. ($9.99)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nbc-local-tv-programming-stream-live-peacock-1235257678/

In my area, NBC has Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, shows lots of cordcutters without OTA want. CBS does the same live on the top tier, so someone could have 2 locals for $20. It isn't a great bargain exactly but my local cable monopoly charges $35 plus ridiculous fees for just the OTA channels.  Throw in Frndly for 6.99 for MeTv and some other stuff and you could do okay. 

I know people like the ease of cable but I hate my local company enough to never go back. So the more options, the better. 🙂

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah….those major cable companies….to think years ago I got good value and good service.  When I moved I had to turn in my old equipment and I had a feeling it was the end of a good thing.  Back then it was Time Warner Cable.  

[Guest]

On 11/5/2022 at 7:48 PM, Irlandesa said:

Yeah, they were vague about the specifics.  It turns out, the Peacock access will be similar to their On Demand access and Hallmark is odd in that they only put their new movies On Demand for 72 hours before they go away. 

So Friday's movie will be there Saturday, Sunday and Monday before going away. 

The Friday and Saturday movies from this weekend did go away but the one’s from the previous Friday and Saturday have are On Demand again. I’m curious how long they will stay this time and if that pattern will hold. 

2 hours ago, tessaray said:

I know people like the ease of cable but I hate my local company enough to never go back. So the more options, the better.

Same for me. 

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 For me streaming is rather like work.  I don’t consider myself a lazy person, but I sort enjoy not having to work for my entertainment.  Lol. Is it just me?  

It's not just you! I like all my stuff in one place so I can set it and forget it and then just go and watch it without having a spreadsheet and 10 layers of tracking and reminders in order to figure it out.

That said, if I want to watch something specific, half the time it's only available through some sub to some thing that's not available anywhere else, so I'm screwed.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 For me streaming is rather like work.  I don’t consider myself a lazy person, but I sort enjoy not having to work for my entertainment.  Lol. Is it just me?  

16 minutes ago, possibilities said:

It's not just you! I like all my stuff in one place so I can set it and forget it and then just go and watch it without having a spreadsheet and 10 layers of tracking and reminders in order to figure it out.

LOL, I actually do have a spreadsheet!

But even with the spreadsheet, with my Over The Air antenna reception still fluctuating with the weather, and with shows pre-empted for political and other events, and with channel change-ups in scheduling, and with sharing access with a variety of family members who sometimes drop access without warning, and with 100s of shows on, it really is like spinning the Wheel Of Fortune when I decide to watch TV.

But I like the change. When others complain about a show going on hiatus, I'm fine with it, because it means I might discover something else to take its place.

[SunnyBeBe]

So, if you don’t have access to a channel like TLC through cable company, how would you gain access to it if you download the app? 

[Stats Queen]

4 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

For us, the downside of streaming remains that you are rather committed to one program at a time, which for my husband is comparable to pulling his toenails out one by one.  He wants to be able to flip back and forth, check other games, avoid commercials, etc.  FOMO to the max.

That’s my issue. I live for picture and picture during college football season, got to be able to swap and rewind multiple That’s the only reason I still have Dish.

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

The thing is…streaming with apps is not cable.  For me streaming is rather like work.  I don’t consider myself a lazy person, but I sort enjoy not having to work for my entertainment.  Lol. Is it just me?  

I don't mind finding the right streaming site if I'm looking for a specific show or want to binge.  But often all I want to do is be given a set number of shows that are airing now and select from them instead of everything. 

It's why I like YouTube TV.  It's a cable replacement.  But they also give me five to ten shows that are airing live on the home page and tell me "you'd maybe like to watch L&O, Quantum Leap, Antiques Roadshow, whatever is on Hallmark....etc."

[Cinnabon]

5 hours ago, tessaray said:

Peacock is adding live NBC to their premium plus tier. ($9.99)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nbc-local-tv-programming-stream-live-peacock-1235257678/

In my area, NBC has Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, shows lots of cordcutters without OTA want. CBS does the same live on the top tier, so someone could have 2 locals for $20. It isn't a great bargain exactly but my local cable monopoly charges $35 plus ridiculous fees for just the OTA channels.  Throw in Frndly for 6.99 for MeTv and some other stuff and you could do okay. 

I know people like the ease of cable but I hate my local company enough to never go back. So the more options, the better. 🙂

New episodes of Jeopardy are free on YouTube every day. I’ve never missed it. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So, if you don’t have access to a channel like TLC through cable company, how would you gain access to it if you download the app? 

There are some channels I just accept that I can't get. TLC isn't one I care about, but, for example, I missed the last season of Better Call Saul because I had just lost access to AMC and couldn't justify the expense for one show that I can eventually watch on Netflix, even though that will be a few years from now. My rationale was, that a lot of shows were delayed that long by the pandemic, so how different is twice as long? Maybe by then I'll decide I don't want to spend the time watching it all.

However, my TV attitudes are not for everyone. I didn't have a TV in the home from the 70s until 1997. I'm still catching up, heh, but that's okay. I also didn't watch a lot of stuff that people regret watching.

And nobody can watch everything.

[tessaray]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So, if you don’t have access to a channel like TLC through cable company, how would you gain access to it if you download the app? 

Like @shapeshifter says, if you forgo cable  sometimes you just have to let some shows or channels go. But in some cases cable replacements like Sling, YouTube TV, Philo, etc may be on the list of providers you can validate against on the app.  (Philo, at $25/mo is the cheapest for channels like TLC.)

[SunnyBeBe]

I grew up watching a lot of tv, so I’m a big fan.  The only times I haven’t watch much tv was in college and law school.  But, I am pretty picky.  There’s a ton of stuff I don’t care for.  I honestly wonder why some shows are even made.  I mean……come on.  Lol

Edited November 10, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[SunnyBeBe]

Yaaay!  I called Spectrum again and discovered the Choice plan can be streaming or cable.  So…..pretty sure I’m going to do it.  I’m waiting a little while though, because it’ll start the day you call it in and they don’t prorate.  

[possibilities]

It blows my mind that HBOMax and Hulu cost the same, and Netflix is less than either of them.

[SoMuchTV]

8 minutes ago, possibilities said:

It blows my mind that HBOMax and Hulu cost the same, and Netflix is less than either of them.

Wait, what? I thought the highest tier Netflix was now more than hbo max. That’s why I cut back to the very lowest level. And Hulu is included with my cellphone plan, but I thought it was way below either of those others. But then, there are so many variations (ads/no ads, number of screens, hd/4k) that it’s hard to compare.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Wait, what? I thought the highest tier Netflix was now more than hbo max. 

You’re right. Netflix’s highest tier is $5 more than HBO Max. Their second highest tier is $.50 less than HBO Max. 

19 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

And Hulu is included with my cellphone plan, but I thought it was way below either of those others. But then, there are so many variations (ads/no ads, number of screens, hd/4k) that it’s hard to compare.

Yeah, it’s hard to compare. Hulu without ads is the same price as HBO Max without ads but Hulu’s ad supported tier is cheaper than HBO Max’s.

Netflix with ads is now the cheapest but it is also the most limited in every aspect including not having their full catalog. I don’t think that tier is comparable to any of the others. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I got a good deal at Best Buy. I got a small (24 inch) Fire tv for my kitchen for $79.00.  And it came with a EchoShow 5 as a free gift.  I hope I like them.  The Echo alone is priced at over $80.  I’m going to cancel some more apps soon, so it’ll pay for itself soon. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[possibilities]

I pay 9.99 for Netflix w/o ads. Hulu and HBOMax w/o ads are both 14.99 each.

[SoMuchTV]

9 hours ago, possibilities said:

I pay 9.99 for Netflix w/o ads. Hulu and HBOMax w/o ads are both 14.99 each.

Oh, I see what you're saying.  But the 9.99 Netflix plan is only one screen at a time, and a lower resolution.  Of course, that may not matter if it's a single-person household with a smaller/older tv.  Anyway, I still say there are so many variations that it's hard to compare.

[ABay]

Someone somewhere on the interwebs must have a spreadsheet.

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m not sure if this is updated.

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926

[Guest]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oh, I see what you're saying.  But the 9.99 Netflix plan is only one screen at a time, and a lower resolution.  Of course, that may not matter if it's a single-person household with a smaller/older tv.  Anyway, I still say there are so many variations that it's hard to compare.

I agree. Netflix in particular is harder to compare since their tiers are based on quality and access. When I have Netflix I have the 9.99 tier and consider it a one person service so I would rank it well below the others. If I lived alone I would probably rank them differently. Value is going to vary widely from household to household. 

3 hours ago, ABay said:

Someone somewhere on the interwebs must have a spreadsheet.

It’s not a spreadsheet but consumer reports has a really good summary. Their Hulu summary does have the wrong prices with the correct ones in the description so there may be other errors. 

[SoMuchTV]

If anyone's a Starbucks Rewards member and gets their constant emails urging you to buy this that or the other and get extra stars - I got an offer from them a couple days ago for 2 free months of AppleTV+ and Apple Music.  New or returning customers, have to redeem by 11/30.  Good for me - my last TV "free trial" ran out the day before! 

[shapeshifter]

Hulu is now running $1.99/mo. for the 1st year (with ads). My daughter’s $.99/mo. deal expires in a week, so I went for this year’s deal.