Spotify to hike prices for some by up to £24/yr

We've full info below on what we know so far about the price rises. See our Free and Cheap Music guide for more on how Spotify works, as well as our Spotify Deals page for the latest discounts. 

How Spotify prices are changing

Here's a full list of the Spotify price increases - the hikes will take effect for new customers from Friday (30 April), and from your June billing date for existing customers:

• The Family package is going up by £2/mth. Family is Spotify's package for up to six people in the same household. Spotify has confirmed this will rise from £14.99/mth to £16.99/mth.

  If you're currently on a free trial of Family, once it ends you'll be given one month at the current £14.99/mth price before your bill rises to £16.99/mth. 

• The Student package is going up by £1/mth. It will rise from £4.99/mth to £5.99/mth. We've asked Spotify what this means for those on a free trial and we'll update this story when we know more. 

• The Duo package is going up by £1/mth. Duo is Spotify's package for two people living in the same household. The cost of this is rising from £12.99/mth to £13.99/mth. We've asked Spotify what this means for those on a free trial and we'll update this story when we know more. 

We've not seen any reports of the £9.99/mth price of the Individual subscription changing, though we're double-checking this with Spotify. It also appears to be continuing to offer limited free access to those who don't mind ads and limited control over what they listen to, plus one-month free trials for each of its paid-for services. We've asked Spotify to confirm and we'll update this story when we know more. 

What's also not clear is whether all customers will be hit by the increases or only those who signed up directly via Spotify - again, we'll update this story when we have full info. 

Unhappy with the hike? You can cancel penalty-free at any time

If you're unhappy about the changes, as Spotify is offered on a one-month rolling contract, you can simply cancel your subscription penalty-free at any point. You'll continue to get the service until your next billing date - then your account will be switched to a limited, free one. You just need to complete the following steps, so long as you signed up directly via Spotify: 

1. Log in to your Spotify account. 

2. Under 'Your plan', click 'Change plan'.

3. Scroll to 'Spotify Free' and click 'Cancel Premium'. 

Contact your service provider if you signed up to Spotify via your mobile or broadband provider, or follow Apple's steps to cancel if you pay via iTunes. 

How to cut the cost of a Spotify subscription

If you're unhappy about Spotify prices rising but still want access to a music streaming service, there are a number of options to consider: 

• Downgrade your Spotify package. If you're on the Family subscription for six people, yet only two of you use the service, you can save £3/mth once the price hikes have taken force (£2/mth now) by switching to Duo. Equally, if your Duo account is only used by one person, you can switch to an Individual account to save £4/mth after the hikes (£3/mth) now. 

• Consider the free version of Spotify. Just be aware that this is very limited - for example, most songs will be played on shuffle, and you'll have to listen to adverts.

• Switch to a different music provider. While Spotify is one of the best-known, there are a wide range of other music streaming services to consider, including big names such as Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. So it's worth looking at alternative options to find the cheapest that offers the music and functionality that you want. 

  Apple Music, for example, charges £4.99/mth for students, £9.99/mth for individuals, and £14.99/mth for families of up to six. Amazon Music Unlimited charges £3.99/mth for its single device plan, £4.99/mth for students, £9.99/mth for individuals without Prime (or it's £7.99/mth or £79/yr for those with Prime), and £14.99/mth for families of up to six without Prime (or £149/yr for those with Prime).

  There are lots of other options too - see our Free Music Online guide for more info. 

• Make the most of free trials. Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music and Spotify all offer free trials to new users, in some cases of up to three months, so you could hop between all three to decide which you prefer. Just remember to cancel any trials before they end if you don't want to actually pay for the service.

What does Spotify say?

In a statement, Spotify said: “We offer a variety of subscription plans tailored to our users’ needs, and we occasionally update our prices to reflect local macroeconomic factors and meet market demands while offering an unparalleled service."