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Is there a YouTube Premium free trial? What you need to know

Youtube video on mobile. Credits: YouTube official.
Angie Yeoh/Shutterstock

YouTube Premium doesn’t get a lot of hype, but if you’re one of millions of people who uses the standard YouTube website and/or app on a daily basis, it might be worth checking out. Launched in 2014 as Music Key (and later renamed to YouTube Red before being rebranded yet again in 2018), YouTube Premium adds a bevy of great features to the Google-owned video platform. A few noteworthy additions that your $12 monthly subscription gets you include YouTube Music, an ad-free viewing experience, offline viewing, and background listening, but as a paid service, it’s only natural that you might want to try it out first if you’re undecided about it. Read on, because we’ve got all the details about the YouTube Premium free trial right here.

Is there a YouTube Premium free trial?

Google offers a one-month YouTube Premium free trial to new customers, so if you’re looking to sign up but want some hands-on time with the service before having to fork over any cash, you’re in luck. Streaming video platforms can be a little “hide-and-seek” when it comes to free trial offers — there’s a similar 30-day Hulu free trial, for instance, but the Disney Plus free trial was sadly shelved a while ago — so a month-long YouTube Premium free trial is nice to see.

Although you don’t have to pony up any cash upfront, you do have to hand over your payment information (either credit card or PayPal). You’ll get a reminder seven days before your trial period is up; if you don’t cancel, your subscription will begin at the normal rate of $12 per month. If you were previously subscribed to YouTube Premium but have not had the service for more than six months, you are eligible for the trial, but only one trial may be redeemed per 12-month period.

Can you get YouTube Premium for free?

Sometimes, third-party retailers or service providers (such as mobile carriers or ISPs) will offer free streaming subscriptions, even if only for a few months, when you purchase a certain item or sign up for a certain service plan. Currently, however, there are no such offers available for you to enjoy YouTube Premium for free — the one-month YouTube Premium free trial period is pretty much it, although this is a solid offer and one worth taking advantage of if you’re considering signing up but don’t want to commit to paying right away.

Are there any YouTube Premium deals?

There are no standalone discounts on YouTube Premium right now, but you can save some money by opting for the annual plan rather than choosing to pay month-to-month. If you’ve already taken advantage of the YouTube Premium free trial and have decided to sign up, this is a viable and easy way to save a little cash. YouTube Premium normally costs $12 per month. This comes to $144 per year. However, you can sign up for the annual plan for $120 upfront, which saves you $24 — not a fortune, admittedly, but it’s money in your pocket.

Alternatively, eligible students can sign up for YouTube Premium for a discounted rate of $7 per month. That comes to just $84 per year, although there’s no annual subscription option for the student plan. You’ll also have to verify your education enrollment status annually to get the discounted student rate.

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Lucas Coll
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Lucas Coll has been a freelance writer for almost a decade and has penned articles on tech, video games, travel, cars, and…
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