18 Netflix Hacks

You can now watch a few TV programmes and films for free on Netflix – you don't even need to create a Netflix account to do it. Go to netflix.com/watch-free and you can stream some Netflix Originals – ie, shows and movies made exclusively for Netflix – without paying a penny.

At the time of writing, the free films – which you can watch in full – include Bird Box (starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich), Murder Mystery (with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler) and The Two Popes (Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce).

The free series available, of which you can only watch the first episode of the first series, include Stranger Things, Our Planet and Grace and Frankie. These tasters allow you to decide if it's worth signing up to see more.

Unfortunately you can't get Netflix for free on iOS devices such as Apple iPhones and iPads as iOS browsers are not supported, but you can access it on Android phones and tablets or via laptop or desktop computer.

We're not huge fans of gift cards, as they can easily get lost or forgotten, plus there's a danger of losing out if the retailer goes bust – see our Gift cards and vouchers guide for full info. So this next trick comes with a warning and you'll need to weigh up whether to try it. But do it right and you may be able to save on your subscription.

Netflix gift cards are available online and in store from lots of retailers, but there are also websites that offer discounts on them. So the idea is to buy the gift cards at a discounted rate, then use them straightaway to minimise any risk. Remember, if there's a problem with a gift card you may need to go back to the retailer you bought it from, rather than Netflix, so always check sites' reviews and T&Cs.

The balance of your Netflix gift card will be added to your account when you redeem it, and your payments will be taken from it until the balance has been used up. If you cancel your subscription while there is still gift card balance on your account, your subscription will continue until it's been used up. 

There are two ways to save with discounted gift cards:

• Track down discounted Netflix gift cards online. There's no guarantee of availability or how much you'll save, but we found £50 cards for £47.99 on CDKeys.com* when we checked on Tuesday 5 January (plus £15 cards for £14.89 and £25 cards for £23.99, but these were out of stock). While these only offer a small saving, at other times you may find a better deal.
  
  Take care when searching, as when we looked, European cards appeared on CDKeys.com, while American and Turkish cards showed up elsewhere, and according to Netflix's FAQs you can only use a gift card that is in the same currency as your Netflix account.
  
  
• iTunes or Google Play subscriber? Look for discounted gift cards for them instead. This only works for current subscribers, as you can no longer sign up to Netflix via iTunes or Google Play. While you can't redeem Netflix gift cards, discounted or otherwise, through either service, you can use discounted iTunes or Google Play gift cards to pay for your subscription.
  
  Again, there's no guarantee of availability or how much you'll save, but when we checked on Tuesday 5 January, CDKeys.com* was selling iTunes gift cards for up to 2% less than face value and Google Play gift cards for up to 4% less than face value.

You can get new features first by opting to participate when Netflix tests potential changes, before it decides whether to roll them out to every subscriber.

Most of the time these will be features you'll barely notice, such as minor changes to how Netflix recommends content, but in the past those participating have got game-changing features such as the 'skip intro' button and mobile data usage settings weeks before anyone else.

Opting in takes seconds – go to 'Account' and then 'Test participation', and switch the 'Include me in tests and previews' button to 'on'.