18 Netflix hacks

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 in the past we've found £15 cards for £14.89, £25 cards for £23.99 and £50 cards for £47.99 on CDKeys.com*. When we looked on Tuesday 18 January these were all out of stock, but check on a regular basis to see if you can get them – while the examples we found only offer a small saving, at other times you may be able to 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 in the past we've found iTunes gift cards for up to 7% less than face value and Google Play gift cards selling for up to 4% less than face value on CDKeys.com*. While when we looked on Tuesday 18 January both were out of stock, check on a regular basis – you may even be able to get a better saving than those we found.

Last month, Netflix launched five exclusive mobile games, and has since launched five more. They're available to all subscribers, no matter what plan you're on – no additional fees are required, and Netflix says there are no in-game purchases or adverts (if you play a lot of mobile games, you'll know that this isn't common).

Originally only available via the Netflix app on Android mobile phones and tablets, they're also now available on Apple iPhones and iPads too. Yet not everyone can play them – they're only suitable for adults, so they're not available on kids' profiles.

While you shouldn't subscribe to Netflix for the games alone, if you already subscribe (or were planning to) you're essentially getting something extra for nothing, which obviously we're a fan of.

How to play games on Netflix

Open the Netflix app on your Android or iOS device and scroll down the homepage. A few rows down you'll see a row dedicated to games – scroll across to see the different games available. If you're on Android, you should also see a controller icon titled 'Games' at the bottom of the homepage, which will take you to a games section.

Tap on the game you want to play, and you'll see a screen that gives you a brief description, a short video and a few screen shots. Tap 'Get game' and you'll be taken to the App Store or Google Play, where you download the game like you would an app (be aware that, unless you're on Wi-Fi, this will eat into your mobile data allowance).

Once the game's installed, you can open it through the App Store or Google Play, via the Netflix app or by tapping on the game where it appears among your apps. Instructions and tutorials are included with each game.

What games can you play on Netflix?

At the time of writing, there are ten games available (though Netflix says it wants to "build a library of games," so more could be on the way in the future):

• Asphalt Xtreme: Single-player or multi-player off-road racing game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Less of a mobile game and more of a proper video game in looks and feel – if you like racing games, you'll like this (sadly, I suck at them).
• Bowling Ballers: Single-player endless runner (essentially a game that doesn't end) based on ten-pin bowling. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Fun to start with, but quickly gets hard (ooh err missus etc).
• Card Blast: Single-player casual poker game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Redonk addictive, and you don't need to know how to play poker.
• Dominoes Café: Single-player table-top dominoes game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Can be a bit confusing at times if you're not familiar with dominoes, but weirdly satisfying to play.
  
• Knittens: Single-player 'match 3' puzzle game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: The sort of game you think is a bit rubbish but find yourself still playing an hour later.
• Shooting Hoops: Single-player basketball/dart gun game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Very satisfying, particularly the sound effects.
• Stranger Things 1984: Single-player role-playing game based on the Netflix sci-fi series of the same name. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Nice retro look, but aimless wandering can get on your tatas a bit.
• Stranger Things 3: The Game: Single-player or multi-player game role-playing game based on the third series of the Netflix show. MSE Kelvin's verdict: More sophisticated in terms of graphics and gameplay than the other Strangers Things title, but still a lot of roaming required.
• Teeter (Up): Single-player arcade game, the object of which is to guide a ball into a hole by manoeuvring a platform. MSE Kelvin review: About as much fun as it sounds, ie, not fun.
• Wonderputt: Single-player mini-golf game. MSE Kelvin's verdict: Looks great and is really easy to pick up, but gets a bit samey.

'Free' Netflix subscriptions with mobile phone contracts, where you pay the monthly bill and Netflix is thrown in for six or 12 months, crop up now and again. So keep an eye out if you're looking to switch mobile contract and subscribe to Netflix at the same time.

As ever with this sort of deal, it's usually only worth it if you were already going to go for the particular contract that includes the Netflix subscription in the first place. For example, our analysis found an O2 deal from 2018 with 'free' Netflix was only worth it for high-data users.