PlayStation Plus prices are set to rise significantly at the end of August, but if you’re willing to spend now to save in the long-term, we’ll tell you how you can beat the hike.
From 00.01am on Thu 31 Aug, UK PlayStation Plus prices will increase as follows:
– Annual membership will rise from £39.99 to £49.99 (+25%)
– Quarterly membership will rise from £14.99 to £19.99 (+33%)
– Monthly will membership rise from £5.99 to £6.99 (+17%)
Sony announced Europe-wide PlayStation Plus price rises in an email sent to subscribers in late July. Since then, it’s told us: “We are changing the pricing to reflect various market conditions while enabling us to continue providing exceptional value to our members.”
What is PlayStation Plus?
PlayStation Plus is a premium subscription service for Sony consoles. It’s required to play multiplayer PS4 games online, but not PS3 or Vita titles. Subscribers also get selected PS4, PS3 and Vita games each month, which are theirs to keep for the duration of their membership, plus 10GB of cloud storage for PS4 game saves and exclusive discounts on digital titles. August’s free PlayStation Plus games include Just Cause 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry.
How you can beat the rise
While new or recurring subscription fees payable on or after Thu 31 Aug will be charged at the higher rates, if you’re ready to spend now to save money in the long-term, you should consider buying multiple subscriptions at the current cheaper price. Sony told us there’s no limit to the number of subscriptions you can stack on top of one another, so it just depends how dedicated you are to PlayStation Plus.
The cheapest PlayStation Plus subscriptions we could find online on Wed 30 Aug were:
– One-month membership for £5.99 at PlayStation Store
– Three-month membership for £14.86 at ShopTo*
– 12-month membership for £38.86 at ShopTo*
Buy two 12-month PlayStation Plus subscriptions today for a total of £77.72, as opposed to £99.98 after the price rise, and you’ll save over £22. Of course, this is only an option to those who can afford it and would only make sense if you’re a committed gamer loyal to PlayStation consoles – so you’re certain you’ll still be using one in two years’ time.
If on the other hand you want to cancel your subscription before the prices rise, you’ll need to turn off ‘auto-renew’ in your account settings at least 48 hours before your next payment’s due on or after Thu 31 Aug.
Will you be sticking with PlayStation Plus? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments below, on Twitter @MSE_Deals or on Facebook. For gaming offers, check out our PS4 deals and Xbox One deals pages.
